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Risk Management and Testing

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COVID-19 Test Types

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Passport2Work

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COVID-19 and Mental Health

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John Devitt jumped into the chair for a chat, as well as a trim from top hairdresser Sam Wall. Sam talks about his role as a brand ambassador for the Lions Barber collective and the great work they are doing in helping men open up about their mental health.

 

 

Sam’s hairdressing journey began in his home town, West Malling, Kent with a role as an apprentice at Lucas Hair. This led him to London Mayfair for private education as part of his training.

After having a solid training foundation Sam moved on to experience many high end salons. With Sam’s knowledge fast expanding he wanted to push himself further and decided on a new challenge in the North.

Now based at Hidden Heights Creative Studio, Gateshead, Sam works alongside creative individuals who form a team collaborating in hair, make up and photography. Whilst individually offering his own hair, education and event services, Sam and the team excel in creating fashion, editorial and commercial photoshoots.

At Recovery4Life we are constantly trying to get better and improve our service and processes, this is a great way to continue our improvement and show our commitment to achieving the highest possible standards.

ISO 9001 is recognised worldwide as the international benchmark for quality within an organisation.

By achieving our ISO 9001 certification, Recovery4Life are able to demonstrate to clients and suppliers that the systems we have in place meet the high standards set out by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

To gain the ISO 9001 certification, Recovery4Life had to demonstrate our dedication and commitment to meeting our clients needs, operating efficient management processes and delivering consistent, high quality services.

Each year, an external Audit is carried out by a third party to ensure our systems are maintained and any non-conformances are noted for correction.

 

Managing Director of Recovery4Life, John Devitt, said:

“We are thrilled to have achieved this. Certifications such as ISO 9001 are crucial in our day-to-day efforts to boost client confidence. This outlines our commitment to security and system management to ensure we can deliver the best possible results to our clients.”

 

 

Thank you to everyone who helped us acheive this, including the fabulous people at QMS, especially Nick Parkes who made the process so simple for us.

 

THANK YOU

THE R4L TEAM

Please accept this small token to bring you and your loved ones good luck through the coming year.

With best wishes and thanks.

From all at Recovery4Life

 

The Chinese zodiac 2018 shows that after the vast challenges of the past two years the following year of the Brown Earth Dog 2018 can be expected to be much less dramatic for all animal symbols.

The sign of the dog is known, not surprisingly, for loyalty and generosity. Need to spill a secret? Seek out one of these honest souls and bend that expert listening ear. While Dogs themselves may be reluctant to place their trust in just anyone, once they do, members of this sign can make the best business partners and leaders. And while Dogs might enjoy life more by relaxing their exacting standards from time to time, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better or more faithful friend.

So what can we expect from the upcoming year? The Dog is an ethical and idealistic sign, and the year that bears its name will also bring increased social awareness and interest in society’s less powerful members. Any tendencies to take, take, take will be replaced by a widespread sentiment of generosity and selflessness. In general, we will all be imbued with the Dog’s keen sense of right and wrong. You can also get a feel for the year to come by checking the compatibility between your Chinese sign and the sign of the dog — the better your compatibility, the better your year.

 

The following table will help you work out your own Chinese horoscope sign and you can check out what the year holds for you at:

www.chinesefortunecalendar.com

 

Rat	Ox	Tiger	Hare	Dragon	Snake	Horse	Sheep	Monkey	Rooster	Dog	Pig
1900	1901	1902	1903	1904	1905	1906	1907	1908	1909	1910	1911
1912	1913	1914	1915	1916	1917	1918	1919	1920	1921	1922	1923
1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935
1936	1937	1938	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947
1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971
1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019

 

 

The Chinese calendar differs from the Western calendar — The beginning of a Chinese New Year changes every year, on dates ranging between late January and late February. If you were born early in the year, you may be interested in looking at the description of the animal of the year before. It may suit you better!

 

Happy New Year

The Recovery4Life Team

 

 

 

Public Health Minister, Steve Brine has commissioned research to be carried out by Public Health England into the numbers of people struggling with addiction to prescribed drugs to avoid the kind of endemic problems we have seen in other countries.

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The problems we have seen in the United States have proved a warning sign. For a few years now the UK has been showing a similar correlation in the numbers of drugs being prescribed and the levels of addiction to the drugs themselves as over the last decade prescriptions in anti-depressants have increased by more than 100% across England. This preemptive action can only be considered a positive sign in the fight to avoid an opiate crisis on the same scale as the US, the likes of which have never been seen.

“We know this is a huge problem in other countries like the United States, and we must absolutely make sure it doesn’t become one here,” Said Brine.

The Numbers

The statistics from the US prove to be a strong reminder of why this action is so necessary. In 2013, the cost of medical care and substance abuse treatment for opioid addiction and overdose was an estimated $78.5 billion, according to a report in the journal Medical Care. During 2015, there were 52,404 overdose deaths in the United States, including 33,091 (63.1%) that involved an opioid. That’s an average of 91 opioid overdose deaths each day. The International Narcotics Control Board reported that in 2015, Americans represented about 99.7% of the world’s hydrocodone consumption, and its been estimated that around 80% of people who use heroin first misused prescription opioids

What is being done?

An effort to put the brakes on the numbers of people becoming addicted to these drugs has now begun after figures suggesting 1 in 11 people treated by the NHS were being prescribed drugs that can induce dependency.

The research commissioned will look into the effects caused by dependancy and withdrawl on prescription drugs including:

• Antidepressants
• Benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, etc.)
• Opioid Painkillers
• Pregabalin
• Gabapentin
• Z-Drugs (similar to Benzodiazepines used to treat insomnia)

Public health England has been asked to provide an outline of what it believes the government and the NHS should do to stop the addiction problem spiralling out of control. The British Medical Association has also advised a helpline should be implemented to support those currently struggling with addiction and to provide urgent advice.

A different perspective

The Royal College of GP’s has posed a different perspective, Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, the college’s chair, said “Many addictive medications, when prescribed and monitored correctly, and in line with clinical guidelines, can be very effective in treating a wide range of health conditions. But all drugs will have risks and potential side-effects,”

“It is important not to automatically jump to the conclusion that more drugs being prescribed is always a bad thing. Advances in medical research mean that more medications are constantly becoming more available for patients, and they can increasingly be used to improve their health, and the nature of our NHS is that these medications are available to anyone who could benefit from them,” she added.

“We know most patients would rather not be on long-term medication and where appropriate we will explore non-pharmacological treatments, but these – and this is particularly so for psychological therapies – are often scarce at community level,” said Stokes-Lampard.

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The findings of the report are expected to be delivered in early 2019 for the government and NHS to decide on how to implement the recommendations and try to bring the growing problem of prescription drugs to a managed state where people receiving them will be supported and reviewed regularly to reduce issues and concerns around addiction.

From our own experiences we have seen a significant increase in the number of people seeking private treatment for prescription and over-the-counter medication as well as businesses implementing medication checks for their workforce. The medication checks ensure they are staying safe in the workplace and assess the impacts that the medications they are prescribed may have on their ability to perform their day to day roles.

If you are worried about your use of prescription medication contact the person prescribing the medication for you first, usually your GP. If you or anyone you know has a problem with prescribed or over-the-counter medications please get in touch with us on 03333 448 288 or please visit the contact page.

 

 

The Recovery4Life Team

Surely not. The convenience that we crave in our 21^st century lives seems to have reached a tipping point when class A drugs can be with me faster than a pizza. Well, this is expected to be one of the findings from the Global Drug Survey 2018 in relation to specific cities around the world, one of which will be London, along with New York and Berlin. The research will delve into the ease of access to the illicit drugs through sources such as encrypted messaging services, social media platforms and the dark web.

Changing Times

Trends in the types of drugs young people take has seen a change with prescription drugs and New Psychoactive Substances (Legal Highs) rising to prominence over the past few years. However, with the changes in drugs also comes a change in the supply. Seemly the days of meeting a stranger on a street corner or alleyway are dying as the Amazon model, providing delivery to your door after buying your goods through an online store has risen in prominence. The growing awareness of CCTV and security on the streets is driving both dealers and buyers to avoid the now unnecessary risk and move with the times, finding new ways of staying anonymous. The rise of the dark web with sites like Silk Road and use of Bitcoin have enabled dealers and buyers to remain behind the screens of smartphones and invest in premium delivery services, and anyone who may have used the likes of Amazon Prime or Now knows that a premium service is at times worth the additional cost.

Safety in Security?

For the past decade technology has been driving crime, including drug supply, to change the way it operates. The need for a fast, efficient service that can deliver to your door is the answer the world has provided for not only our weekly shop or Christmas presents, but also the things we don’t want the rest of the world to know about. Those providing the drugs are taking advantage of encrypted social media platforms that have recently won cases to not unsecure data in relation to terrorist attacks so the likelihood of them being made to do so for a case of drug dealing could be even less likely. With the ever-increasing need for stronger and more secure forms of encryption it seems like we could be reaching a point that drug dealers are the safest they have ever been as everything can be managed from no more than a secure smartphone or tablet.

Global Drug Survey 2018

Dr Adam R Winstock, the founder of the Survey, said “we decided to look at efficiency and speed of drug delivery across the world. And to make a symbolic comparison, we’re using pizzas as a benchmark and, cocaine as the test.”

This research will be only one part of the Global Drug Survey 2018 along with looking into how people lost their “Drug Virginity” and drug taking at festivals and much more. The survey includes responses from over 160,000 people from over 50 countries and the findings are expected to be published in May 2018. We will certainly be waiting eagerly for the findings.

 

The Recovery4Life Team

In a speech made to the House of Commons on 15th January 2018, Labour MP Bambos Charalambous spoke of the growing problem of young people using Xanax.

He pointed out that Xanax, or Alprazolam, is a highly addictive sedative from the Benzodiazepine family. He also added that when consumed with alcohol the effects of the drug are multiplied, the effects that can without alcohol last between 10-20 hours.

Much has been made in recent years about the way drugs like Xanax have been made widely available through online pharmacies and the dark web at as little as £1 per pill. The popularity of the drug in the US is also said to be fuelling the desire for it in the UK. It is currently the eighth most prescribed drug in the states and is used to treat anxiety and panic attacks.

The Story Of “Zoe”

The MP referred to a parent that lead him to investigate the use of the drug, he told the story of “Zoe”, an alias, who at the age of 14 became a regular user of Xanax.

“Zoe and her best friend were approached by an older girl at school and introduced to an ex-pupil whom they started hanging out with, together with a group of slightly older people, some of whom were adults. Zoe and her friend started going to private raves with the crowd and to parties in houses across north London where, swept up in the whirl of the excitement of this new lifestyle, Zoe was introduced to Xanax.”

A common introduction, the want to fit in with a group of friends or be part of a cool crowd has always been a main driver of young people falling into drug use. He stated that Zoe and her friend would regularly be mixing the sedative with alcohol and getting themselves into a “zombie-like state” one of the side effects of Xanax is amnesia and he pointed out that Zoe would have no recollection of how she picked up marks and bruises after coming home from nights out. This effect can make users vulnerable and possibly subject to abuse.

He spoke of another common side effect of Xanax being aggression and how Zoe would become violent and abusive towards her mother if she tried to stop her leaving to see the friends she knew were helping to drive her addiction and even got to the stage of calling the police to restrain her own daughter. Zoe had no recollection of what she did to her mother or even her arrest. Zoe was permanently excluded from school when her and her friend were found to be intoxicated on school premises.

It was discovered that a dealer was selling Xanax pills to young people including Zoe from a McDonald’s restaurant at only £1 per pill, an amount even teenagers at school age can afford to buy large amounts of.

Charalambous stated in researching the subject he had found the problem was much more widespread than the individual case that first drew him into the subject claiming he had became aware that on 9th May 2017, 20 15 and 16 year old’s were taken ill in Salisbury and received treatment after taking Xanax. Eight young people in Sussex were hospitalised over the Christmas period and in Scotland there were an “unconfirmed cluster of deaths from people injecting Xanax”. He then said other MP’s had confirmed further cases from their constituencies that resulted in the hospitalisations of teenagers.

Pop Culture

A conversation then began about the influence of rap music and its links to the drug following the recent death of rapper Lil’ Peep, who posted a video on his YouTube channel bragging he had just taken 6 Xanax pills. He was found dead on his tour bus only a few hours later having died from an overdose. The popularity of Xanax in rap music is said to be a large factor in the rise in popularity the drug has seen, with it being featured in songs by artists such as Lil Wayne, Future and 6ix9ine. Some rappers however have denounced the drug, Grammy winning artist Chance the Rapper, who spoke openly about suffering addiction to Xanax until 2014 has spoke in interviews of the damaging effects of the drug.

It was pointed out that their is a definitive age divide in the knowledge of the drug with those over 30 mostly not having heard of the drug but those between 12-24 being very aware of the drugs presence in popular culture.

What can be done?

We would back the calls of Charalambous to put in place three actions to ensure this doesn’t become a drug as common place as it currently is in the states. To firstly, run campaigns to raise awareness of the drug and the damaging effects. Secondly, provided more support to those who develop dependency on the drug. Thirdly, and possibly most importantly, commission research into how prevalent the drug is nationally as we do not currently know the scale of young people suffering the effects of Xanax.

This would follow the trend of prescription drugs taking over from the mainstream illicit drugs that people are already aware of. This issue is going under the radar and a lack of knowledge around prescription and over the counter drugs is causing a widespread ignorance that these drugs, because they are often used by doctors simply don’t carry the same consequences as the likes of Cocaine, heroin or MDMA. We find that the drugs becoming more widely used across society are things perceived as safe such as Codeine, Tramadol and in this case Xanax. They are being found more and more in a workplace setting posing incredibly high risk to businesses, especially those in a construction or manufacturing industries where the risks involved in potential accidents can be catastrophic.

 

If you or someone close to you has an issue with Xanax or any other prescription drug, please get in touch and we can advise you on the best course of action.

 

the Recovery4Life team