A live episode recorded earlier in the year in London at Vault Festival, in association with Child.org. Suzi speaks to Alex Aldridge. Alex is a Phd student at Royal Holloway, researching sex, drugs and sexual ethics. The conversation touches on various aspects around drug use during or around sex, including chemsex, issues of consent, and in particular around how women use drugs with sex, an often overlooked area of research.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Say Why To Drugs

Drugs and Sex - recorded live at Vault Festival

In this episode Suzi talks to James Nicholls, the CEO of an organisation called Transform, who are a think-tank working in drug policy reform. The conversation covers what is meant by various different types of drug policy, from regulation to decriminalisation to legalisation, as well as discussing what evidence-based drug policy might look like, both in terms of cannabis and stimulants, both of which have been the subject of publications by Transform. This is a new topic for Say Why to Drugs to cover, so if you have thoughts or questions please get in touch!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Drug regulation - with Transform

We're back (briefly)!! In the first episode of a new little run, Suzi speaks to epidemiologists Dr Kate Fleming and Dr Luisa Zuccolo about what we know about the evidence around the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. How do they compare to other things women are advised against doing, like smoking, or eating soft cheese? Why does alcohol seem to be so divisive an issue in pregnancy? We also talk about plans to keep better records about alcohol use in pregnancy, and how this got somewhat misreported in the media in recent weeks.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Alcohol in pregnancy

In this episode Suzi speaks to the Secret Drug Addict - a twitter and instagram user who VICE called 'twitter's most helpful anonymous account'. SDA is incredibly open in this conversation, talking about when he first started using drugs, how they impacted on his life, relationships and work, and what led him to seek help.He also talks about his work with footballer Neville Southall, promoting good causes and charities on twitter, and his own Secret Drug Addict account on twitter and instagram.A few trigger warnings for this episode, the conversation as you might imagine covers drug use and contains swearing, it also covers topics including psychosis and witnessing someone die after taking drugs.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Secret Drug Addict

In this episode Dr Suzi Gage is joined by Fiona Spargo-Mabbs and Sarah Birkett from the DSM Foundation. Fiona and her husband set up the foundation after their son Dan died after taking MDMA. Fiona talks a bit about this, but you can read more on the DSM Foundation's website here http://dsmfoundation.org.uk/dans-story/.Within this episode, Suzi chats with Fiona and Sarah about the foundation and the work that it does, as well as the evidence around what works, and what doesn't, in terms of drug education. The foundation's work includes providing material and training to schools, working directly with young people who can be ambassadors to their peers, and even has been involved with creating a verbatim play based on the testimony of Dan's family and friends in the weeks and months after his death.Below are some useful links that Fiona has shared with me, some of which are discussed in the episode.Drugfam  https://www.drugfam.co.uk/ and helpline 0300 8883853Adfam https://adfam.org.uk/Frank parents' page https://www.talktofrank.com/get-help/worried-about-a-childAlcohol Education Trust parents' page https://alcoholeducationtrust.org/parent-area/Young Minds parents' page https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/ and helpline for parents 0808 8025544Teen Tips https://www.teentips.co.uk/ Festivalsafe https://www.festivalsafe.com/ And then additional sites we also refer young people to - Drugscience https://drugscience.org.uk/Drugsand.me https://www.drugsand.me/en/The Mix https://www.themix.org.uk/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Drug Education - with The DSM Foundation

This episode was recorded live at the Say Why to Drugs book launch at Foyles bookshop, in Bristol, on 24th January 2020. Suzi is in conversation with James Nicholls, the CEO of Transform.Some links:My website (for news and events info): https://suzigage.co.uk/events-and-talks/Amazon link to buy the book (other bookshops are available): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Say-Why-Drugs-Everything-About/dp/1473686229  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Say Why To Drugs Book Launch

Happy book-day to me! Happy book-day to me! Happy birthday to Say Why To Drugs the booook, Happy book-day to me!Luckily for you I decided against singing that in the intro to this episode, but I'm VERY excited to say that today is the day that Say Why to Drugs the book launches in the UK, and online. It's taken me the last 2 years to write, and so it's such a weird and lovely feeling for it to be finally available for you to read.Or to listen to! I've recorded the audiobook, which is also released today, and the lovely people at Hodder and Stoughton have said I can share a few excerpts with you all! So we have an amazing Foreword written by none other than Scroobius PIp - he goes in to detail about how the podcast came to be, how he and I ended up working together on it, and generally being very lovely and flattering and supportive, thanks Pip. The book also has a load of mini chapters about various concepts surrounding drugs and their use - the next excerpt is one of these, about comedowns. And finally the myths and misconceptions from the 'caffeine' chapter.I hope you enjoy it. If you want to buy the book, it's available from a variety of places. Here are some links:Hardback: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Say-Why-Drugs-Everything-About/dp/1473686229or https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781473686229?gC=5a105e8b&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_L_l6aCY5wIVx7TtCh0yvwv6EAQYAiABEgIy8vD_BwEor https://www.waterstones.com/book/say-why-to-drugs/suzi-gage//9781473686229?awaid=3787&utm_source=redbrain&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=css&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgPqK9qCY5wIVQ7DtCh2YBgQBEAkYAiABEgKP7vD_BwE&awc=3787_1579732178_601424271edcbb00ab5febda79552abbAudiobook: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Say-Why-Drugs-Everything-About/dp/B07YSR2TTT/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Kindle edition: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Say-Why-Drugs-Everything-About-ebook/dp/B07BWP4FBQ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Say Why To Drugs - The Book!

Recorded earlier this year at Smithdown Road Festival, a free music festival in South Liverpool, this episode sees Suzi chat to a panel of guests about the links between drug use and music. Dr Sally Adams joins the podcast again, Professor Harry Sumnall from Liverpool John Moores University guests, as well as Chris Torpey, the editor of local magazine Bido Lito and an organiser of Liverpool Psych Fest, and Guy McKnight, the singer in 00's band 80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster, and now in band the DSM-IV. The conversation covers whether music and drugs are cultural essentials, why musicians might be particularly at risk of problematic substance use, how music is used to sell legal drugs, whether drugs impact on creativity, and takes questions from the audience. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Drugs and Music, live at Smithdown Road festival

Adam Ficek is probably best known as the drummer in Pete Docherty's post-Libertines band Babyshambles. But as well as a very successful music career, he's also a trained psychotherapist, and about to embark on a PhD. Adam and Suzi have a wide-ranging discussion in this episode of Say Why to Drugs, that takes in why Adam wanted to become first a musician, then a psychotherapist, whether musicians might be particularly at risk of developing poor mental health or substance use problems, and why that might be. Find Adam on twitter and instagram @musicandminduk For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Drugs and Music, with Adam Ficek

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a compound found in cannabis. In recent times it's began to be found on our high streets, available in everything from coffee to ice-cream to vape liquid. It's also been touted as a medication to treat a variety of health ailments, from childhood epilepsy to insomnia. In this episode Suzi is joined by researcher Dr Amir Englund from Kings College London to separate myth from evidence around what CBD is, and what it can, and can't do. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

CBD, with Dr Amir Englund

Suzi Gage is joined by researcher Dr Oliver Grundmann, from the University of Florida, to talk about kratom - a leaf from the plant Mitragyna speciosa that grows in SE Asia. Is it an opioid? Or could it be useful in harm reduction? And what do we currently know about it? Find out within. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Kratom, with Dr Oliver Grundmann

Say Why to Drugs returns! In this episode Suzi chats to author Mike Jay about mescaline, arguably the first psychedelic.Jay details the dual history of the substance - found in two types of cacti in central and south America, as well as being extracted and used in psychiatry in the USA and Europe. Jay has just written a book called Mescaline, and tells us about his research and findings that went in to the book.

Mescaline, with Mike Jay

Researcher Suzi Gage answers a second set of questions that listeners have sent in - topics covered range from discussion of legislation - and how scientists can get involved, favourite research findings (and over-egged ones), and expectation effects.

Ask me anything! #2

Researcher Suzi Gage answers questions that listeners have sent in - topics covered range from whether the podcasts are aimed at teenagers to whether legislation impacts on the ability for scientists to carry out research in to illicit drugs, and from psychedelic therapy to the mushroom Fly Agaric. 

Ask me anything! #1

Suzi chats to Professor Linda Bauld from the University of Edinburgh about e-cigarettes and vaping. Linda provides an update on what's changed in the last 2 years since the first E-Cigarettes episode - in terms of who's using them, whether they are helping in smoking quit attempts, and what some of the new products on the market are like. Suzi and Linda also discuss nicotine itself, and the evidence as to whether or not it's harmful. They also touch on some of the reasons why the USA and the UK have such different policy attitudes towards vaping, and what some of the implications of this might be.

E-Cigarettes - UPDATED, with Professor Linda Bauld

The internet is full of misinformation about recreational drugs - both legal and illegal. Dr Suzi Gage, a psychologist interested in understanding associations between substance use and mental health, tackles one substance per episode - providing information about what we know - the harms, but also potential benefits of these substances. There's no hype, no spin and no judgement, just information. In the first series, she is in conversation with rapper Scroobius Pip.

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Say Why To Drugs

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