In-demand substance misuse service looks to expand
The Bridge Substance Misuse Recovery programme, in Northamptonshire, said it had helped thousands of people recover from dependence since it was founded in 2005.
Bridge said recent rises in the cost of living had been behind a surge in people who used its services across its three sites in Northampton, Wellingborough and Corby.
Its director, Steve Carroll, said: "People are coming in earlier and staying longer so it is clear people are getting what they need."
Mr Carroll said he had seen a rise in mental health problems and people becoming reliant on substances as a result of pressures arising from lockdown during the height of the Covid pandemic, describing it as a "big hit" on the service.
"So many people that use our services are often lonely and isolated, so we were able to give them somewhere to be around other people," he said.
Cost of living pressures have meant Bridge's housing and financial services have been in high demand.
Mr Carroll said a large number of people turned to substance misuse to cope with everyday struggles.
The organisation aimed to alleviate some of the stress by providing support with budgeting, housing and job searching.
Mr Carroll said the service has received about 1,300 new referrals in each of the last two years.
He said there was "not necessarily a maximum" number of people it could help, but added that increased demand meant it would benefit from increased funding.
About 90% of the service's staff are volunteers who have had their own experiences with substance misuse.
Bridge calls people who use its services "members" and one of them who also volunteers as a mentor, Jay, said the gym had helped keep him stay focused on his recovery.
"I know that if I am taking care of myself, I feel so much better and I am a lot less likely to relapse," he said.
"It is all about encouragement. The environment is so much more motivational when we all have an underlying understanding that we have all gone through a similar thing."
The organisation promotes social prescribing, which is a method described by the NHS as non-medical, community-based support.
Its main purpose is to connect people to activities within the community to improve their health.
Bridge promotes volunteering and other stimulating activities such as the poetry group, dress-making, crochet lessons and arts and crafts. They have previously hosted friendly sport competitions and silent discos.
The service, which is supported by £800,000 of council funding, focuses on peer-to-peer support, meaning they work with other services like the Department for Work and Pensions, smoking cessation groups and housing support.
"We have all got the same goal, which is to get people well," Mr Carroll said.
Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
New 'brain pacemaker' trial to combat addiction
Bridge Substance Misuse Programme
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
13 minutes ago
- USA Today
Flu, COVID may 'wake up' dormant cancer cells, new study finds
Respiratory viruses, such as the flu and COVID-19, may be able to 'wake up' dormant cancer cells in patients who have a history of cancer, according to a new study. Researchers tested this hypothesis in mice that contained disseminated cancer cells, which are cells that have broken away from the primary tumor and spread to other organs, where they remain dormant. They exposed the mice to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, or the influenza viruses. In both cases, the infections triggered inflammation that awakened the dormant cells located in the lungs, according to the study published July 30 in Nature. 'Dormant cancer cells are like the embers left in an abandoned campfire, and respiratory viruses are like a strong wind that reignites the flames,' said James DeGregori, study senior author and deputy director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center. The study builds on previous studies from 2020 that found COVID-19 doubled patients' risk of dying from cancer. Patients were unvaccinated, so it's unclear if or how this would impact their risk of cancer, said Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, director of the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center's dormancy institute who co-led the mice study. It's also unclear if there are other factors at play, as the study showed the awakened cancer cells in the mice went back to sleep once the respiratory infection was resolved, he said. 'That indicates that more than one event, caused by viruses or other sources, might be needed for these metastatic cells to grow and become life-threatening,' Aguirre-Ghiso said. More research is needed and the study is 'step one of future efforts.' Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@
Newsweek
14 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Respiratory Viruses Risk Waking Dormant Cancer
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Respiratory infections like COVID-19 and the flu may increase the risk of dormant breast cancer cells reactivating and spreading in those with a history of the disease. This is the conclusion of a study based on experiments with mice and observational human health data by researchers at the University of Colorado, the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) in New York and Utrecht University. Such an awakening, the team warn, could trigger new metastatic tumors. "Dormant cancer cells are like the embers left in an abandoned campfire—and respiratory viruses are like a strong wind that reignites the flames," said paper author James DeGregori of the University of Colorado Cancer Center in a statement. The findings highlight the need for patients to be aware of the risk between infection and cancer spread. For affected patients, "The simplest strategy would be to avoid infection (vaccination, avoiding crowded places during flu season, etc)," DeGregori told Newsweek. An illustration of cancer cells marked with green, and the proliferation of cells marked in magenta. An illustration of cancer cells marked with green, and the proliferation of cells marked in magenta. Michael DeGregori Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Around 316,950 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. this year, with more than 42,000 women expected to die from the disease this year alone, according to the American Cancer Society. After remission, cancer cells may remain dormant for years before spreading— notably in the lungs or other organs—and causing a relapse. As viral respiratory infections like SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) are associated with inflammation, this may trigger processes that could cause cancer cells to spread. A rise in cancer death rates in the first two years of the pandemic led DeGregori and his colleagues to study the effects of the influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 infections on breast cancer outcomes in mouse models. They determined that these infections reduced the dormancy of breast cancer cells in the lungs. The cancer cells multiplied within days of infection, leading to the expansion of metastatic cancer lesions within two weeks. Inflammatory pathways are implicated in this effect, the researchers found. "The study proves that the general phenomenon can also be observed in humans. Of course, the authors cannot prove that it is the same mechanism, as these are epidemiological data," said professor Carsten Watzl, Scientific Director of the Immunology Research Unit of the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors Dortmund. An image showing the awakening of dormant cancer cells. An image showing the awakening of dormant cancer cells. Bryan Johnson Analysis of molecules revealed that the awakening of dormant cancer cells is driven by a protein called interleukin-6 (IL-6), which immune cells release in response to infections or injuries. "The identification of IL-6 as a key mediator in arousing DCCs from dormancy suggests that using IL-6 inhibitors or other targeted immunotherapies might prevent or lessen the resurgence of metastasis following viral infection," said paper author and MECCC cell biologist Julio Aguirre-Ghiso said in a statement. The researchers also examined whether patients with cancer that tested positive for COVID-19 might have an increased risk of cancer-related death, analyzing data from the UK Biobank (4,837 participants, all cancer types) and Flatiron Health (36,845 patients with breast cancer) databases. They discovered an association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and risk of death in the Biobank group. Patients that tested positive SARS-CoV-2 showed a twofold increase in cancer-related death compared to those who were negative. In the Flatiron group, the infection was associated with an increase of more than 40 percent in the risk of metastatic disease in the lungs. It should be noted the new study focused on the period before COVID-19 vaccines were available. Although the studies were limited to those previously diagnosed with cancer, or mice that had dormant cells already when infected, DeGregori cautioned that the team, "couldn't rule out an effect on those with active cancer." Cell and molecular biologist John Alcorn of the University of Pittsburg told Newsweek, "This study does not address how bad of a COVID or flu infection is needed to trigger this type of response. Another prevention would be to have imaging done if you are a cancer patient in remission who gets a viral pneumonia. This could lead to early detection or resurgence and increased treatment options." DeGregori added: "Additional research and clinical studies will be needed for the development of interventions that could be applied during the infection, and we are actively working to develop such interventions." The researchers plan to extend their analyses, both in animal models and of clinical data, to other cancer types and areas of metastatic disease. Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about breast cancer? Let us know via health@ Reference Chia, S. B., Johnson, B. J., Hu, J., Valença-Pereira, F., Chadeau-Hyam, M., Guntoro, F., Montgomery, H., Boorgula, M. P., Sreekanth, V., Goodspeed, A., Davenport, B., De Dominici, M., Zaberezhnyy, V., Schleicher, W. E., Gao, D., Cadar, A. N., Petriz-Otaño, L., Papanicolaou, M., Beheshti, A., Baylin, S. B., ... DeGregori, J. (2025). Respiratory viral infections awaken metastatic breast cancer cells in lungs. Nature.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Walmart's Sam's Club steals a major edge over Costco
Pharmacies might kind of feel like an afterthought, depending on where you go to pick up your medications, since they're often located at the back of a store. But they're quite big business. Related: Popular beer and wings chain closes all restaurants, no bankruptcy "For 2024, total prescription dispensing revenues for retail, mail, long-term care, and specialty pharmacies reached $683 billion (excluding COVID-19 vaccines)," the 2025 Economic Report on U.S. Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers found. "Anti-obesity GLP-1 agonist drugs remained the most significant driver of prescription revenue at retail pharmacies, accounting for more than 80% of dispensing revenue growth for 2024." But sometimes it can be hard to differentiate between pharmacies. Most give you access to more or less the same brands or medications. And most have similar layouts, services, and offerings. But according to J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Pharmacy Study, customers actually preferred some pharmacies over others. The study examined the following metrics and measured stores across the U.S. Staff adequacyTrust in pharmacistsEase of ordering prescriptionsSpeed of filling prescriptions Supermarkets, for example, when customers chose where they preferred to access their pharmacies. More Retail: Walmart makes drastic change to fight theft amid worrying trendTarget has new plan to win back customers with big savingsHome Depot makes clear statement amid boycott threatsFamous retail chain makes two more alarming store closures This makes sense, since it's often far more convenient to pick up a prescription while you're grocery shopping than it is to make the extra stop at a standalone drugstore. The top pharmacies based on overall customer satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Pharmacy Study are: WegmansPublixH-E-BWalmart Neighborhood MarketStop & ShopShoprite But Sam's Club, which is owned by Walmart (WMT) , edged out Costco (COST) for customer satisfaction. "Chain drug store customers are significantly more likely than supermarket or mass market merchandiser pharmacy customers to say they 'definitely will' or 'probably will' switch pharmacies in the next 12 months," J.D. Power global healthcare intelligence managing director Christopher Lis said. "That openness to switching, combined with steadily increasing satisfaction scores at mail order pharmacies, helps set the stage for a tipping point in the pharmacy space." Satisfaction scores for different kinds of drugstores were: Chain drug stores: 643 Mail order pharmacies: 697Mass market merchandisers: 706Supermarkets: 715 For the 10th year in a row, Sam's Club actually edged out Costco for customer satisfaction. Sam's Club received a 778 ranking for the brick-and-mortar mass merchandiser pharmacy category. Costco, on the other hand, received a 765, which puts it in a close second place. Walmart has indicated it's trying to stand up the best possible customer experience in its pharmacies, noting they serve as big opportunities. It just stood up a massive prescription processing facility outside of Washington, D.C. in Frederick, Maryland to serve over a dozen states in the U.S. "This facility represents the next chapter in how we care for our customers," Kevin Host, SVP of Walmart pharmacy, said. "With greater efficiency behind the scenes, our pharmacists can spend more time in front of patients - offering expert guidance, building trust and delivering better health outcomes." The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
