People who have been incarcerated are approximately 100 times more likely to die by overdose in the first two weeks after their release than the general public. Despite high rates of opioid use disorder among justice-involved individuals, evidence-based medications exist and can be successfully implemented within jails and prisons.

To reduce risk of opioid overdose and recidivism and to better serve incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder, the National Council, in partnership with Vital Strategies and faculty from Johns Hopkins University, developed a new resource guide titled: Medi...

"In 2018, nearly 89% of the estimated 20.2 million Americans with a substance use disorder (SUD) did not receive specialized treatment for their condition—a disparity known as the “treatment gap”. Today, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is pleased to release the President’s National Drug Control Strategy and the accompanying National Treatment Plan, an evidence-based framework to increase Americans’ access to high-quality SUD treatment and support those in long-term recovery.

The Treatment Plan addresses the many reasons for this treatment gap. Many Americans cannot...

EFFECTIVENESS OF SCREENING AND BRIEF INTERVENTIONS

First instalment of a fortnightly course on the evidence for alcohol treatment and related topics. This instalment selects, explains and explores seminal and key research on the effectiveness of screening and brief interventions, intended to reduce harm across a population of heavy but not dependent drinkers. Highlights the SIPS studies, the most significant to date in the UK, and helps develop evidence-informed understandings of four key questions:

Do the SIPS results mean, ‘Just do the minimum’?
How ‘real world’ are supposedly real-world...

Abstract | Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic relapsing disorder that, whilst initially driven by activation of brain reward neurocircuits, increasingly engages anti-reward neurocircuits that drive adverse emotional states and relapse. However, successful recovery is possible with appropriate treatment, although with a persisting propensity to relapse. The individual and public health burdens of OUD are immense; 26.8 million people were estimated to be living with OUD globally in 2016, with >100,000 opioid overdose deaths annually, including >47,000 in the USA in 2017. Well-conducted...

The International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR) will be holding its annual conference at the Sukosol Hotel in Bangkok Thailand, July 13-15, 2020. Conference registration will begin March 1st. 

ICUDDR is now accepting abstracts for 1.5 hour panel presentations and 3 hour courses.  They have some partial scholarships available for airfare and hotel. There are two categories for which you can submit a proposal.  Please keep in mind ICUDDR's mission and goals when submitting your proposal. 

Mission: The International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand...

The Education and Training Unit of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) organised training on “UTC 06- Case Management for Addiction Professionals and UTC 07- Crisis Intervention for Addiction Professionals” for 28 staff members of the NDDCB which was held on 17th – 19th December 2019 at NDDCB Auditorium.

The training followed the international curriculum UTC 6 and UTC 7 that was developed for the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) in collaboration with the Colombo Plan. The goals of the training were to expand the...

Counselors: Need a tool to help people leaving criminal justice facilities stay drug-free? The Drugs & the Brain Wallet Card is designed specifically for people transitioning back to a less structured environment.

This retrospective cohort study asks people who are in recovery or have not used alcohol or drugs for at least two years following meeting diagnostic criteria for having a SUD how many quit attempts they had made prior to success. The range was 0-100 previous attempts. 

Kyiv (Ukraine), 18 December 2019 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) jointly with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the framework of the UNODC-WHO Programme on Drug Dependence Treatment and Care, organized an International training on Identification and Management of Substance Use Disorders in Pregnancy.

More than 30 health practitioners, including obstetricians, gynecologists, neonatal care specialists, nurses, as well as specialists in substance use disorders treatment from Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus participated in the three-day workshop, held from 11 to 13...