substance misuse

A drug is a chemical substance that acts on the brain and nervous system, changing a person’s mood, emotion or state of consciousness. Drugs are often classified by the effect they have.
Stimulants, such as cocaine, make people feel full of energy. Depressants (or sedatives), such as heroin, make people feel relaxed. Hallucinogens, such as LSD, make people see, feel or hear things that are not real. Drug or substance misuse is when a person regularly takes one or more drugs to change their mood, emotion or state of consciousness.

Our substance misuse Blogs

Smoking and bipolar disorder: the physical and mental health impact of tobacco cessation

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Hannah Walsh explores the clinical and research implications of this French cohort study on bipolar disorder and smoking status, and how risks differ for current, former and never smokers.

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Integrating smoking cessation treatment into routine care for people with mental illness: how will the NHS cope?

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Amelia Talbot summarises a qualitative study on people’s views of integrating smoking cessation treatment into routine care for people with mental illness.

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Minimum unit pricing policy for alcohol saved lives in Scotland according to new research

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Ian Hamilton reviews a new controlled interrupted time series study published in The Lancet evaluating the impact of alcohol minimum unit pricing on deaths and hospitalisations in Scotland.

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Psychedelics-assisted psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder: room for more evidence

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In her debut blog, Heidi Stevens reviews a recent US randomised controlled trial on psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for adults with alcohol use disorder, which leaves us with more questions than answers.

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Intimate partner violence among non-binary people who use drugs and alcohol: what do we know?

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Vishal Bhavsar explores the largest ever study on experiences and perpetration of intimate partner violence and abuse in non-heterosexual relationships, with data from the Global Drug Survey, COVID Special Edition.

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Mental disorder and homicide: are rates and sentencing patterns changing?

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Danny Whiting reports on a study of mental health problems and long-term national trends in rates and court outcome for people convicted of homicide.

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Ask about alcohol use in adults affected by divorce, bereavement or illness

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Sally Adams considers a recent Finnish longitudinal study, which examines heavy alcohol consumption before and after negative life events in late mid-life.

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A human rights approach to integrating HIV and substance misuse services

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Andie Ashdown and Theophanis Kyriacou summarise a recent paper on integrating HIV and substance misuse services, which draws on a person-centred approach that is grounded in human rights.

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Temptation can be strong: how can we resist alcohol?

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Ian Hamilton summarises a survey of British people, which focuses on the self-reported strategies we use to cut down drinking, reduce alcohol consumption, and usual drinking frequency.

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What’s the link between neurodevelopmental or mental disorders and school absence or exclusion?

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Chris Fielding summarises a Welsh cohort study which finds that neurodevelopmental and mental disorders are linked to school absenteeism and exclusion.

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