The experience of a united states graduate nursing student in a clinical placement at substance misuse services in london, england

Nursing perspective of global substance abuse and misuse: US and UK differences

“…No one has cracked this, no one has the solution; a lot of people are working extremely hard to see if we can find the right approach to this really major debilitating problem that we have as a common agenda.' (Murphy-Parker et al, 1999) An example of the differences in addictions nursing practice can be illustrated by examining and comparing those between the US and the UK. Underlying assumptions of the current alcohol and drug policies in the US have been mainly based on prohibition, criminalisation and a drug-free society ideology (Nadelmann et al, 1997) while the UK policies have been based on the belief of 'harm reduction' (Coyne & Clancy, 1996).…”

“…The UK has made efforts to intentionally reframe both the cognitive and the behavioral view of people with substance use problems. By following the harm minimisation and medicalisation of drug use philosophy, there was a policy consensus to use the terms 'substance use' and 'substance misuse' because terms such as 'substance dependence', 'substance abuse' and 'addictions' were perceived as disempowering and judgmental to the person (Murphy-Parker, 1999). Coyne and Clancy (1996) present a review of the development of substance misuse services and nursing in the UK.…”

“…The Drug and Alcohol Professional • Volume 1 Issue 1 • October 2001 © Pavilion the GPs and their substance-misusing clients (Murphy-Parker, 1999).…”

“…We were amongst the first countries to look at needle exchange programmes which were adopted around the country in different ways and implemented in different ways.' (Murphy-Parker et al, 1999) Simultaneously, in the UK, there is the similar trend of shifting persons arrested due to alcohol and/or drug use related crimes from the criminal justice system into treatment. Because of this, treatment approaches that enhance a person's stabilisation through case management are being used more than ever.…”