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Helping drug users to stop smoking
Pip Mason, Director, Pip Mason Consultancy Ltd
Abstract
Tobacco is the drug that will kill more of our service users than any other. A recent survey by Drugscope found that around half of drug services do not provide support to help people with their tobacco dependency. When we talk about 'polydrug users' we do not automatically think of someone who smokes tobacco as well as heroin or mixes their cannabis with tobacco. Somehow we have, over the years allowed our service users' needs around their smoking habits to be neglected.
This presentation will explore both the real and mythical obstacles to providing smoking cessation support in services primarily set up to address other drug dependencies. These include funding structures, treatment cultures, politics and individual staff attitudes. It will also explore the differences and similarities between treatments for illicit drug use and treatments for tobacco dependence and the transferable skills drug workers have already.
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Biography
Pip Mason has a background in nursing and counselling. She began her career in addictions in 1975, working in a rehab with problem drinkers, later developed an interest in helping people with other drug problems and, in recent years has been involved in the development of smoking cessation services.
Her work now is mainly in training front-line staff as Director of Pip Mason Consultancy Ltd. Pip has a particular interest in the use of counselling skills in the area of health promotion, and in developing styles of working that respect patient choice and autonomy while encouraging people to take some responsibility for their own health and well-being.
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