Effectiveness Bank web site Additions
Supported by    Society for the Study of Addiction web site   Alcohol Change UK web site
Effectiveness Bank additions 27 March 2020
The most recent additions to the Effectiveness Bank wrestle with issues old and new – why happiness might not factor into some definitions of ‘recovery’, persistent challenges with extending the delivery of screening and brief interventions, the scope for equipping police and people who use drugs with the ‘overdose antidote’ naloxone, and finally the dilemmas likely to face organisations who provide harm reduction services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The ‘abstinent alcoholic’
‘Backfilled’ as a seminal study for the Alcohol Treatment Matrix, the classic description of the patient who has sustained abstinence after treatment but is still unhappy, unfulfilled and/or nervously hanging on – in other words, not really ‘recovered’.

Extending the delivery of screening and brief interventions
What do primary care clinicians think would help them bridge the ‘implementation gap’ in screening and brief advice for risky drinking, and extend the potential benefits to a greater proportion of the population? A European trial found the answer differed depending on distinctive national circumstances.

From potential bystanders of overdoses to ‘public health collaborators’
Through a Danish programme, over 500 police officers, social workers, people who use opioids, and significant others received overdose awareness training and took home supplies of the ‘overdose antidote’ naloxone. Study examines what happened post-training, and identifies what may be the critical population of bystanders.

‘Service as usual’ during the COVID-19 pandemic?
In response to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, UK governments are imploring citizens to ‘stay at home’ and ‘avoid all non-essential contact’. However, if the spirit of the advice is for us all to reduce opportunities to contract and transmit the virus, what happens to services that typically require people to leave their house on a regular (sometimes daily) basis?
Other news and updates
The latest instalment of our fortnightly course on alcohol treatment covered how to generate system-wide alcohol screening and brief interventions. Read about the implications for commissioners and managers.

On March 8th we marked our fourth International Women’s Day as an organisation. View our message and the special collection of Effectiveness Bank content focusing on women – accessed nearly 10,000 times since it was launched for International Women’s Day 2017.


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The Drug and Alcohol Findings Effectiveness Bank offers a free mailing list service updating subscribers to UK-relevant evaluations of drug/alcohol interventions. Findings is supported by the Society for the Study of Addiction and Alcohol Change UK, and advised by the National Addiction Centre.