Tag Archives: findings

School drug education for teens: how effective?

мека мебелDrug and Alcohol Findings is a great service, summarising key issues in the ATOD field. This week they’ve taken a look at a 2003 study on how effective interactive drug educations can be in schools. Aside from summarising that study’s findings (which was that interactive lessons did have a positive impact), they also give some fascinating information on follow-up statistical analysis that contradicted the original findings.

Have a read for yourself

Drug and Alcohol Findings

A UK-based resource, this magazine has made the welcome move to free PDF distribution. The full announcement and summary of contents:

” ISSUE 7 of the DRUG AND ALCOHOL FINDINGS magazine first published in 2002 is now available free of charge as downloadable PDFs (Adobe Acrobat files). Access by clicking this link:

or the BROWSE MAGAZINE link on the home page.

This final message introduces you the remaining NUGGETS. Remember to check the EXTENDED TEXTS for much more free information than we could fit on the page.

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DOING CBT AS GROUP THERAPY WORKS AND CAN SAVE MONEY
Brazilian clinic found that for both drinkers and drug users, cognitive-behavioural therapy worked as well in a group as an individual format with potential cost savings. Extended text documents similar studies.

Choose GROUP COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY… from the issue 7 listing or go direct to:
http://www.findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=nug_7_7.pdf

TACKLE COMMUNITY, SCHOOL AND FAMILY SYSTEMS TO HELP TROUBLED TEENS
Children’s lives are hugely affected by parents, schools, peer groups and for those in trouble, public authorities and the law. Family therapy which orchestrated these multiple systems was more effective than typical group child or family approaches for teenage US drug users. Extended text highlights main advantage – effects persist while relapse is the norm after other therapies.

Choose HOLISTIC FAMILY THERAPY… from the issue 7 listing or go direct to: http://www.findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=nug_7_8.pdf

DRUG-RELATED YOUTH WORK – IT’S NOT ONLY (OR EVEN MAINLY) ABOUT DRUGS
Analysis of nine Home Office-funded youth work projects found that the more freedom workers had to de-focus from drugs and relate to young people on their own terms, the more successful they were at working with the problem drug users among them.

Choose DRUG-RELATED YOUTH WORK… from the issue 7 listing or go direct to:
http://www.findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=nug_7_10.pdf

INVOLVE PARENTS AND COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOL-BASED DRUG PREVENTION
NE Choices was a major UK government community project trialed in six schools in Northumbria. Few statistically significant findings but some evidence that supplementing school and youth activities with community and parental components helped curb or reverse progression to more serious forms of
drug use.

Choose INVOLVING PARENTS… from the issue 7 listing or go direct to:
http://www.findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=nug_7_11.pdf

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Also in this issue:
CHRONIC TREATMENT TO MATCH CHRONIC DEPENDENCE
Leading US researchers argue that for many patients addiction treatment should be spread thinly and extensively and assessed in terms of change during not after treatment. http://www.findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=off_7_2.pdf

DO NOT DENY INJECTORS HEPATITIS C TREATMENT
Good response to and compliance with interferon-based treatment means no justification for refusing treatment for hepatitis C infection to continuing injectors.
http://www.findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=nugg_7_2.pdf

HIGH LEVEL HIDDEN SUPPORT FOR NEEDLE EXCHANGE
You won’t find it on official web sites, but in 2000 the former US Surgeon General and senior US scientists judged there was “conclusive” evidence that needle exchanges reduced HIV risk. http://www.findings.org.uk/count/downloads/download.php?file=off_7_4.pdf