/ Welcome to the fortnightly
Aberdeen City Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) E-Update

ISSUE: 18th February 2015
* FEATURE* LATEST NEWS * EVENTS * STUDY & TRAINING * VACANCIES * RESOURCES & PUBLICATIONS *
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the ADP E-Update! In this edition we bring you news of the latest Aberdeen in Recovery (AiR) Social Event, which will be a celebration of Franks McLean’s life. Frank passed away last year, and as well as being a founding member of AiR and a respected member of Aberdeen’s recovery community, healso worked as the ADP’s Information Officer for over a year.
If you are a service provider or charity, are involved with a local project/event, or simply have an interest in any particular subject that you’d like featured in the E-Update, then the ADP want to hear from you!We’d also like to conduct occasional brief interviews with people working in the sector locally, those who have been affected by substance misuse issues, family members or people in recovery. So get in touch and get some exposure in the E-Update, which goes out to a wide readership of professionals, service users and people in recovery.
Similarly, if you have any news items or events that you’d like included in the E-update please contact us. The deadline for items to be included is midday on the Tuesday before the E-update gets circulated on Wednesday fortnightly. The next issue is due out on Wednesday 4th March 2015.
The ADP commits non–recurring funds towards community project initiatives in line with both it’s alcohol and drug strategies, and in 2015 we hope to feature some of the excellent work that these projects do.
Your feedback is also very important - if you wish to make any comments about the E-update please contact Ian Reid - ADP Information Officer. Wherever possible we will incorporate any feedback to enhance the effectiveness of this E-update.
Should you wish to be removed from our circulation list please also contact Ian Reid - ADP Information Officer.
FINALLY!–Please follow Aberdeen City ADP onFacebookTwitterfor daily updates and news concerning alcohol & drug related topics!
Thanks for reading
The ADP Support Team
FEATURE

Aberdeen in Recovery (AiR) Social Event
A Celebration of Frank McLean’s Life and Involvement with AiR
28th February 2015 – Queen’s Cross Church Hall, Aberdeen
Frank with Scottish League Cup 2014
The next Aberdeen in Recovery (AiR) Social Event is to be held on 28th February at Queen’s Cross Church Hall, and will be a celebration of Frank McLean’s life and involvement with AiR. Testimonials will be delivered by people who knew him well and were part of his journey in recovery, and this will be followed by a “Buffet & Boogie” which will be a great opportunity to socialise with people in recovery.
Frank, who sadly passed away in September 2014, was a well liked and much respected member of Aberdeen’s recovery community. He was involved with AiR from the very outset and in this capacity helped raise the profile of recovery and reduce the stigma surrounding substance misuse. He was responsible for helping many people in recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol.
For over a year Frank was a valuable member of the Aberdeen City ADP Support Team, and held the post of Information Officer. In this capacity he wasbased at the offices of ACVO, a third sector organisation who support voluntary groups, charities and social enterprises in Aberdeen.
As can be seen from the photograph above, Frank was a passionate Dons fan and had the opportunity to be photographed with the Scottish League Cup when it was brought to the ACVO offices by AFC Community Trust prior to the Cup Final in March 2014. Frank later attended the Cup Final at Celtic Park and saw the Dons lift their first trophy since1995.
The event will be free to all attending, thanks to the generous donations to AiR given at Frank’s funeral. Doors open at 7.30pm and the testimonials will commence at 8.00pm. It should be a great night and all are welcome, so see you there!
Finally, don't forget that the AiRHub is now open again at The Foyer, Marywell Street, Aberdeen every Saturday from 10.00am-1.00pm.
LATEST NEWS
Scottish Recovery Consortium
ORT, Recovery and Me – Mutual Aid
The SRC is delighted to announce that recovery from Opiate Replacement Therapies is getting a boost in Scotland from 20th February when a new mutual aid meeting will be piloted at 8 sites across Scotland.
The ORT recovery meeting has been entirely created by people in recovery and is aimed at people who are seeking or are in recovery from ORT (Suboxone/Methadone). A national network worked intensively over the last 3 months to create the meeting format and supporting materials (including recovery milestones and wrist bands!). Please share the list of new ORT Recovery Meetings below with any organisations/ individuals you feel may be interested. (At this stage we are not seeking mainstream media attention).
The pilot will run for 12 weeks after which the groups will evaluate the format and make any adjustments they think necessary before opening up the network more widely.
ORT Recovery Meeting Dates
Aberdeen nightclub to host third booze-free night
An Aberdeen nightclub is aiming to prove you don’t need alcohol to have a fun night out.
The Garage will host Dry Aberdeen III this spring – the third alcohol-free evening the venue has hosted since the initiative’s launch last February.
The scheme was created by manager Chris Conway, alongside several Aberdeen organisations, including the city’s college and two universities.
Chris said: “People who abstain from alcohol often find clubs an uncomfortable place to go so I wanted to offer an alternative. We offer free pizzas, a create your own mocktails menu and live entertainment which has included a DJ, traditional Scottish dancing and a band.”
Botulism Update
Botulism continues to affect people who are using heroin in Scotland. Health Protection Scotland and other public health leads continue to investigate this outbreak. The source of infection is believed to be contaminated heroin. In all of the cases (where information has been gathered) people have obtained heroin in (or sourced heroin from) Glasgow.
Botulism is a rare condition caused by a toxin produced by the anaerobic bacterium C. botulinum. Clusters and isolated cases of wound botulism have been reported in PWID (see the current edition of ‘Shooting up’ at These are thought to be due to environmental contamination of injectable drugs, usually heroin, with bacterial spores.
See here for recent update from Health Protection Scotland.
Scots at highest risk of alcohol-related deaths
A report released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) discovered that men fared the worst: 29.8 Scottish men in every 100,000 (0.028%) died in 2013 from booze-related illnesses, compared to the national UK average of 19.1 men per 100,000 (0.019%).
The analysis also revealed that Scottish women are more at risk than women elsewhere in the UK, with a death rate of 13 per 100,000 (0.013%) in comparison with the UK average which sits at 9.1 (0.091%).
Of the 8,416 deaths related to alcohol recorded across the UK, 1,100 were in Scotland.
However it’s not all bad news – in comparison with the 1,525 alcohol related deaths the country recorded 10 years ago, the number has significantly decreased.
Anger over Edinburgh ‘legal high’ shops
The opening of another shop selling “legal highs” in Edinburgh has sparked dismay from campaigners afraid the substances are damaging users’ health and “causing havoc” for residents. The stimulants – known as New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) – are mainly sold in the Southside, city centre and Leith areas but Nirvana, in Easter Road, recently opened its doors to sell the so-called party drugs, alongside e-cigarettes and drugs paraphernalia, including bongs and cigarette papers.
The “head shops” are causing a growing problem in the city, said Sheila Gilmore, Edinburgh East MP, who said the council should take control of sales through regulation and licensing.
'Skunk-like cannabis' increases risk of psychosis, study suggests
Smoking potent cannabis was linked to 24% of new psychosis cases analysed in a study by King's College London. The research suggests the risk of psychosis is three times higher for users of potent "skunk-like" cannabis than for non-users.
The study of 780 people was carried out by KCL's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.
A Home Office spokesman said the report underlines the reasons why cannabis is illegal.
Scientists found the risk of psychosis was five times higher for those who use it every day compared with non-users. They also concluded the use of hash, a milder form of the drug, was not associated with increased risk of psychosis.
BLOGS, COMMENT & OPINION
Should you be worried about your student son or daughter's drinking?
Drinking alcohol is often seen as part and parcel of the university experience – but in some cases a party lifestyle may mask more serious alcohol abuse.
For students, alcohol can be as much a part of university life as lectures. Much of student culture – freshers’ week, sports initiations and late nights out – is associated with heavy drinking, right up to a celebratory beverage on graduation day.
So if you’re the parent or friend of a student, how can you tell whether their drinking is just part-and-parcel of the university experience, or if they are drinking alcohol in an unhealthy way? And if you decide it’s the latter, how can you help them?
Why legal highs are more worrying than illegal drugs
Readily available on the high street or via the web, the use and abuse of these substances is growing at an alarming rate.
As far as futile activities go, the fight against legal highs is a textbook example. According to figures released last week, police incidents involving legal highs – substances sold in high street shops and on the internet, including products for the home such as “plant food”, but which contain psychoactive elements that mimic the effects of cannabis, amphetamine and heroin – have more than doubled in a year.
The 'Third Wave' of Substance Use Treatment
For many years, society viewed addiction as a moral failing, and substance misusers were almost always referred to with the familiar language of stigmatisation—drunks, junkies, crackheads. So, addiction came as a double whammy—the addiction itself plus the burden of stigma, which compounded the lethality. “Addicts” were generally sent off to find help in 12-step programs outside of the medical and treatment communities. Eventually the concept of addiction as a biopsychosocial disease began to take hold, albeit one that had a simplistically envisioned goal—abstinence from everything for everybody. A variety of treatment approaches were developed, many extremely effective, but these developed alongside an enormous dose of attention from the criminal justice system. Psychologist and psychoanalyst Debra Rothschild argues that we are shifting again in our view of addiction, to a “Third Wave” of treatment that appreciates the myriad complexities that each client brings to treatment.
For daily links to drug and alcohol newsfollow Aberdeen City ADP on or visit
DrugScope Daily or DB Recovery Resources
EVENTS
Aberdeen in Recovery (Air) Hub
The Hub is now open again at The Foyer, Marywell Street, Aberdeen every Saturday from 10.00am-1.00pm.
The Hubis a Cafe for friends old and new to come together over a cuppa and a fine piece. A selection of teas, coffee, bacon rolls, butteries and pancakes is usually served. Everyone in, or interested in recovery from alcohol or drug misuse is welcome to socialise in a safe,friendly place or find out more about anything recovery related. We look forward to seeing our recovery community blossom and grow. See you soon!
Salvation Army Addictions Support Activities
2nd February – 25th May 2015
To assist those with drugs/alcohol issues move on with their lives and find meaningful employment.
It may not be possible to contact individuals to inform of cancellations so please call 01224 579370 to check if sessions are running.
No activities on 2ndMarch, Easter Monday 5thApril and 4th May 2015.
Job Centre Plus Domestic Abuse Workshop
10th March 2015 – Ebury House, Aberdeen
Job Centre Plus are keen to work in partnership with other agencies to support women who have experienced domestic abuse. As part of the workshop, they will explain the strategic implications of the Welfare Reform and Social Justice agenda and how this will effect this particular client group. The Workshop will take place in the Conference Room at Ebury House on Tuesday 10th March from 9.30am – 12.00 noon, with a 10.00am start and coffee/tea beforehand.
Agenda
1. Welfare Reform and Social Justice – 10 minutes (Jobcentre Plus)
2. Domestic Abuse and how it affects work – 15 minutes (Alison Hay – Grampian Women’s Aid)
3. Conditionality and Easement – 10 minutes (Jobcentre Plus)
4. Individual slots – 5 minutes ( Participating organisations)
5. Workshop: Working Together
It is hoped that the workshop would provide an opportunity to discuss liaison with each other, establishing links, sharing information and signposting.
Although not essential, it would be useful if you could let me know if you are going to attend. If you are unable to attend, but have any questions or would like to raise any issues, please get in touch -
Alison Hay, Manager, Grampian Women’s Aid, 6 Bon Accord Crescent Lane, Aberdeen AB11 6 DF
Tel: 01224 593381 Mobile: 07590453081
E-mail:
STUDY & TRAINING
Certificate of Higher Education
Drug and Alcohol Practice
The Certificate of Higher Education: Drug and Alcohol Practice is designed to introduce students to key concepts and ideas about drug and alcohol misuse. The programme will provide students with specialist knowledge and transferrable skills relevant to the addictions field. A major focus of the programme is the integration of theory into practice.
MSc/PG Dip/PG Cert
Drug and Alcohol Studies (full or part-time basis)
The MSc in Drug and Alcohol Studies is aimed at a wide range of people currently working with drug and alcohol issues in both specialist and generic settings, who wish to enhance and develop their knowledge and skills in the field of substance misuse. The programme will give students the opportunity to critically review theory and policy and critically reflect on implications for their practice in working with drug and alcohol problems.
Impact of Drug and Alcohol Problems on Children and Families
This University of Glasgow accredited course is being offered both as part of the Postgraduate Programme
in Drug and Alcohol Studies and as a stand alone Continuous Professional Development course.
The course aims are to:
• provide participants with critical analysis of the impact of problem drug and alcohol use on child and
family functioning
• Explore the policy and legislation implications of problem drug and alcohol use for children and families
• Consider the key issues in best practice when analysing interventions for children and families affected
by drug and alcohol problems
It will enhance existing knowledge and skill for both specialist staff in the drug and alcohol fields and those
in universal services. It will provide an opportunity for the development of theory and practice, to support
the policy agenda of ‘Getting Our Priorities Right’ and ‘Getting it Right for Every Child’.
Alcohol; ‘Whole Population Approach’ & Brief Intervention Skills
11th February & 11th March 2015 – Health & Care Village, Aberdeen
NHS Grampian Public Health and Aberdeen City Alcohol & Drug Partnership are delivering alcohol training sessions for staff involved in health promotion and providing health related services.
*Alcohol Whole Population Approach (morning sessions 0900-1200)
Will provide an in depth view of the policy framework by looking at alcohol issues from a public health perspective.
**Alcohol Brief Intervention Skills (afternoon sessions 1300-1600)
Will provide a skills framework for practitioners to engage patients in looking at their alcohol consumption utilising evidence-based interventions to help support behaviour change.
*Aimed at those who have no or limited interaction with patients but feel they would benefit from a greater understanding of current policy and the ‘whole population approach’.
**Aimed at those who have regular interaction with patients and wanting to develop skills in delivering alcohol brief interventions.
Note: Anyone with limited experience and/or no prior training should ideally attend both sessions. Anyone seeking refresher training for Alcohol Brief Intervention delivery can attend the afternoon session only.
Anyone who requires full ABI training should attend both the Whole Population Approach and the Brief Intervention Skills sessions.
Session Dates, Times and Location:
Wednesday 11th Feb 2015 (WPA) 0900-1200 (ABI) 1300-1600
Wednesday 11th Mar 2015 (WPA) 0900-1200 (ABI) 1300-1600
NHSG Aberdeen Community Health & Care Village, 50 Frederick Street, Aberdeen AB24 5HY
North Alliance Learning Programme - Neuro Linguistic Programming Training
11th and 12thMarch 2015
Neuro Linguistic Programming is a set of models, skills and techniques for thinking and acting more effectively in the world. NLP shows us how to get the results we want while creating value for those around us. It gives us extremely effective techniques in learning and business for individuals, groups and communities.
This 2 day workshop will introduce you to the language, tools and techniques of Neuro Linguistic Programming.
This workshop is for practitioners and managers who are looking for new tools to take their practice to the next level, who want to excel in their communication with people around them and improve their own performance.