Supporting behaviour change around drugs and alcohol

Andy from CGL came to St Martins to speak to some of our managers about CGL. Many of the people we support at St Martins are referred to CGL (Change Grow Live) for behaviour change around their alcohol and drug use.

We had some interesting discussions about language and labels such as ‘addict’ and ‘alcoholic’, which now seem antiquated and don’t reflect the way in which either CGL or St Martins supports people. Moving the focus away from the particular substances being used and viewing CGL as a ‘behaviour change service’ rather than an ‘addiction service’, puts the person back in focus, rather than whatever substance they might be using.

This aligns with St Martins values – we nurture people and help them identify and achieve their goals – which may involve abstinence from substances – or may not. The substances people might use are secondary. The primary concern is why do people use them. There might be lots of reasons, such as to manage physical pain, a mental health condition, or as a result of trauma. Detox, rehab, talking therapy and counselling referral are available to people seeking change. However, 40% of people addicted to a substance never seek help.

Death from accidental drug overdose has soared to a 30 year high, due to the rise in super-strength nitazenes which are new synthetic drugs which are up to 100 times more potent than heroin. Naxolone is life-saving medicine that temporarily reverses the effects of an opiod overdose, which can buy someone time before emergency help arrives. CGL provides naxolone to people using drugs and to support workers as well as training on how to administer it.

Andy also spoke about bloodborne viruses and the remarkable medical advances that have been made in recent years on treating Hepatitis C and HIV. Training with CGL will equip our team members to keep people safe and provide accurate information to help them make informed choices.