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Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760
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Stopping smoking of crack and/or heroin must have tobacco smoking cessation factored in
Why does the "health aspect" within the drugs treatment industry find so hard to make connections for themselves and wilfully disguise their role in maintaining harm as harm reduction. When does harm minimisation become harm maintenance?
And as The Pavement is now distributed in Scotland too, I tried to get some info regarding smoking and drug use off the Scottish government website for health and community care. I could find nothing of any use.
All the substances are, as in England, pigeonholed into their own little categories - drugs here, alcohol there and smoking over there. Most people I have worked with who are chronically dependant on substances, use all three. Many use a vicious cycle of drugs (licit and illicit), alcohol and tobacco - "killing them(selves) softly" comes to mind!
There are two strands to this: smoking and drug use go hand in hand; and smoking (crack and heroin, not to mention cannabis) is seen by the harm reduction lobby as a better way of using drugs.
Quoted in Drink and Drug News on 6th Oct, Gay Sutherland (and let's give her full title: research psychologist and expert in smoking cessation) stated: "most people in drug treatment smoke..." Really? Wow! ...and went on to say: "hardly any are offered help to stop smoking".
She omitted that that smoking drugs is encouraged in many circles, especially front-line prescribing services. It's seen as safer than injecting by many.
Advocating smoking cessation is all well and good; however, once again there seems to be a wilful "taking one's eye off the ball again". Mixed messages and job creation. I try and remain positive, but Hell's bells - come on! Tobacco, drinking and drugs go hand-in-hand. A pint of lager and a snout - lovely! Just had a nice hit of heroin? A fag will do nicely to reinforce the buzz‚Äö?Ѭ? And with coke or speed, I can smoke till the cows come home - 60 fags a day is not unheard of. And because methadone is such a "boring little drug", you need a fag and can of lager to liven it up. And smoking crack cocaine‚Äö?Ѭ? The mind boggles. (Someone told me that the hardest thing to give up once you have "cleaned up" is "fags and the dole", but I digress.)
There is also evidence that respiratory-related illnesses are on the increase within the drug-using population. My observations at Narcotics Anonymous meetings, and from research I have carried out, indicates that more drug users have emphysema and that they also have an increased chance of developing the condition. I hasten to add that this area needs to be researched in greater depth so we can get a clearer picture.
In public health terms, this is not the same as HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C. But for the individual, the consequences of death by "lack of breath" are too horrendous to imagine. Quite apart from the cost to the public purse, this is a "no brainer" from a human perspective.
Once again, harm minimisation becomes harm maintenance. Stopping smoking of crack and/or heroin must have tobacco smoking cessation factored in.
This insistence on looking at drugs/alcohol and tobacco separately is losing ground by the day. Too much vested interest, not enough common sense.
October – November 2024 : Change
CONTENTS
BACK ISSUES
- Issue 152 : October – November 2024 : Change
- Issue 151 : August – September 2024 : Being Heard
- Issue 150 : June – July 2024 : Reflections
- Issue 149 : April – May 2024 : Compassion
- Issue 148 : February – March 2024 : The little things
- Issue 147 : December 2023 – January 2024 : Next steps
- Issue 146 : October 2023 – November 2023 : Kind acts
- Issue 145 : August 2023 – September 2023 : Mental health
- Issue 144 : June 2023 – July 2023 : Community
- Issue 143 : April 2023 - May 2023 : Hope springs
- Issue 142 : February 2023 - March 2023 : New Beginnings
- Issue 141 : December 2022 - January 2023 : Winter Homeless
- Issue 140 : October - November 2022 : Resolve
- Issue 139 : August - September 2022 : Creativity
- Issue 138 : June - July 2022 : Practical advice
- Issue 137 : April - May 2022 : Connection
- Issue 136 : February - March 2022 : RESPECT
- Issue 135 : Dec 2021 - Jan 2022 : OPPORTUNITY
- Issue 134 : September-October 2021 : Losses and gains
- Issue 133 : July-August 2021 : Know Your Rights
- Issue 132 : May-June 2021 : Access to Healthcare
- Issue 131 : Mar-Apr 2021 : SOLUTIONS
- Issue 130 : Jan-Feb 2021 : CHANGE
- Issue 129 : Nov-Dec 2020 : UNBELIEVABLE
- Issue 128 : Sep-Oct 2020 : COPING
- Issue 127 : Jul-Aug 2020 : HOPE
- Issue 126 : Health & Wellbeing in a Crisis
- Issue 125 : Mar-Apr 2020 : MOVING ON
- Issue 124 : Jan-Feb 2020 : STREET FOOD
- Issue 123 : Nov-Dec 2019 : HOSTELS
- Issue 122 : Sep 2019 : DEATH ON THE STREETS
- Issue 121 : July-Aug 2019 : INVISIBLE YOUTH
- Issue 120 : May-June 2019 : RECOVERY
- Issue 119 : Mar-Apr 2019 : WELLBEING
- Issue 118 : Jan-Feb 2019 : WORKING HOMELESS
- Issue 117 : Nov-Dec 2018 : HER STORY
- Issue 116 : Sept-Oct 2018 : TOILET TALK
- Issue 115 : July-Aug 2018 : HIDDEN HOMELESS
- Issue 114 : May-Jun 2018 : REBUILD YOUR LIFE
- Issue 113 : Mar–Apr 2018 : REMEMBRANCE
- Issue 112 : Jan-Feb 2018
- Issue 111 : Nov-Dec 2017
- Issue 110 : Sept-Oct 2017
- Issue 109 : July-Aug 2017
- Issue 108 : Apr-May 2017
- Issue 107 : Feb-Mar 2017
- Issue 106 : Dec 2016 - Jan 2017
- Issue 105 : Oct-Nov 2016
- Issue 104 : Aug-Sept 2016
- Issue 103 : May-June 2016
- Issue 102 : Mar-Apr 2016
- Issue 101 : Jan-Feb 2016
- Issue 100 : Nov-Dec 2015
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- Issue 98 : July-Aug 2015
- Issue 97 : May-Jun 2015
- Issue 96 : April 2015 [Mini Issue]
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- Issue 94 : February 2015
- Issue 93 : December 2014
- Issue 92 : November 2014
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- Issue 90 : September 2014
- Issue 89 : July 2014
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- Issue 86 : April 2014
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- Issue 84 : February 2014
- Issue 83 : December 2013
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- Issue 1 : 01