Training & Consultancy: Courses

Cocaine and Crack and other Stimulants

Duration: 1 day or 2 day course

Who is the course for: Workers with previous drugs training or experience, who need to develop more detailed awareness of cocaine and crack use. The one day course offers an overview with less chance to explore development issues. The two day course is more detailed and allows for greater consideration of how to take forward issues explored locally

About the Course: Without prescribing interventions, some workers feel deskilled in working with stimulant use. This course addresses this and is intended to increase knowledge and skills for workers engaging with stimulant use.

The course looks at key stimulants including cocaine, amphetamines, emergent stimulants and caffeine. It looks at harm reduction and indicators of harm. It explores how stimulants work on the brain, and how this can lead to dependency and the impact on mental health. The course looks at key interventions to support change amongst stimulant users.

Objectives:

by the end of the course participants will be able to:

list key stimulants
describe key routes of administration with linked harm reduction
explain differences between cocaine powder and crack cocaine
understand how key stimulants work on brain chemicals
describe impact of stimulants in the short, medium and long term
explain different types of craving and link interventions to each type
be able to triage stimulant users for key health problems
describe a programme for addressing the needs of stimulant users.

Course includes

Cocaine and crack, what they are and how they work
History and production
Pharmacology
Why people use - appeal of cocaine, crack and other stimulants
snorting, smoking, injecting and harm reduction
Neuropharmacology of stimulants
Dependency and compulsion
High risk activities and polydrug use
Treatment modalities (covered in detail on the two day course)
Supporting change (covered in detail on two day course)

Format: Taught sections, small group work, work in pairs, whole group discussion.

Handouts: Full handouts will be provided, and sources of further information

DANOS Modules: AA1, AB2, AC1, AD1, AG2, AH3, AH7, AL1, AL2

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