New partnership eases access to drug treatment

People needing help with alcohol and other drug use often avoid seeking treatment for fear they will be treated as second-class citizens.

Researchers say stigma surrounding substance abuse is often ingrained in the very service providers set up to help, and argue a new approach is needed.

LJMU’s School of Psychology is partnering with Phoenix Futures, a national drug treatment agency, to develop an innovative and anti-stigma toolkit designed to help change public attitudes and make services more welcoming to people who need support with their substance use.

The partnership, which begins its work in November, is funded by an Innovate UK Accelerated Knowledge Transfer grant.

Addicts 'treated differently'

Dr Harry Sumnall, Professor of Substance Use at LJMU, said: “People who have developed problems with alcohol and other drug use are some of the most stigmatised in society. Public stigma leads to social exclusion and a view that those that are affected aren’t deserving of support.

“Many services are welcoming, but stigma can become embedded in service and organisational settings, and can negatively shape the attitudes and behaviours of professionals. Ways of working may also be stigmatising and people are unjustifiably treated differently to others.

“In our research, people have told us about the different ways they are made to feel unwelcome – being made to wait in different areas than other for hours on end, treated with suspicion, or being denied appropriate support. This can make people feel that they are not deserving of support, or make them worried about how they might be treated.

“This can lead to people avoiding getting help. This is of great concern as there are significant harms related to alcohol and other drug use, but these can be reduced with early access to support.”

Reduce barriers to people seeking help

LJMU research, echoed by that of others, indicates that people commonly report stigmatising responses in a range of service settings and that a negative experience in one setting can affect willingness to engage in another.

Crucially, barriers to people accessing support are one of the reasons we have such high levels of alcohol and drug deaths.

Added Harry: “There is good work going on at local levels, but not all initiatives and campaigns are evidence based, and some approaches don’t make the best use of resources.

“Our toolkit aims to collate international evidence and examples of good practice on anti-stigma work across a range of topics, to provide organisations with a solid foundation for their own strategies.

Barriers across society

The partners particularly want the toolkit to be useful to non-specialist organisations outside of health and social care, including financial services, retail, and hospitality and to embed reasons why certain people develop problems with substances.

James Armstrong, Director of Marketing and Innovation, at Phoenix Futures, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Liverpool John Moores University to co-create an Anti-Stigma Toolkit. This collaboration brings together Phoenix Futures’ deep practical experience in challenging perceptions around substance use with LJMU’s academic expertise—making it the ideal partnership to drive meaningful change.

"Since launching the Anti-Stigma Network in 2023, we’ve heard a consistent call from our partners and stakeholders for a practical, evidence-based resource. The ATK Fund has provided the perfect opportunity to respond to that need and develop a toolkit that will support organisations on their anti-stigma journey.”

The toolkit is expected to be published in Spring of next year and will work with the national Anti-Stigma Network to make sure it reaches as many organisations as possible.   

The LJMU team also includes Cathy Montgomery, Professor in Psychopharmacology and Health Inequalities; Dr Zetta Kougiali, Senior Lecturer; and Christine Schoetensack, research associate. The project is being supported by Estelle Hargraves, LJMU Knowledge Transfer Officer.