We can stop people dying from drug addiction

Original source: The Guardian

Drawing on years of experience as a social worker, Karen Tyrell suggests four practical steps.

First, we all need access to reliable information to help us make safer decisions. Where are the ingredients sourced, have they got a history of making people sick? We can offer testing facilities for pills and powders so that people can find out what contaminants might be in their drugs, and crucially, how strong the drugs are. 

Second, we all need access at some time or another to safe and non-judgmental advice. There aren’t enough trustworthy places to go to get support around drugs and alcohol. We can fix that by modernising the way people access services. We have a lot more to do to provide safe places online for advice and support.

Third, when people do develop problems with drugs or alcohol, it should be treated as a health issue, rather than a criminal justice one. Lots of countries are starting to think differently about drugs. Taking a health-based approach, rather than putting people in prison, makes sense for everyone.

Many of the people who are dying now have had horrible experiences in their lives … everyone can get better with the right  support

And finally, there will always be those who need intensive support. Many of the people who are dying now have had horrible experiences in their lives, years of drug dependence, and very little hope for the future. This is particularly true for people who have multiple complex problems such as substance misuse, mental health problems and poverty. We’re letting them down if we don’t give them the best care and support that we can.

Tackling deaths related to drugs isn’t easy to do. But we do know what works. Nobody wants to be dependent on drugs, but I know it can happen to anyone. I’ve seen the most improbable comebacks and the unluckiest of tragedies. I also know that everyone can get better with the right support.