Home > British–Irish Council discusses recovery from problem drug use.

Pike, Brigid (2012) British–Irish Council discusses recovery from problem drug use. Drugnet Ireland, Issue 41, Spring 2012, p. 9.

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On 13 January 2012 the British–Irish Council (BIC) held its 17th summit meeting, hosted by the Irish government, in Dublin Castle.1 The Council welcomed a discussion paper on recovery from problem drug use. Policy ministers discussed drug treatment measures and strategies that have been put in place in each administration to facilitate the path of recovery. The Council noted that a more ambitious approach was needed involving individual care plans and inter-agency working to better address the holistic needs of clients. The Council also noted the Misuse of Drugs workstream’s commitment to include a renewed focus on recovery from drug dependence in any future drugs strategies, with a view to maximising the potential for individuals to access the social, economic and cultural benefits of life. The Council agreed that member administrations will actively encourage the renewed focus on recovery and will work together to evaluate and share successful approaches. 

With regard to the eleven workstreams on which the work of the BIC is based, the summit meeting noted the good progress and work of each, including the Misuse of Drugs workstream, which is led by the Irish administration. Since the 16th summit meeting, BIC Misuse of Drugs workstream meetings have included a presentation on the review of Ireland’s opioid treatment protocol. This presentation outlined the history of opiate substitution in Ireland, the development of the first set of national protocols, and how the opiate situation has changed in Ireland since those initial protocols were developed, as well as the key findings of the review and their implementation. A more recent meeting included two presentations from Northern Ireland, the first on findings from a longitudinal research project on adolescents, and the second on the tool developed by Northern Ireland to measure the impact of their national drugs strategy. The workstream also provided the discussion paper ‘Recovery from Problem Drug Use’ which was discussed at the meeting.
 
 
1.  The BIC was established under the Agreement reached in Belfast on Good Friday, 1998. The governments of Britain, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are represented on the Council. The BIC facilitates co-operation on east-west issues between each of the member administrations by way of exchanging information, consulting on best practice and discussing matters of mutual interest. For further information, visit www.britishirishcouncil.org
Item Type
Article
Publication Type
Irish-related, Open Access, Article
Drug Type
All substances
Intervention Type
Rehabilitation/Recovery, Policy
Issue Title
Issue 41, Spring 2012
Date
April 2012
Page Range
p. 9
Publisher
Health Research Board
Volume
Issue 41, Spring 2012
EndNote
Accession Number
HRB (Electronic Only)

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