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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I've been struck by a couple of potentially academic 'sociology of drinking' things. 1. I hope people are noting and writing stuff about the Westminster Council 'vertical drinking' debate. (Building on all the @jameskneale.bsky.social @jamesnicholls.bsky.social stuff on C19th and C20th. 1/2

instagram.com

Instagram

Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

I encourage you to take a look at this forthcoming conference: "Alcohol Research 2026: New Thinking, New Directions" It's a partnership between the New Directions in the Study of Alcohol Group & University of Stirling.

alcoholresearch2026.carrd.co

Alcohol Research 2026

Alcohol Research 2026 conference

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Reposted by Will Haydock

Colin Angus @victimofmaths.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

NISRA have just released new data on alcohol-specific deaths in Northern Ireland in 2024. This confirms the sad fact that Northern Ireland now has the highest rates of alcohol-specific deaths of any UK nation.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Great coincidence to turn on the radio while making a cup of coffee and come across an episode of the food programme specifically on desi pubs. Great stuff! #alcohol #history #sociology www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand...

bbc.co.uk

BBC Sounds - The Food Programme - Available Episodes

Listen to the latest episodes of The Food Programme on BBC Sounds.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

The findings of this inquiry are worrying, but sadly unsurprising. We need urgent action to address the crisis in prisons and across our criminal justice system, and substance use treatment has to be a part of that. 1/2

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

I'm pleased we're setting up this network to share challenges and opportunities to improve support for people who use #ketamine. Please do check out the blog and think about signing up for the event - 14 October 2pm-3.30pm.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

In this instance, deaths linked to fentanyl seems to be due to contamination with bacteria, not the drug itself.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Two interesting pieces related to #drugs / #addiction on BBC Radio 4 this week. I thought we'd included them in last week's newsletter, but apparently not! A discussion of drug-related deaths on Inside Health, and a whole series running this week on #psychedelics and their therapeutic potential.

bbc.co.uk

Inside Health - Can we reverse rising drug deaths? - BBC Sounds

We try to figure out why drug deaths are at an all-time high - and what can be done.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

Interesting to see this strategy for early years education today and think of parallels with the #drugs & #alcohol world, particularly the commitments on workforce, notably creating a professional register. 1/3 www.gov.uk/government/p...

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Collective Voice @collective-voice.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

Collective Voice has responded to the Government's 10-year #health plan. The ideas & principles are welcome, but if they're going to deliver on their ambitions they will need to work closely with #charities & have more of a focus on #alcohol & other #drugs www.collectivevoice.org.uk/comment/coll...

collectivevoice.org.uk

Collective Voice responds to the 10-year health plan - Collective Voice

When the plan trumpets ‘a devolved and diverse NHS’, I wonder if it should really be saying ‘ a devolved and diverse health system’ Read the Government’s plan Positive principles, but health is about ...

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

We should be raising awareness of the risks in using ketamine & thinking about how to reduce harm. But "Children as young as 12 are becoming addicted to ketamine, opting to buy the horse tranquilliser over a packet of crisps"?! Does that language support a serious debate? www.itv.com/news/2025-06...

itv.com

Ketamine ‘overwhelming’ authorities as teens dealing and taking Class B drug | ITV News

ITV News has spoken to frontline services across Cheshire who are calling for more awareness with warnings over the long-term damage of ketamine use. | ITV National News

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

This new report from @ias.org.uk and @shaapalcohol.bsky.social is worth a look. I'm not anti-alcohol or opposed to the industry, but we need an open, honest debate about policy. Some of these moves by the #alcohol industry look at best disingenuous, which is really disappointing.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

This is definitely worth a listen for those with an interest in substance use issues. Richard Coles talks about loving someone who's struggling with their drinking & going to Al-Anon, as well as his own substance use. #alcohol #drugs www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

Rylan: How to Be... - How to Be in Love - Richard Coles: On losing the love of his life and casual roadside encounters - BBC Sounds

Rylan speaks to Richard Coles about how he healed from grief to find love once again.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Re-sharing this as I hope it's useful to raise awareness of the treatment that's out there for people facing issues with #alcohol. I know it's not the perfect intro, but I think we don't do enough of this for wider audiences. Do listen, share & comment - how can we communicate better & more widely?

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

The online abuse that Katie Boulter has received, as described in this piece, is outrageous. I was surprised, though, by the clear link made to #gambling / #betting, with the BBC paraphrasing the research: "angry gamblers sent 40% of all detected abuse". www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis...

bbc.co.uk

Katie Boulter: British tennis player reveals social media abuse she has received

Britain's Katie Boulter speaks exclusively to BBC Sport about the levels of social media abuse she receives.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

This is a surprisingly good piece on substance use, specifically ketamine. Lots of detail, and quite thoughtful. (Via @drugwise.bsky.social) www.newstatesman.com/politics/hea...

newstatesman.com

How Britain fell into the K-hole

Silicon Valley’s favourite drug is also the UK’s.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

I caught this programme yesterday on Radio 4. It's unusual to have such a detailed and extensive discussion of problems related to #drugs on a major radio network. 1/3 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

Currently - Madeira's Drugs Crisis - BBC Sounds

Madeira has a chronic drug problem the authorities are struggling to cope with.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

It was fun to record this discussion of what #alcohol treatment is & how it's organised & funded. Inevitably there were loads of things we didn't get time to cover properly. It'd be good to cover topics including quality & accessibility of treatment, diversity & inclusion, sustainability of funding.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

I'm still on holiday visiting Lyme Regis museum, but there's no escaping #alcohol & #temperance history!

Photo of a coin with the inscription "Band of Hope Pledge: I do agree that I will not use intoxicating liquors as a beverage" and piece of paper reading: "Band of Hope Medallion, given to children who signed the pledge not to drink alcohol. Early 20th century, given by Felicity Cox 2018/39"

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Cassia Rowland @cassiarowland.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Gauke's sentencing review report is finally out! Full assessment will come after gov announces its response, but some initial thoughts here. Overall: lot of sensible proposals, likely to be some big implementation challenges, and a few risks 🧵

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

It's been interesting to read the final report of the Independent Sentencing Review today, discuss with colleagues & see other people comment. You can read some of my thoughts below. I have quite mixed feelings: some sensible diagnosis but some out of date; some sensible proposals but others odd.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

It was nice to dust off my old academic persona and write this for @ias.org.uk about how we often misunderstand people's #alcohol drinking behaviour & how we can engage with the reality and make good policy by learning from #harmreduction in the world of #drugs. Comments & engagement very welcome!

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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 20/05/2025

The number of people sleeping rough and cuts by the previous government have led to overstretched services that are having to prioritise short-term crisis management over long-term prevention.

bbc.co.uk

Sadiq Khan plans to end rough sleeping in London by 2030

The mayor wants people to avoid having to sleep on the streets before being able to access support.

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Reposted by Will Haydock

Collective Voice @collective-voice.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

The Government is currently advertising the role of Independent Advisor to the UK Government on drugs. This is the role that Dame Carol Black has held for several years, originally appointed under the Conservative Government. 1/3

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

There's a new blog post from me in the thread below, expressing a mixture of frustration and optimism not just in relation to Government policy, but the wider media context and reaction. There's more we can do to reduce harm from #drugs, but #stigma only makes it worse.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

It's been a privilege to be part of this work bringing together researchers, practitioners, people with lived/living experience & the wider public to set priorities for future research on #addiction #alcohol & #drugs. Now let's make stuff actually happen! Get in touch to get involved in our networks

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Dr Lucy Foulkes @lucyfoulkes.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

This is a *key* new paper in the world of school mental health interventions A very large trial (N=6388) testing a universal CBT-based app for adolescent depression (13-14y) No effects found (on depression, anxiety, distress or insomnia) (🧵) mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1...

Future Proofing Study: a cluster randomised
controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a
universal school-based cognitive–behavioural
programme for adolescent depression

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

It's great to see the appointment of Wendy Eley as the Chair of MEAM - Making Every Adult Matter. Liv Corbishley has expertly steered the organisation to becoming an independent charity & I look forward to working with Wendy on the next stage of that process. meam.org.uk/2025/04/29/m...

meam.org.uk

MEAM welcomes new chair - MEAM

Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) has appointed Wendy Eley as its new chair. Wendy will join MEAM on 1 May 2025, following a competitive recruitment process led by Peridot Partners, the MEAM board and ...

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Suzi Gage @soozaphone.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Been seeing people sharing a certain someone's TED talk recently. So I wrote this about what Rat Park actually found, why it's an important study, but it's really important not to sensationalise what it found for that 'truthy' soundbite.

open.substack.com

After Rat Park

Or why everything you think you know about addiction might be a little more nuanced than some would give you credit for

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

I really enjoyed the roundtable with staff that led to this brief report on how we can improve research career pathways in the field of #alcohol / #drugs / #addiction treatment. Please take a look & get in touch if you'd like to be involved in further improving links between #research and practice.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

This is an interesting piece on regret and FOMO in relation to drinking, but I think the whole framework, with a theory of 'planned behaviour' risks misunderstanding or misrepresenting the fundamental ambivalence of drinking & drunkenness. 1/5 theconversation.com/how-fomo-the...

theconversation.com

How Fomo – the fear of missing out – affects young people’s binge drinking

Research shows the fear of missing out on a good time while drinking usually outweighs any concerns young adults have about doing something they might regret.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

This looks like an interesting job to be aware of for people on here interested in #pubs and #alcohol: "Strategic Policy and Compliance Team Leader - Pubs Code Adjudicator" www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...

civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk

Quick Check NeededGOV.UK

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

I've just been flicking through the @collective-voice.bsky.social weekly bulletin of news stories, and this clip of Suggs talking to Nihal Arthanayake about stopping drinking really jumped out at me. 1/3 www.instagram.com/reel/DH6KFG7...

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James Nicholls @jamesnicholls.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Closing the loop ... our response to the responses to our paper on alcohol and pleasure is now available. Thanks again to the respondents 🙏, and to everyone who has commented in person or online. It's been a great discussion so far, and hopefully continues. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Drinking and pleasure: Interdisciplinarity points the way forward

Click on the article title to read more.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

In the Parliamentary debate on employer National Insurance contributions today, the Minister was clear on the principle guiding their approach. The government will protect its own operation, public corporations & local government. hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025... 1/3

Screenshot that reads: James Murray, The fundamental principle is about which organisations the Government will support in response to the changes to national insurance contributions. The approach the Government are taking, which is in line with the approach taken by the previous Government in the health and social care levy, is for the Government to provide support for Departments and other public sector employers for additional employer national insurance contributions. As I said to the hon. Member for North Bedfordshire (Richard Fuller), that means central Government, public corporations and local government. Primary care providers are independent contractors and will therefore not be exempt from the changes.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

There really does seem to be a particular media focus on ketamine at the moment. I find this interesting as we were training Dorset GPs on these issues back in 2012. Things do seem to go in cycles. www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2500468...

dorsetecho.co.uk

Police launch ketamine crackdown as "several" young women taken to hospital

Police have started a crackdown on ketamine in Weymouth after ‘several’ young women were hospitalised

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Just seen that Antonia Romeo will be the new Home Office Permanent Secretary. This is big news in the #alcohol & #drugs world, as she is replacing Matthew Rycroft who has been a strong leader for the #drugs strategy and engaged well across the field. www.gov.uk/government/n...

gov.uk

Antonia Romeo appointed as new Home Office Permanent Secretary

Dame Antonia is currently Ministry of Justice Permanent Secretary.

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Will Haydock @williamhaydock.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Interesting to be listening to The Life Scientific, featuring Jonathan Shepherd, the architect of the Cardiff Model of using health data to monitor levels of violence, particularly related to alcohol and the night-time economy. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

Radio 4 - Listen Live - BBC Sounds

Listen live to BBC Radio 4 on BBC Sounds

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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

Here we go again with pledges to cut the civil service… The last government set a headcount reduction target; this government has not. Good. You can’t set a target w/out doing the work of identifying what you want stopped BUT, they’re making other, deeply counterproductive mistakes 🧵

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