Change Grow Live

Yesterday, the National Records of Scotland published its latest report on drug-related deaths in Scotland, covering 2025. Tragically, the figures show an 11% increase in deaths compared with the previous year.   Responding to the figures, Simon Holmes, our Head of Scotland Services, said:   “The latest figures show that 1,133 people lost their lives to drugs last year. That is a national tragedy: behind every one of those numbers is a person, each with a family, friends and communities who are left to grieve that loss.   Scotland continues to face a serious and evolving challenge. Stigma remains a significant barrier to people seeking support, while persistent health and socioeconomic inequalities mean drug-related harm continues to affect our most deprived communities 15 times more severely than the least deprived.   The growing presence of nitazenes – highly potent synthetic opioids which can be present without a person’s knowledge – is deeply concerning, and adds further urgency to addressing this crisis. At the same time, rising numbers of deaths involving cocaine and other substances shows why services must continually adapt to changing patterns of drug use.   We know what needs to happen. Harm reduction measures, including access to naloxone, must be readily available. Specialist treatment must be accessible when people need it, supported by tailored, trauma-informed wraparound care for people who use drugs.   There are strong commitments within Scotland’s Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan. The focus must now be on delivery.   Reducing drug-related deaths requires urgency, sustained investment and services that put people – not stigma – at the centre of the response."

Congratulations to Leeds, the 2026 Champions of our fourth annual National Recovery Month Football Tournament! 🏆 Teams from across the country came together last week in Manchester, with Leeds becoming our 2026 champions and East & Central Lancashire becoming winners of the Plate Competition. A special mention also goes to Kaiden from Waltham Forest, recipient of this year's Bernie Carr Outstanding Contribution Award. More than just football, the tournament was a celebration of recovery, community and connection, bringing together participants, staff, families and supporters from across the UK. One person who took part had this to say: "I was asked to play in the Change Grow Live football tournament. I often struggle with confidence and connecting with people, so I had to step out of my comfort zone. I’m glad I did, as I enjoyed the day immensely. It was amazing to feel part of a group all striving to help and support each other. We all have different stories, but we shared a connection through our experiences of addiction and recovery." Thank you to everyone who took part, travelled and supported the event. Together, we continue to show the power of recovery, belonging and community. Bring on 2027! ⚽  #RecoveryMonth #RecoveryCommunity #ConnectingCommunities #RecoveryIsPossible Photos by Hollie Corton

Late yesterday we submitted our representation for the Autumn budget, here is a short summary of what we said: Drug and alcohol treatment services are supporting more people than ever before. Last year, almost 330,000 people were in contact with treatment services. But many more could benefit from their support and complexity is increasing. Last year saw 5,565 drug poisoning deaths in England and Wales, while latest data shows 9,809 alcohol-specific deaths across the UK. Funding per person in treatment has fallen by 17% in real terms over the last decade, while services face rising costs and increasingly complex needs, including 120,000 young adults using ketamine and 195 deaths involving synthetic opioids. Government ambitions on rough sleeping, NHS pressure and sentencing reform cannot be achieved without effective drug and alcohol treatment. Treatment providers are already seeing rising demand linked to the Sentencing Act, while thousands of people sleeping rough are also living with substance dependence. Our asks were: 1. Funding that reflects demand, ambition (and inflation). 2. Additional investment to specifically support sentencing reform in prisons and communities. 3. Support in helping us fix problems, like, including access to NHS digital systems and electronic prescribing, that can help save time for staff and improve services

"A recurring [thing] that I'm seeing is that because of the pain... people are using ketamine as self-medication," says Adam. "So they're using more ketamine to take away the pain, which is causing more pain. It's just like a vicious, vicious cycle that keeps going round and round until it eventually has to break." Adam took ketamine regularly for five years and suffered from very painful bladder issues, which eventually left him bedbound. He started taking the drug at raves and festivals when he was 19, and his habit grew from something he did socially to something he did daily. He is now working with young people who use ketamine in our drug and alcohol service based in Hull, ReNew Hull. Read Adam’s story in this BBC News article: https://lnkd.in/ewsHNXVN Ketamine is now one of the fastest‑growing substances being used by young adults. ReNew Hull have created a new documentary, K-HOLE, exploring ketamine addiction and its impact on individuals, families and communities. Watch the full documentary here: https://lnkd.in/eEN6r6tH

🔥 Three weeks from today, hundreds of people from across London will come together to celebrate recovery, connection, hope and community. The London Recovery Network is bringing together people, communities, services, grassroots organisations, and allies from across the capital for a day that showcases the very best of recovery in London. We're delighted to be welcoming an incredible line-up of confirmed speakers and performers, including: 🎤 Dame Carol Black 🎤 Dr David Patton 🎬 Recovery Street Film Festival Finalists Screening 🎭 Outside Edge Theatre Company 🎧 Brandon Block 😂 Sober Is Fun Comedy Club 🎻 The Velveteen Orkestra 🎸 Ronan McManus ...and many more still to be announced. Alongside the main programme, there will be a vibrant marketplace featuring fellowships, Lived Experience Recovery Organisations (LEROs), recovery communities, and grassroots organisations from across London. It's a fantastic opportunity to connect, discover new support, share ideas, and celebrate the strength and diversity of the recovery movement. Whether you're in recovery, support someone who is, work within the sector, or simply want to learn more, we'd love to see you there. 🎟️ Free Entry 📍 Open to everyone with an interest in recovery and lived experience 🔗 Register today: https://lnkd.in/eNgqgXRE #RecoveryMonth #LivedExperience #RecoveryWorks #LondonRecoveryNetwork #RecoveryCommunity#LivedExperience #RecoveryWorks Change Grow Live, Turning Point WithYou The Nehemiah Project SOBRIETY FILMS UK BUILD ON BELIEF Janus Solutions UK The People's Recovery Project Collective Voice Waythrough Via Deirdre Boyd UK SMART RecoveryUK Phoenix Futures Cranstoun Peter Merrifield CDARS Woolwich Service Users Project (WSUP) Alcoholics Anonymous - London , Narcotics Anonymous Cocaine Anonymous , Laura Pechey

K-HOLE: The ketamine documentary is out now 🎬 K-HOLE explores ketamine addiction and use, ketamine bladder damage, trauma, recovery, treatment and the impact ketamine is having on individuals, families and communities. Watch the full documentary and access information on ketamine support, harm reduction and campaign resources 👇 https://lnkd.in/eA-zWjta Produced by Inspired Youth in partnership with Believe in People Podcast - hosted by ReNew, our drug and alcohol service based in Hull. Matthew Butler, Kev Curran, Liam Powers, Kevin Jackson, Paul Haley, Robert Lawson, James Mawhinney, Natalie Scholes, Peter Furlong

Following the last bank holiday until December, Lydia Spencer-Elliott explores festivals and party drugs; pink cocaine, apple-flavoured ketamine and triple-strength ecstasy.   The article looks at synthetic opioids, the “kiddification” of smoking and Instagram-ready substances.   Ruth Squire, who oversees the regional Children and Young People services at Change Grow Live, says, “You’ve got the edibles area of the drug market, which is absolutely aimed towards children and young people: sweets, crisps, all kinds of things have been laced with synthetic cannabinoids. People are buying one substance, and it’s actually something else entirely – that’s the main issue we’re seeing in the festival scene and beyond right now.”   Read the full article in The Independent: https://lnkd.in/e3CjUbbR

Change Grow Live were delighted to be part of the Scottish Drugs Forum annual #StopTheDeaths conference in Glasgow last week. Our stall showcased the amazing work being done by our Forth Valley, West Lothian and East Renfrewshire services. The conference brought together policymakers, health professionals, and support workers to discuss harm reduction practices, policy development, and emerging drug trends.

This morning we briefed Change Grow Live teams across England on the Government's new Rough Sleeping Programme.   Getting everyone sleeping rough "in for Christmas" is rightly ambitious and incredibly challenging. We're already in September…(!)   Many of our teams already work alongside local authorities, housing providers, health services and criminal justice partners to support people experiencing homelessness. But turning an offer of a room into a more meaningful longterm change also requires access to healthcare, employment support, drug and alcohol treatment, and, where possible, helping people reconnect with family and wider support networks.   As an organisation, we're:   • encouraging our services to engage early with local partners and help shape local responses • engaging nationally with both stakeholder and media to ensure the role of drug and alcohol treatment services aren’t overlooked • sharing frontline insight, evidence and good practice from our outreach, homelessness and treatment services