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

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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Cannabis use in college: genetic predispositions less influential than social environment

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Sally Turner reviews a recent study exploring cannabis use in college, which provides useful evidence relating to how universities could promote a sense of community, belonging and support to students who use cannabis.

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#SmokingAndMentalHealth conversations: NIHR 3 schools webinar

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SmokingAndMentalHealth – Carolyn Chew-Graham summarises the conversations that took place at the Smoking and Mental Health webinar on 28th September 2022.

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E-cigarettes vs nicotine patches: are either adequate to support pregnant smokers?

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In her debut blog, Tuba Saygın Avşar summarises a recent RCT, which finds that “E-cigarettes might help women who are pregnant to stop smoking, and their safety for use in pregnancy is similar to that of nicotine patches.”

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Schizophrenia and cannabis use: new evidence measures risk of relapse

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Over 20% of cannabis users experience a psychotic relapse within 24 months of treatment.

In her debut blog, Sally Turner considers a recent study on cannabis use and clinical outcomes in people with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders over 24 months of treatment.

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Substance use is higher and more excessive in transgender people: evidence, limitations and gaps

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Ivan Ezquerra-Romano summarises a systematic review looking into the prevalence of substance use among transgender people compared to their cisgender counterparts.

Today we also announce the launch of a new survey that will help us understand alcohol use in UK transgender and non-binary people.

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