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Anne

Finding and Sharing Information: New Resources

Yesterday at our national conference we relaunched the DrugScope website. It has a brighter look and feel, a more intuitive interface, updated content and new features, including an online bookshop (in association with Amazon), online polls, an interactive quiz and a blog directory. The complete list of new features is available on the what's new page, and our press release about the conference and relaunch is here.

The website relaunch has given us the opportunity to consolidate and develope our information services. Key features include:

DrugScope Filter

As announced in May’s Members’ Briefing, this gadget enables you to search over twenty of the top UK sites at the same time. Great for initial searches to see what’s ‘out there’ on a topic. Available here.

New ways to search DrugData

Responding to your requests, we’ve added new features to DrugData. You can now search by Document Number (handy for looking up references from our reading lists or notes you’ve made earlier). What’s more, our thesaurus terms can be searched through the subject box or the new “thesaurus terms” field, which gives more specific results.

And when you’ve found a keyword term you like, you can use it as a tag, clicking on it to find everything else tagged with that term.

New-look Helpfinder

Our opt-in directory of UK treatment services has been coloured to suit our new-look website and can still be searched online here. If your service isn’t listed, contact info@drugscope.org.uk or download a form from the website.

Online Bookmarks

We’re collating more and more online references on Connotea. Add them to your own Connotea page, or download them into your reference management software (BibTex, Endnote and XML and RSS are all supported).

… And all the basics

Whether it’s keeping up to date – http://drugscope.blogspot.com/ – or answering a specific query – info@drugscope.org.uk – DrugScope aims to support your professional practice with information.

The information in this blog article, complete with screenshots, is available as a pdf download: print double-sided and fold in half or print single sided

Anne Welsh
Information Officer

Exploring user perceptions of occasional and controlled heroin use: a follow-up study.
McSweeney T., Turnbull P.J.
York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2007. 64p.
Book examining how occasional and controlled heroin users managed their drug use over an extended period of time.

A qualitative and quantitative review of cocaine-induced craving: the phenomenon of priming.
Mahoney J.J., Kalechstein A.D., De La Garza R., Newton T.F.
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry: 31(3), April, 2007, p. 593-599.
Drug-induced craving is thought to play an important role in relapse occasioned by a “slip”, or an isolated use of a previously abused drug after a period of abstinence. Clinical experience suggests that acute exposure to cocaine elicits craving (“priming”). The intentions of this review are to provide a qualitative review of the literature as well as a more stringent quantitative review of the existence and presence of cocaine-induced priming effects.

A DrugScope Experience

Work Experience is pointless and a waste of time. This opinion will be rushing through many people’s minds. But from a teenager’s point of view it is a time where you can get 2 weeks away from school (what a relief), and a chance to gain an insight into an adult environment.

Yes, I know many young people on work experience will have to make tea and coffee, and do odd jobs that the staff don’t feel like doing, but we all have to start somewhere and this experience gives us a chance to see what it is like. This is all an experience, and many people will not get another chance to have a taste of life in an office, shop, school or nursery etc.

My own initial thought when I was offered the place at DrugScope was that I would have been made to do all the boring office jobs and the odd jobs the staff did not want to do. My whole perspective of office life has now changed due to the amazing people I had to work with. Not only did I learn tremendously from the people at DrugScope, I also learnt a lot about myself. I learnt that I have an opinion of myself which is not great and others disagreed and thought I had potential.

I found out that office life isn’t as glamorous as it is sometimes made out to be; you don’t sit down and surf the net all day, you have to do a lot of typing, sending e-mails and go to meetings. The worst of all is when you have to sort out the post (what a nightmare). I had to sit down at a table for ages stuffing envelopes. If I see an envelope again, I will pass out!

Work experience was an adventure in itself as it gave me a chance to mature, and enabled me to adapt into an adult environment. It also gave me a chance to see if any other professions suited who I am.

Before I came to DrugScope I always knew that I wanted to work in media as that is where my passion has always been and working with Ruth has given me an insight into the work involved in media. As she is the Press & Communications Officer, she gave me the chance to see press releases, the service which journalists use to get their stories. I found all of this fascinating as I was learning things that I had never come across.

I also worked with Jill, one of the Information Officers (librarians). I found this another learning experience as I had a vision of librarians; they were the people who are at the desk at the library ordering kids to BE QUIET, but I learnt so much from her. Her job is more than that, not only does she have to answer the phone to a large amount of people and provide them with information, she also has to maintain the helpfinder directory and update its data. The stereotypical view of this profession is wrong in many cases.

I had to go to a couple of meetings, which was new to me as I have never been in ones like those. They gave me an understanding of how meetings are operated. I can now understand why a lot of adults like to drink coffee! I found the Education Forum meeting interesting as I got a chance to see how a group of professionals sort out problems to do with drug education.

This link takes you to an article written by a journalist called Sathanam Sanghhera. Sanghhera clearly broadcasts that he thinks work experience is a waste of time. Maybe it has changed since he did it back his day, but it also matters what company you go to. He infers that ‘too many students spend their placements being passed around the office, disowned by successive adult employees, This is very true in many cases, but fortunately this did not happen to me. Yes, I was sent to different people daily, but it was because I needed to learn the different types of jobs which are at DrugScope. All the staff enabled me to work freely and helped me whenever I needed them. Not a single one of the staff treated me as if I were unwanted, or disowned me.

The first day was remarkable. I was escorted around the office and shown where the important places were such as the toilet and kitchen. I was clearly introduced to the members of staff, and this was helpful as if I needed help from any particular person I did not feel uncomfortable or awkward, coming across them in the office.

This experience has flown by. It’s unbelievable. I will miss all of the people who work here at DrugScope, as they have taught me a lot, made me laugh and most of all they have welcomed me as a part of the team.Overall, I have had a packed 2 weeks, full of good and hardly any bad days, except when I was extremely tired : (

Shianne Brown
DrugScope work placement student, June/July 2007

In her short two weeks at DrugScope, Shianne has put together some useful resources for us, including her blog article on young people's websites and some bookmark sets from our reading lists.

Websites for Young People: a Fresh Look

Local student Shianne Brown is with DrugScope on a work placement 25 June - 6 July. As well as gaining an overview of working life in a third sector organisation, Shianne has been looking at web resources aimed at young people. Taking Jackie Buckle's March post as her starting point, in this week's blog article, Shianne shares her perspective, as a 15-year-old Londoner, on drug information sites aimed at teenagers.

[[D-World]] The D-World website has a suitable theme as it is aimed at young children and teenagers. The website has a certain appeal that makes the audience more interested in what the website has to show. D-World makes sure that the explanations of the drugs are clear and manageable to read. At the age I am now I find the site both appealing and appropriate for its target audience.
The games which are included are handy, however, changes could take place such as the ‘What Am I ?’ game. The clues for the type drugs are easy and maybe it would be good to try and make the clues more challenging, on the other hand you may have to consider that D-World is aiming also at 9 year olds.This site differs enormously from the adult site as it has a more laid back approach whereas with the adult site there is a lot of writing and factual information which has more relevance to them.

[[LifeBytes]] The things that most attracts me to the Lifebytes website is its colours and the lay out. The fact that the website has a more broad approach by dealing with problems not only with drugs but also with sex, health conditions, smoking and many more. This would be a great deal of help towards the younger generation as there are many problems facing them in everyday life. I found that the dictionary on the website was useful as there will be many words which I have not seen before or uncertain about.
This website is not one of those website in which you would feel uncomfortable if your parents walked in, it does not contain any inappropriate words or pictures which many would find unpleasing.
When googled the website came up as the first heading which is useful as people will recognise it as a successful and popular website.

[[Talk To Frank]] This website is useful for the younger generation however I would feel many people would feel uncomfortable if their parents saw them on this website as they may initially think that they are experimenting with drugs.
The Frank website answers all the question I have ever wondered about drugs as it gives you an insight into the world of drugs and the tough circumstances of taking them. The website uses postcards which highlight a sense of sarcasm but gets to the point of how drugs can ruin and changes lives dramatically. The Frank website is highly popular because when you have ran it through Google the first page is full of pages from the site.

[[The Site]] The site website provided a variety of issues for young people especially in college or university, it offers support and advice which is appealing for the person reading it. However the developers may improve the site by focusing a little bit on the older people in year 11 about college courses instead of just university students. The site did answer my questions related to drugs, nevertheless, it doesn’t give a lot of information about drugs like previous websites did such as Frank and LifeBytes. When googled the site comes up as the first found search which is pleasing as it is a well-known website.

[[Wotz Da Factz]] I found Wotz Da Factz website a bit basic as it did not have any pictures which relates to the text. I also found the website more suitable for the parents than children. I personally did not take to the idea of the website, and its approach. However, I would think that the parents of the children will find the website more useful, as it contains a lot of relevant and factual information which they can discuss with their children.

[[Talk4Teens]] Talk4Teens was the website in which I found most interesting when I saw the home page. The website contain a lot of other issues such as sex then it gives you a lot of other useful information such as STI’s, the law and also contraception, the downside of this is that the website does not contain a lot of pictures. This version of the website has changed since last year, they have added a new sections that covers information about drugs.
The whole layout of the website instantly approaches teenagers by the colours used and the language used as it is not too formal and extraordinary words are not used. I am certain that if anybody saw me on this on this website they would not jump to conclusions and make up their own assumptions, that I was taking drugs it appears to be a website which is appropriate for my age group.

[[To Conclude…]] All of the website clearly show that the main social issue in the UK and all around the globe are to do with drugs, sex, depression etc. The majority of the websites successfully appeals to their target audience. As they approach the themes that they are trying to aim at children or teenagers. Many of the websites are appropriate for young children and teenagers to look at they do not show explicit images, which would alarm parents or carers. Overall the website all show success, they are appealing, appropriate and lastly contains a lot of information about the important topics.

Shianne Brown

Finding AOD Information

109659
Medline and beyond: finding alcohol and other drug information.
Welsh A.
From: Health Libraries Group Newsletter: 24(2), June, 2007, p.19-24.
This article highlights sources of information on Medline and other internet sources.

HLG Newsletter Internet Sites of Interest

109660
Internet sites of interest: drugs and pharmacology and National Knowledge Weeks.
Nockels K.
From: Health Libraries Group Newsletter: 24(2), June, 2007, p.26-29.
Useful web references for medicinal drugs, with a few references for problematic drug use.

War on Drugs and the DMZ

This week's Druglink Blog article discusses the difficulties inherent in staying neutral in the drugs debate.