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NADIA EL-NAKLA: I know impact addiction has on families – the 38 people lost to drugs last year in Dundee were part of us

As a city, we must treat those suffering from addiction with compassion and kindness by taking a public health approach.

Dundee has previously been branded the drug deaths capital of Europe.
Dundee has previously been branded the drug deaths capital of Europe.

Last week the drug-related deaths report for 2022 was published and sadly 1,051 people lost their lives to drug misuse in Scotland last year.

I was sitting in my monthly meeting of the Alcohol and Drug partnership when the report was made public and I eagerly read the headline statistics.

Drug deaths in Scotland were down by 21% and in Dundee there was a decline of 27%.

Taking in the figures, I felt an overwhelming wave of emotion. These statistics are not just numbers, they are people.

Lives tragically cut short, lives we were trying to save.

Every single death through drug misuse is a tragedy, one death is one too many. My heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies go out to the 1,051 families grieving for their loved ones.

The reduction in drugs deaths is an indication we are moving in the right direction and that we are making progress through focusing on treatment, reducing harm and investing in prevention.

The interventions are working, yet our job is clearly not yet done.

Understanding complex struggle

In 2020 I had the privilege of completing my two-year counselling placement at We are With You, a third sector organisation based in Dundee helping those with addiction issues.

I worked with clients suffering from addiction and their families. I began to understand the complex struggle my clients were experiencing.

For them, time stood still when battling against the overwhelming desire to escape trauma and pain and lose themselves into a world where the pain was temporarily gone.

Addiction can befall anyone. I know first-hand the effect addiction has on a family and the stark reality is these drug death statistics could have included a loved one of my own.

As a city, we must treat those suffering from addiction with compassion and kindness by taking a public health approach, breaking down stigma and talking about experiences without shame.

Councillor Nadia El-Nakla speaking at the V&A in Dundee. Image: Alan Richardson/DC Thomson.

I believe, through our partnership working and developing new ways to reduce the harm of drug and alcohol in Dundee, we can get to a place where no one dies from their addiction.

They should receive wrap-around care and support, with same day treatment and holistic interventions.

Dundee continues to look at new ways to tackle the drugs crisis; the City of Discovery was one of the first areas in Scotland to establish a non-fatal overdose pathway.

Through this outreach service, individuals are rapidly followed up after potential overdose and offered immediate support.

Dundee has also taken a strong gendered approach to services.

Last week I attended the opening of the women’s hubs a multi-agency support hub for women impacted by substance use and other multiple disadvantage such as gender-based violence, homelessness, poor mental health, isolation and trauma.

Alongside the development of services, we need a cultural change.

Scotland has for far too long had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol and drugs.

It is vital habits change and that we develop new ways of coping with the pressures life throws at us.

‘Think twice before using derogatory language’

As I write this piece, I feel a responsibility to improve the lives of those suffering with addiction and to do all we can within our communities to make sure we lose no more lives to drugs.

The book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Dr Gabor Mate states “no society can understand itself without looking at its shadow side”.

This year is the year of kindness – think twice before using derogatory terms for those suffering from addiction.

We should rid our language of the word “junkie”.

We are all someone’s child; don’t belittle an individual whose shoes you have not walked, instead spread hope.

The 38 people who lost their lives in Dundee last year were part of our city and part of us.

As a city we can commit to kindness, spread hope, invest in interventions that help people and become the City of Recovery.


Nadia El-Nakla is the SNP councillor for Dundee West End and her party’s alcohol and drugs spokesperson on the council.

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