Skip Navigation



Journal of Public Health Advance Access published online on April 28, 2006
Journal of Public Health, doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdl010
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
28/2/96    most recent
fdl010v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Vivancos, R.
Right arrow Articles by Holland, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Vivancos, R.
Right arrow Articles by Holland, R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved

Article

Crack/cocaine use in a rural county of England

Roberto Vivancos 1, Viviene Maskrey 1, Daphne Rumball 2, Ian Harvey 1, and Richard Holland 1 *

1 School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
2 Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Partnership

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Richard Holland, E-mail: r.holland{at}uea.ac.uk


  Abstract

Crack/cocaine use is an increasing problem in the UK. This study is the first to ascertain the magnitude of the crack/cocaine problem in a rural county of the UK and to determine users’ needs for treatment services. A questionnaire on drug dependence and risk behaviour was completed by 306 users of drug treatment services, and focus groups were conducted with 45 self-selected crack/cocaine users. It is estimated that 31% (95% C.I., 26% to 37%) of drug users in treatment services have moderate/severe dependence on crack/cocaine. Factors associated with severe crack/cocaine dependence are severe dependence on benzodiazepines, increasing number of drugs used, engaging in sex work and non-white ethnicity. Those with severe dependence have a higher prevalence of hepatitis B and C compared with those with moderate or no dependence. All focus group participants describe a frenzied drug life so when entering treatment they require additional support to give structure to their lives to prevent relapse. Current service provision appears not to provide help to crack/cocaine users. Given the lack of pharmacological treatment, programmes should incorporate a wide range of activities and interventions to provide structure to clients’ lives. Learning from ex-users was perceived as an important component of treatment.

Keywords: blood borne virus, crack, cocaine, dependence, drug misuse, drug treatment services, viral hepatitis.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.