ISSUES
: Drugs
Chapter 3: Addiction & rehab
36
Therapy for children of drug users to be
researched for NHS by Scottish university
A
therapy could be used to
improve the health and
happiness of children in the
UK is being researched by Scottish
academics in a £230,000 research
programme.
Academics from Edinburgh Napier
University will work with Harvard
Medical School to assess whether
Behavioural Couples Therapy (BCT)
could be used in the NHS.
Edinburgh Napier’s Dr Anne Whittaker
and Professor Lawrie Elliott will work
with Harvard Medical School’s
Professor Timothy O’Farrell.
The 22-month feasibility study – the
first to examine the potential for BCT
in the UK – will explore the impact of
the therapy on 18 Scots families in
which one or both parents is being
treated for drug misuse.
Evidence shows that the children
of drug users are often ill-treated
and that they are more likely to
develop substance misuse problems
themselves.
Research shows that BCT has been
effective in reducing emotional
problems among young people with
a parent with drug use issues.
The feasibility study will see BCT –
which involves working with couples
to improve communication and
relationships, and reduce drug use
– being delivered at NHS Lothian’s
Substance Misuse Directorate.
Research staff will ask parents
and clinical staff taking part in the
programme to gather information on
the benefits and drawbacks before
a decision is taken on whether to
proceed with a pilot trial.
Dr Whittaker, who was seconded
from NHS Lothian to Edinburgh
Napier with a remit to develop
research into addictions, said: “NHS
addiction services desperately need
to find more effective ways of helping
children and families affected by
parental drug use.
“Our review of the evidence found
that BCT could make a real difference
to parents who are struggling with
an addiction and the beauty of this
intervention is that it does not directly
involve the children but, nevertheless,
can improve their lives significantly.
“The intervention needs to be
delivered by skilled professionals
which is why we are testing this within
the NHS where qualifiedmental health
nurses and clinical psychologists can
deliver BCT to the standard required.”
24 August 2015
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The above information is reprinted
with kind permission from
Herald
Scotland.
Please visit www.
heraldscotland.com for further
information.
© Herald & Times Group 2016
M
any people around the UK
drink alcohol moderately
and never become addicted
to it. The same can be said of some
individuals who have experimented
with illegal drugs. However, there
are thousands of people in Britain
struggling every day with addiction to
these substances. So why do some
people become addicted while others
do not?
The reality is that anyone can become
addicted. Addiction is not something
that happens to just one type of
person. It affects men, women,
young, old and those from all cultures,
religiouspersuasion, political leanings,
sexual orientation, etc. It does not
discriminate. Nevertheless, there are
a number of factors that are said to
increase the risk of developing an
addiction. Here are a few examples:
Genetics
It has recently been suggested
that family genes can make some
individualsmoredisposedtoaddiction.
But that does not necessarily mean
that because a person has a parent
who suffered from addiction that he
or she will too. It is generally accepted
that there is more than one gene
involved that can make a person
susceptible to addiction. In some
cases, an individual may have the
genes but these are never activated.
According to scientists, genes are
responsible for 50 per cent of the risk
of developing alcoholism and 75 per
cent of the risk of developing a drug
addiction. And evidence suggests that
children of parents with alcoholism
are four times more likely to become
alcoholics themselves.
Age
The earlier a person experiments with
drugs or alcohol then the more likely
they are to develop an addiction.
Many people who have suffered
from addiction started using drugs or
drinking alcohol before the age of 21.
Young people who dabble with drugs
and alcohol in their early teens have a
much higher chance of developing an
addiction than those who do not.
Environment
Where a person grows up can play
a role in their risk of developing
an addiction. For example, if drug
addiction and alcoholism are
commonplace in the area in which a
person lives, this individual is more
likely to try drugs and alcohol and,
therefore, more liable to become
addicted than a person who has
Why addiction affects some people
but not others
