The universal GP Training website for everyone, not just Bradford.   Created in 2002 by Dr Ramesh Mehay

Addiction - Alcohol, Smoking & Drugs

Bradford VTS Clinical Resources

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path: ALCOHOL & DRUGS

 

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Information provided on this medical website is intended for educational purposes only and may contain errors or inaccuracies. We do not assume responsibility for any actions taken based on the information presented here. Users are strongly advised to consult reliable medical sources and healthcare professionals for accurate and personalised guidance – especially with protocols, guidelines and doses. 

COME AND WORK WITH ME… If you’d like to contribute or enhance this resource, simply send an email to  rameshmehay@googlemail.co.uk. We welcome collaboration to improve GP training on the UK’s leading website, Bradford VTS. If you’re interested in a more active role with www.bradfordvts.co.uk (and get your name published), please feel free to reach out. We love hearing from people who want to give.

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Intro

Many of us fail to think of addiction of a disease.  Instead we make judgements about the patient’s personality as a result of their behaviour as a result of their addiction.   We need to see alcohol as a disease and that a patient’s behaviour is not their personality but a response to their medical illness of addiction.   Please watch this video.  It features Matthew Perry, the well-known actor of the 1990s comedy series Friends, which remains popular with today’s generation.   He talks about the “world-view” of a person with alcohol problems – and he helps us to see it from the perspective of the patient.   Most people with alcohol or drug problems feel they come alive or feel life is “blisfful” for the first time that week – something  that the rest of us experience often without alcohol or drugs and we take for granted.   So can you see why someone would take a substance like that again and again, just to feel as good or as alive as you.  Please watch the clip. It changed the way I viewed patients with this medical condition.

My review of his book:  I am profoundly grateful for the illumination this book brings, for it not only serves as a guiding light for fellow addicts, reminding them that they are not alone, but also as a revelation to those who judge, exposing the mysterious depths of addiction.  My heart aches with sorrow as I contemplate the tribulations Matthew Pery has endured. What should have been a wondrous life journey, as exemplified by the series Friends, became marred by a deep sense of isolation and foreboding. Yet, in the face of such adversity, he perseveres—a testament to the incredible strength of addicts who, day by day, are in a constant battle of trying to reject their harmful habits.  Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don’t, but their resilience is truly remarkable.  This book may not be a literary masterpiece, but it transcends such distinctions. It is, in my belief, something far more profound—an unvarnished chronicle of one person’s tumultuous journey through the challenges of existence.

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As healthcare providers, it is not uncommon for our hearts to initially sink when we encounter patients grappling with alcohol or drug-related issues. However, we all have the remarkable capacity to uplift our spirits by trading judgment for boundless genuine heart-felt compassion.

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How IT ALL STARTED
WHAT WE'RE ABOUT
WHO ARE WE FOR?

Bradford VTS was created by Dr. Ramesh Mehay, a Programme Director for Bradford GP Training Scheme back in 2001. Over the years, it has seen many permutations.  At the time, there were very few resources for GP trainees and their trainers so Bradford decided to create one FOR EVERYONE. 

So, we see Bradford VTS as  the INDEPENDENT vocational training scheme website providing a wealth of free medical resources for GP trainees, their trainers and TPDs everywhere and anywhere.  We also welcome other health professionals – as we know the site is used by both those qualified and in training – such as Associate Physicians, ANPs, Medical & Nursing Students. 

Our fundamental belief is to openly and freely share knowledge to help learn and develop with each other.  Feel free to use the information – as long as it is not for a commercial purpose.   

We have a wealth of downloadable resources and we also welcome copyright-free educational material from all our users to help build our rich resource (send to bradfordvts@gmail.com).

Our sections on (medical) COMMUNICATION SKILLS and (medical) TEACHING & LEARNING are perhaps the best and most comprehensive on the world wide web (see white-on-black menu header section on the homepage).

4th February 2024 

WHAT's HAPPENING?

Here are some updates planned over the next 6 months

  1. Updating the SCA exam pages with cases and videos.
  2. Clinical Specialty areas all being updated with current guidance and easy to understand diagrams and flow charts.
  3. Videos being created for some of the pages for those of you who prefer to watch than read.
  4. We’ve got some bradfordvts helpers to contribute and develop their own pages or areas of interest.  If you would like to be a bradfordvts helper, email me rameshmehay@googlemail.com
  5. We provide all of this for free. But it costs us money to run.  If you could kindly donate something, that would be great.  We do all of this for you.   Please hit the button below. xxx