HOT TOPICS for January and February 2012

The more important an issue is, the more likely it is to be contested. These are the hot topics, 
some new, some perennial, plus some which ought to be hot but have been neglected. Our selection 
gives you one-click access to relevant Findings analyses. New entries are drafted or previous ones 
updated every two months. The latest set is now at:
http://findings.org.uk/hot_topics.php
Individual links below.
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ACUPUNCTURE: POPULAR BUT INEFFECTIVE THERAPY?
Commonly used by addiction services to curb withdrawal symptoms, its popularity and the faith placed 
in acupuncture by services and patients is countered by scepticism justified by research which finds 
that whether the needles are placed where they are supposed to be or at sham sites makes little or 
no difference. Access our questioning analyses by running this hot topic search.
http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=acupuncture.hot

COPING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
With as many as three quarters of their clients suffering from mental health problems, deciding how 
to respond is a major and long-standing concern for British drug and alcohol services. Should they 
or psychiatric services take the lead in caring for the patient, how can they coordinate care with 
mental health services, should dependence be treated first, or should treatment run in parallel? Run 
the hot topic search to see how far research has been able to clarify these and other dual diagnosis 
issues.
http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=dual.hot

MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING - THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE OF SUBSTANCE USE COUNSELLING
Popular and with a strong theoretical base, the great advantage of motivational interviewing is its 
applicability across the board from risky but as yet non-problematic substance users to established 
addicts. But is it really more effective than the alternatives, and is it really the safe 
at-least-it-does-no-harm option it is believed to be? Find the answers in the analyses retrieved by 
this search.
http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=MI.hot

DRUG EDUCATION YET TO FULFIL ITS PRESUMED POTENTIAL
School-based drug education remains for many the great hope for preventing unhealthy or illegal 
substance use across the population. Its prevention potential is obvious, the fulfilment less so, 
perhaps due to inherent contradictions. Run the hot topic search to see how these have played out in 
the research.
http://findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=drug_ed.hot

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alert you to site updates and recent UK-relevant evaluation studies and reviews of drug/alcohol 
interventions. Findings is managed by DrugScope, Alcohol Concern and the National Addiction Centre. 
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