Useful links

In this section I have listed some websites which i thought would be of use and interest, if you find any others that you think would be of interest then please let me know.

www.nta.nhs.uk 
This website is home to the National Treatment Agency which is a special health authority set up within the NHS to improve the 'availability, capacity and effectiveness for drug misuse in England.' (NTA)
This website contains a wide vairety of useful information ranging from guides for commissioners through to toolkits when using talking therapies in addiction.

Substance Misuse Skills Consortium
This organisation allows doctors, former drug users, health workers and charities to share their knowledge and skills in order to improve standards in care and support patients' recovery. The website includes a "skills hub" with hundreds of resources for frontline workers. 

Good Practice in harm reduction (PDF 298KB) 
A guide from the NHS National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse.
When I have spoken with profesionals who don't specialise in addiction but often see patients with such issues, they tell me that they feel unsure about what to do to help. The feeling is often that this person has such a range and complexity of problems it is hard to know where to start. The link above will take you to a guide which has been published by the National Treatment Agency about Harm Reduction. This is a general term for interventions that can be delivered over a very short period of time, can be delivered by the interested generalist but can lead to significant positive change. To be honest, when working with addiction patients the same applies as with all patients. Sometimes all that is needed is someone who will listen. 

www.drugscope.org.uk 
There are also websites which have a very general educational content on them. Drugscope is one such example where it is possible to find a large amount of information about drugs and their uses and harms. They also offer a wide range of publications to help extend your knowledge.

www.alcoholconcern.org.uk 
Alcohol concern are a well-known organisation who have existed for many years to raise awareness nationally about the harms associated with drinking. Again this is a very interesting and informative site with briefing sheets which can easily be downloaded relating to specific areas of alcohol.

www.ash.org.uk 
Smoking is an area of significant concern with an increase in smoking cessation service up and down the country, which also thanks to the recent smoking ban has become a less socially acceptable pastime. ASH is an organisation that for many years has lobbied governement to take seriously the harms associated with smoking, and are still going strong. Their website is very interesting and informative.

Hub of Commissioned Alcohol Projects and Policies (HubCAPP)
This is an online resource which is of use across the spectrum, from those who have worked in the field of addictions for some time through to those who have just started working in this area of speciality. It has some useful resrouces as well as having some very helpful training tools. If you access this please let us know what you think and then we know wether or not to continue reccomending this site. 

2009 annual evidence update: Drugs misuse treatment in offender populations
From the NHS Evidence website. Whilst there has been evidence for some years about the links between offending and drugs misuse. Which led to the develoment of the Drugs Intervention Programme (for more information there is an entire section about this on the Home Office website), designed to provide quick and efficient access to treatment for those in the criminal justice system. This document outlines just is what happening to help people and wether or no the system currently in place is the most appropriate to meet their needs.

From the glass to the brain in six minutes
This has been added as it represents a new and interesting study which shows just how quickly alcohol begins to affect the brain.

Online Gamers anonymous
This is a very useful website not just for people who are struggling to address a variety of gaming issues ranging from problems with computer games through to online games. Whilst this is not an issue which appears to receive much attention at the moment this does not mean that it does not exist or cause problems. There are many anecdotal stories of people speding whole days in front of a computer game and experiencing withdrawals if they cannot access their game when they want to. This website is really worth a look and it aims to help not only the person and their family but also there is a section for professionals to obtain help and advice.   

Gamblers anonymous
This website provided information and support for people with gambling addiction problems, it stays very true to the 12 step approach to adressing addiction issues. It also clearly states that it is not a substitute for people attending 12 step meetings and is instead supposed to be a form of additional support.

Gamblers anonymous Scotland
This again has the same focus as the website above but provides information about gamblers anonymous suport available in Scotland.