The Ana Liffey Drug Project's Peer Support Group is a well established programme designed to enable active drug users to spread Harm Reduction messages throughout the drug using community. The programme is set out over an eight week period and involves two morning sessions a week - Tuesday and Friday. The sessions include group work, outside speakers and talks from staff members on key drug issues. The course recognises the reality of the lifestyles of people who actively use drugs. The structure has been designed to be very flexible - participants have input into the topics to be covered, and the group is open access. The Peer Support Group also plays a valuable role in informing Ana Liffey's service delivery, through their 'Duck, Dive & Survive' resources. In 2009, Peer Support Group resources won a health literacy award.
Towards the end of 2009 the Ana Liffey Drug Project raised the issue of unsafe disposal of drug paraphernalia at a number of forums including the Peer Support Group. The Peer Support Group was concerned that people who did not dispose of their works appropriately were putting other people at risk. With this in mind the group were invited to work on a poster as part of their 'Duck, Dive & Survive' campaign.
Read more on the Ana Liffey Drug Project website here. Good stuff!
Thanks for highlighting the work of the Peer Support Group.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks,
Tony
Where are they located (State)? We need something like this here......ya think.....
ReplyDeleteWe are based in Dublin, Ireland.
ReplyDeleteOur website is www.aldp.ie we are on Twitter... use name is AnaLiffey.
If anybody wants hard copies of the posters then email your details to info@aldp.ie.
Thanks for the info Tony! Keep up the great work... in solidarity ...
ReplyDeleteNew booklet available 'Use Your Head - Harm Reduction Information - Legal Highs or Otherwise.
ReplyDeleteAt the North Inner City Drugs Task Force seminar 'Not For Human Consumption' - Unregulated 'Head Shop' Substances and Their Risks in Dublin on 6th May 2010; Tony Duffin Director of Ana Liffey Drug Project presented the newly developed booklet 'Use Your Head - Harm Reduction Information - Legal Highs or Otherwise'.
This booklet provides harm reduction information for individuals using psychoactive drugs - legal highs or otherwise. Issues covered within the booklet include general harm reduction information, useful contact telephone numbers, facts on overdose, the recovery position, rescue breathing and chest compressions. The booklet has been developed in conjunction with Ana Liffey's Peer Support Programme and other stakeholders. The response to the booklet has been extremely positive with over 2000 pre-publication orders from a range of community, voluntary and statutory drug services across Ireland.
The booklet is the latest publication from the 'Duck, Dive & Survive' series, which is recognised by the European Commission under the European Action on Drugs Initiative.
The booklet has now been made available on line for people to download via Ana Liffey's website http://www.aldp.ie/index.php?page=legal-highs. If anybody would like paper copies of the booklet please email info@aldp.ie and Ana Liffey will be happy to send them out to you.