Tobacco and substances event

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Smoking cessation and addictions services: working together to support the needs of people with a history of substance misuse

Friday 30 March 2012, 10am to 4pm
Salvation Army, 429 - 431 Gorgie Road, Edinburgh EH11 2RT

A conference for those working in and supporting smoking cessation and addictions services to share good practice, debate some of the key challenges and explore possible solutions to reduce smoking and substance misuse in Scotland.

As substance misuse is often accompanied by higher levels of smoking than in the general population, more support and encouragement is needed to help those also being damaged by their nicotine addiction.

There is some evidence (1) that:

  • controlling  for multiple factors, smoking cessaton was associated with greater abstinence from drug use after completion of drug abuse treatment.
  • depite drug abuse treatment programs' hesitance to encourage smokers to quit, smoking cessation does not negatively impact drug use outcomes.
    (1) 'Lemon, SC, Friedmann, PD, Stein, MD.  The impact of smoking cessation on drug abuse treatment outcome, Addictive Behaviors 28 (2003) 1323-1331. http://hivdatf.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/impact-of-smoking-cessation-on-drug-tx-outcomes.pdf [accessed 17 January 2012]

As the prevalence of smoking in the general population falls, smoking cessation services are reaching out to help those who find it hardest to quit.  Smoking cessation and addictions services need to understand the challenges of multiple addiction and work together for the benefit of all smokers who would like to quit.

The speakers for the Tobacco and Substances Event are Professor David Balfour from the University of Dundee, Dr Amul Patel, Consultant Psychiatrist with NHS Fife, Margot Ferguson, General Manager of West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Service, Dr Saket Priyadarshi, Senior Medical Officer with NHS GGC, Karen Mather from Smokefree Services Glasgow and Cheryl Irvine, Scotlands only dedicated cannabis worker from WELDAS.  The Chair for this event is Dave Liddell, Director of Scottish Drugs Forum.  Financial support from NHS Health Scotland and the ASH Scotland Inequalities Project has helped to keep the cost to delegates down to a modest £50.

Invitation

Registration form