Alcohol consumption in pregnancy has the potential to cause significant fetal damage. It is estimated that approximately 3.2% of babies born in the UK are affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, though the guidance says currently few children are identified or receive support.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network has developed new guidelines improve understanding, identification and care for those affected by prenatal alcohol exposure.

The guideline includes information to support clinicians identifying children who have been affected by prenatal alcohol exposure and who are...

The Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group specialises in reviews that assess, among other things, ways to reduce hazardous or harmful drinking of alcohol.

One of these reviews looks at the evidence on practitioner-delivered brief interventions and we asked one of the authors, Fiona Beyer from Newcastle University in the UK to tell us about the findings from the update in February 2018.

The US is experiencing a public health crisis. In the US in 2016 alone, there were over 63,000 drug poisoning deaths. Despite these concerning figures, it is estimated that fewer than 20% (3.8 million) receive treatment and for those who do receive support relapse rates are high.

A recent study, published in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, interviewed practitioners to get their perspectives on the barriers people face trying to access treatment and the challenges they face during their time receiving care.

182 substance use treatment professionals participated in the study.

On...

Background: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s 2014 survey estimated that there are 6.7 million Pakistanis aged 15-64 who are illegal substance users. In 2014, Pakistan’s drug treatment capacities remained insufficient to meet demand reduction, with fewer than 100 clinics operating nationwide with the capacity to treat 30,000 substance users. Lacking government funding, over 90% of Pakistan’s detoxification centers are operated by non-government organizations. Although cost and regular funding are the utmost challenges, inadequate staff training, and a slow rate of adoption and...

It is vital that the treatment for individuals living with Opioid Use Disorder is of high quality and evidence-informed.

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction has launched a new report, Best Practices across the Continuum of Care for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder, that presents services that should be available to individuals experiencing or at risk of suffering harms from opioid use. 

This report outlines the standard of service that should be implemented to provide person-centred care to all people experiencing harms from opioids. 

The publication includes a summary of...

The science of addiction is complicated, and it continues to be a field where the debate over definitions, models, theories, and the most appropriate ways to respond continues. 

EMCDDA's Insight Review provides a critical analysis of the different models of addiction.

The researchers explore ways in which the different models could be arranged into a collected structure that can be used to guide prevention, assessment and treatment practices.

The authors hope that the report will support the reader in developing an understanding of the complicated issues surrounding addiction and that it...

For anyone interested in digital health behaviour interventions this manual from SAMHSA will prove interesting. Exploring how technology-assisted care can be implemented, the value of technology based assessments and the ways in which the use of technology can remove barriers people may face when accessing or seeking treatment. 

This manual, Using Technology-Based Therapeutic Tools in Behavioural Health Services, is aimed at prevention professionals, those involved in planning programmes and project managers. It forms part of the TIP (Treatment Improvement Protocols) series with a focus on...