Latest news with #alcoholaddiction
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Short-term funding' hurting alcohol and drugs services in Inverclyde, board hears
THE chair of the body that oversees health and social care services in Inverclyde has called for an end to the 'short-term approach' to funding of lifeline services aimed at tackling the devastating impact of alcohol and drug addiction. David Gould was speaking as the Inverclyde Integrated Joint Board (IJB) scrutinised a new five-year strategy to reduce drug and alcohol deaths in the area. Mr Gould said the funding of projects on a 'non-recurring' basis – usually only for fixed periods of two years – made tackling the high number of deaths in Inverclyde a constant challenge. He told the IJB's latest meeting: "In terms of the work we are doing, with funding not being received on a recurring basis, how much of a challenge is that for us, and what impact does that have on our ability to deliver the alcohol and drug strategy? 'It would seem that that as we put the alcohol and drug strategy in place we are working with one hand tied behind our back if we can't retain or recruit employees because funding is for two years only." Delivery of alcohol and drugs services in Inverclyde is being hit by the lack of recurring funding to deliver support in the area, the local IJB heard. (Image: PA) A separate report to the IJB's audit committee highlighted that the issue is also affecting staff recruitment, with posts being advertised on a 'fixed-term' rather than permanent basis. Maxine Ward, head of addiction services at the Inverclyde health and social care partnership (HSCP), said: "It is a significant challenge for us. With two years of funding it is very difficult to recruit. "We have two choices: we can either commission our third sector partners to deliver services, or we can create posts for two years within the HSCP, which is difficult to do. "It could take 12 months to get someone in post then we have to ask for special permissions to hold on to that funding. "It absolutely impacts on the way we design services and if we had the budget we have got on a recurring basis I would be doing things very differently." David Gould chairs the Inverclyde integrated joint board. (Image: contributed) Head of mental health services Katrina Phillips said: "What we get back from the Scottish Government is there is no availability at this moment in time to make that recurring. "They made mental health outcomes recurring but we haven't had that yet for alcohol and drug services." Ms Ward added: "We know locally what our challenges are, and we are often different to neighbouring authorities. READ MORE: Government slammed over efforts to tackle Inverclyde's grim drugs death toll "But we are limited in terms of how we use some of that funding. "As it stands we are forced into a 'square peg, round hole' scenario. We can't tailor the services specifically, we can't move y to x if we need x more." A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'We provide annual funding of £112 million to local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships for treatment and support services, with Greater Glasgow and Clyde due to receive £28 million this year. 'To respond to requests for more certainty over funding, particularly in relation to sustainability of services and staffing, we baselined a further £19 million of Alcohol and Drugs Partnership funding and issued a letter of comfort to all ADPs confirming 2025-26 funding to help them plan ahead. 'It is for each ADP to take forward the provision and commissioning of services, based on an assessment of local need.'
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Kate Moss' party pal Davinia Taylor, 47, reveals that if she had 'one more drink she could have died' as she opens up about former wild life before turning to biohacking
Davinia Taylor has revealed that if she had 'one more drink, she could have died' as she opened up about her former party life. The former actress, 47, who ditched the party scene to live a healthy life style, has confessed that she kept drinking through her 20s until she hit rock bottom. Davinia was famed for her position in the notorious Primrose Hill party set, where she joined her then-husband Dave Gardner in partying through the Nineties with pals including Kate Moss, Sadie Frost and Jude Law. And now, Davinia, who has been sober for 17 years after battling alcohol addiction, has become a fitness guru and credits 'biohacking' for her 'biological age of 20'. Chatting to the Sun, Davinia explained that she 'flatlined' and was drinking to survive rather than for enjoyment. She told the publication: 'I was constantly hungover, riddled with anxiety, and alcohol didn't work for me any more. The former actress, 47, who ditched the party scene to live a healthy life style, has confessed that she kept drinking through her 20s until she hit rock bottom (pictured in 2000) 'Not even a glass of red wine would lift me. 'I was shown these awful videos of myself drunk, and numerous times I was told by doctors, 'one more drink will kill you'. Biohacking involves making small, strategic scientific-backed changes to habits and behaviors to improve things like cognitive function and weight management. Davina ditched her party girl ways in favour of a cleaner existence, after a 12-week rehab stint in South Africa where she was eventually able to kick her habits. The former actress described her battle with alcoholism as a an 'eternal hell', because she knew she shouldn't be drinking but was in a heavy period of withdrawal Once she got clean, Davinia said she became addicted to other areas of life, such as eating when she gained 'stones', before eventually finding a happier balance. She shares son Grey, 17, with Dave, and Luxx, 13, whose father has never been revealed, and Asa, six, and Jude, seven, with her partner Matthew Leyden. Davinia recently told The Sun how she wishes her mother, who died in 2013, could see the woman she has become. Now, Davinia, who has been sober for 17 years after battling alcohol addiction, has become a fitness guru and credits 'biohacking' for her 'biological age of 20' She said: 'For her to see me now, as a mother – happy, settled and not needing the fineries to support my ego – would have made her really proud.' At one point in her life, Davinia faced a custody battle and was suicidal, however, now she said her old self would not have been able to recognise the woman she is today. Explaining why her younger years were so wild, Davinia said that she has a high dopamine drive, meaning the impulsiveness to do things to feel alive was stronger. She said that this is a classic symptom of ADHD, but that it is not as widely diagnosed in women as it is in men. 'A girl with ADHD will be referred to as 'Dolly Daydream', and that was me,' she said. 'I'm hoping over the next few years that a lot of women my age realise they can get help for it now – it's not too late.' In 2007, Davinia gave birth to her first child, Grey, and began to suffer with postnatal depression which she attempted to buy her way out of. She said doctors prescribed her with strong medication for bipolar disorder which she stayed on for five years and although she was no longer suicidal, she said she started drifting through each day. Reflecting back on the birth of Grey, Davinia said she now realises she was suffering from a crash of her supportive hormones due to the IVF - but doctors had written this off as 'baby blues'. She now hopes that her struggle can encourage more women to talk about this issue and push for hormone replacement therapy to help them. During her divorce from her ex-husband Dave Gardner in 2009, her mother sent her to rehab in South Africa to overcome her alcohol addiction, and Davinia said she thinks without her mother's help, she would not be here now. 'By the time I was out the other side of the divorce, I was beyond any relapse. It was a blessing in disguise, because it put me in fight mode, and sometimes that's my comfort zone. I had to be razor-sharp and although it wasn't necessarily pleasurable, it gave me focus. After ditching alcohol, Davinia said she turned to sugars and unhealthy foods, because she didn't realise how much of an impact they could have on her health. She said that her poor diet caused her to feel joint pan, caused her to start forgetting things and her general mood was also being affected. To combat this, Davinia said she started reading up on dietary knowledge and came out a happier person and better woman to her friends and family. However, she also said that she hasn't become obsessive over her health, even joking that she'd even recently had a fry-up. If she is feeling low though, she added that she ups the amount of fats and protein she consumes, and enjoys a cold shower and a run.
