Change Grow Live

New synthetic opioids, which are much more dangerous for people using them, have arrived in the UK. Drugs contaminated with these substances have sadly led to a number of overdoses and deaths. If you or someone you know takes opioids, please read our advice on staying safe: ➡ Try not to use drugs alone, and don’t let your friends use them alone either. Take it in turns to use and wait to see if your friend is okay before using yourself. Watch out for signs of overdose, which include difficulty breathing, blue colouring to the lips or fingertips, unresponsiveness, and limp limbs. ➡ Always carry naloxone. It’s available for free from all treatment providers. If someone overdoses, give naloxone to them and call 999. #Naloxone only works on opioids. However, if you suspect someone has overdosed give them naloxone even if you’re not sure they have taken an opioid. It will not harm your friend. In some overdose cases where synthetic opioids are involved, multiple doses of naloxone may be needed. ➡ Your drugs may look the same even if they are contaminated, so always start by taking a smaller dose than you usually would. Test the strength of your drugs by taking a quarter of your usual dose to start with. Allow plenty of time to see how you feel before taking another dose. Do this every time you use. It helps reduce your risk of overdose. Remember you can always get help if you need it, whether your goal is to stop using completely or just to reduce. Reach out to your local service to find out more about the medication services available to you. https://lnkd.in/eDUPwiWf

Volunteers’ Week is over, but we appreciate our amazing volunteers and the hard work they do all year round 🌟      Our volunteers cover a range of roles including:  Young Person’s Resilience Volunteer  Group volunteers  Volunteer mentor  Outreach volunteers  Independent visitors  Recovery support volunteers  Meet and greet volunteers  Hep C Volunteers  And so many more! If you want to find out more about volunteering for us and the opportunities that are available near you, take a look at our volunteering opportunities 💜       https://lnkd.in/eAKPKuCx     

Our volunteers are amazing, and we couldn’t do what we do without them! This Volunteer’s Week, our services have been holding a range of events and activities to celebrate their volunteers - from pizza parties and awards ceremonies to a ghost hunting tour! We want to say a massive thank you to all our volunteers and recognise the incredible work they do all year round👏 Head to our website to see some of our volunteers sharing their stories and experiences 💜 https://lnkd.in/eNAjDjYm https://lnkd.in/eJmqGGsG 

Together with the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership, we held our first Cocaine and Crack Cocaine Conference in Edinburgh last month.     The conference set out to address the rise in cocaine use seen across the city and throughout Scotland in recent years.    The event brought together over 120 people from across the Scottish Parliament, NHS, councils and non-profit organisations to discuss crack cocaine and cocaine use across Scotland.    As well as hearing from people with lived experience, some of our speakers included Scottish National Party (SNP) minister Christina McKelvie, Professor Andrew McAuley from Glasgow Caledonian University, Professor Magdalena Harris from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London, Professor Jim McVeigh from The Manchester Metropolitan University, and Emma Crawshaw, CEO of Crew(2000). A range of speakers from different roles across Change Grow Live also shared their expertise and experiences.     We want to say a massive thank you to all those who shared their story, attended the event and contributed to the conference. Sharing our knowledge, experience and ideas will help us all to increase engagement with services and deliver the most effective treatment.  

In this week’s #BelieveInPeople story, we hear from Craig. He explains how he used his time in prison to discover a new purpose, and how it led him to support others with their recoveries. “I had a difficult childhood and grew up in a violent household. Drugs were all around me and by the age of 11 I was smoking weed and drinking alcohol.  Things got progressively worse and by the time I was 40 I was smoking crack and I was recruited into a local organised gang as a driver.   The turning point came two years ago. Armed police surrounded my caravan, screaming at me. When I went to court, I was praying, “please send me to prison”. I said to the judge “Don't let me out. I need this”.   When they locked the door, I just slid down the back of it and said thank you to God. That's when I knew enough was enough and from that day, I have never touched a drug or drink.   While in prison, I started training as a listener for Samaritans and would visit prisoners at risk of self-harm or suicide. I then trained to become an Insider in the prison, helping new prisoners when they first arrive. I worked with prisoners using drugs and made sure they met with the recovery nurse to get the help they needed.  I really enjoyed the responsibility and trust given to me and started seeing myself for who I am really am.   I’m proud that during my time as an Insider, the self-harm rates dropped considerably. I felt that I was really making a difference.  Things look different for me since my release. I’m training to become a Samaritans listener and I love talking to people and helping them.  Last week I was part of the interview panel for a new Change Grow Live worker and I am helping people every day. I’m seeing them make changes.  The greatest gift recovery has given me is my daughter back. She’s 16 now and has started calling me Dad again and we talk all the time. My only addiction now is nice trainers, and I treat myself regularly!” You can read Craig's full story over on our website: https://lnkd.in/eqGAgPSF

A general election will take place on July 4th. We're asking politicians to work with us, and other charities, on 5 key priorities that can transform services for people who use drugs. Read our asks of the next government : https://lnkd.in/euBqzWsx

“Would I be anywhere else other than Change Grow Live as a nurse? The answer to that is simply no!”- Dave, Substance Misuse Nurse “After 20+ years of nursing I can quite honestly say this is the best job I have ever had and I love working for Change Grow Live.” - Beckie, Lead Nurse It's International Nurses Day and we are proud of all our nurses and the hard work they do supporting the people who use our services.  👏 If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our vacancies here:  https://lnkd.in/eVyDgeZ6   

In this week’s #BelieveInPeople story, we hear from Debbie, who was inspired by one of her peers to join Change Grow Live as a volunteer. She explains how volunteering helped her build confidence and led her to a paid role supporting others.     "After leaving rehab I needed something to do to keep me busy and safe. One of my friends who I was in rehab with, John, put me in contact with the volunteer coordinator at the service, and my journey with Inspire began. I started doing a number of courses: Peer Mentoring, Behaviour in Conflict, Understanding Stress and Stress Management.     All of these courses were being led by peers, including John. It was great watching John and how far he had come, so I got involved as well. I was doing all this new stuff, meeting new people, and giving people help and advice on recovery and what is available to them during their treatment.      I was feeling good with myself and my achievements, but because of my confidence I found it hard to speak when facilitating sessions. I got involved with representing service user voices and rebuilt my confidence.     Now, I’m training new volunteers to become Service User Representatives. I got involved with other areas, including shadowing Key Workers and watching what other teams in the hub do. I have helped run group sessions, I’ve assessed new clients coming into the service, carried out drug testing and screenings for blood borne viruses.     I’ve even gone out into the community and to other organisations to teach them about naloxone and train them to use it in an emergency.     My confidence is growing, and I am starting to have more faith in myself to get out there and be who I want to be.     After all my hard work as a volunteer, I was given the fantastic opportunity to take on a position with the very service I came through for my treatment. I’m now employed as an Outreach and Harm Worker, giving the same advice I was given when I needed it the most. " Check out Debbie's full story over on our website: https://lnkd.in/ehhRRGG2

Throughout the past year, we've supported more people than ever before with accessing testing and treatment for hepatitis C.    We would like to thank our many amazing partners and providers, including the people who access our services, our volunteers, the central hepatitis C team, Gilead Sciences, NHS England, The Hepatitis C Trust and The Hep C Drug Treatment Providers Forum.    Providers have come together to share learnings, resources, and expertise. The advancements we’ve made are truly a collaborative effort that we’ve achieved together. Take a look at the numbers, stories and progress we’ve made in our Hepatitis C Impact Report:    https://lnkd.in/g9Gw7Gxc  

A 2021 evidence review into neurodiversity in the criminal justice system suggested over 50% of people in adult prisons had a neurodivergent condition. Since then, anecdotal estimates among professionals supporting neurodivergent prisoners believe this is more likely to be 70-80%. Elaine Wilcock from our South West Prisons Services talks about how they are leading an innovative project to make support more accessible to neurodivergent people. Read as she explains how this will help us empower more people into life-changing support. 👇 https://lnkd.in/ghUsycJT