From 27 October 2007 ISSUE 4 of the Drug and Alcohol
Findings magazine became available free of charge as
downloadable PDF (Adobe Acrobat) versions of the published
content. Access the entire issue from
http://findings.org.uk/issuesResults.php5 or by clicking the
BROWSE MAGAZINE link on the home page. Search for documents
from this and other issues by clicking SEARCH BY TOPIC on
the home page. There are 14 Nuggets and three full articles
to enjoy each with an underlying fully referenced text. Some
highlights...
TREATMENT WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Research from previous decades sometimes answers key
questions which could not be even be asked today because
circumstances have changed. So it was in California over 40
years ago when administrative blunders paved the way for
what remains the most convincing test of court-ordered
treatment. The blunders created the evaluator's Holy Grail -
a near-perfect control group without having to interfere
with the process being evaluated. Later the research team
was able to test what happens when for the first time
methadone maintenance becomes available to supplement
abstinence-based treatments, demonstrating that this is the
single most effective crime-reduction intervention for
opiate-dependent offenders. Choose FORCE IN THE SUNSHINE
STATE from the issue 4 listing or go direct to:
http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=Ashton_M_25.pdf
CONTINGENCY MANAGEMENT
A few months ago many British readers would have wondered
what this means but the recent controversy over
rewarding/punishing UK methadone patients for compliance
with treatment, NICE's endorsement of contingency management
systems for systematising these inducements, and the NTA's
interest in piloting these, have brought this issue to the
top of the political agenda. Luckily we looked at this in
issue 4 on the back of a study synthesising the research to
date. Choose the NUGGET titled ACHIEVABLE AND AVOIDABLE
REWARDS... from the issue 4 listing or go direct to:
http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=nug_4_5.pdf
Check the underlying review for far more information than we
could publish by clicking the EXTENDED TEXT... button in the
initial PDF. In the review we explore some important
limitations of this apparently promising set of techniques.
FOCUS FOR SCHOOL-BASED PREVENTION: CORRECTING NORMS OR
IMPROVING REFUSAL SKILLS?
Rising in prominence is the notion that substance use can be
prevented by correcting young people's overestimates of how
normal this is among their peers - the 'Everyone's doing it'
fallacy. A study of a US school drug education programme
distinguished by its harm reduction objectives (to curb
drinking problems, not drinking as such) tested whether
correcting these norms was the key thing or whether teaching
drug refusal skills (how to say no to an offer) was more
important. Unlike most previous studies, drug refusal skills
were directly observed and found unrelated to excessive
drinking, while correcting norms did have a beneficial
impact. Choose the NUGGET titled EVERYONE'S NOT DOING IT...
from the issue 4 listing or go direct to:
http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=nug_4_14.pdf
In the underlying review we point out that focusing on
refusal skills risks counterproductively suggesting that
alcohol and drug use are pervasive in pupils' peer groups.
And (rather obviously) that no matter how developed they
are, refusal skills will only be deployed if the youngster
actually wants to refuse. Access this by clicking the
EXTENDED TEXT... button in the initial PDF.
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FINDINGS is managed by DrugScope, Alcohol Concern and the
National Addiction Centre, the two leading UK drug and
alcohol information charities and the UK's leading
clinical/research centre. The Effectiveness Bank project is
supported by the J. Paul Getty Jr. Charitable Trust
(http://www.jpgettytrust.org.uk) and the Pilgrim Trust
(http://www.thepilgrimtrust.org.uk).
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