Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Meeting date: Thursday, September 28, 2023

Official Report 1032KB pdf

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Alcohol and Drug Deaths (“See Beyond—See the Lives—Scotland” Campaign)

I ask members of the public who are leaving the public gallery to do so as quickly and quietly as possible, as business is resuming.

The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-10164, in the name of Miles Briggs, on “See Beyond—See the Lives—Scotland”. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament notes the campaign, See Beyond - See the Lives - Scotland, developed by the University of Stirling, Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and the Salvation Army; understands that the campaign aims to reduce the stigma that surrounds deaths due to alcohol and drugs; further understands that, behind every death, there are families, friends and communities who are experiencing devastating loss; recognises the importance of challenging the judgement and stereotypes that people often bring to the topic of substance use, and to people who have problems with alcohol or drugs and their families; commends the campaign pledge committing to be respectful and compassionate towards those affected by substance use, to use non-judgemental language when talking about substance use problems, and to reach out to those they know who have been affected to try to reduce the isolation and stigma that can be faced by those who have been bereaved in this way, and notes the calls on people across Scotland, including in the Lothian region, to sign the campaign pledge at seebeyondscotland.com.

12:51  

I thank members from across the Parliament for their support for the motion, which has allowed this debate to take place, and I warmly welcome to the public gallery campaigners and those who have shared their letters to loved ones.

In my time as an MSP, I have opened and spoken in many members’ business debates, but this one is very different and very personal. I know that it will be the same for other members who will speak today. At the outset, I thank everyone who will speak in the debate, and I pay specific tribute to Monica Lennon, because, if it was not for her and her brave decision to speak about her dad, Gerard, in 2017, I do not think that I would be leading this debate today or have shared my story.

I think that I speak for all of us as elected representatives when I say that our first instinct, quite rightly, is to protect our families and loved ones from public scrutiny. After all, they have not put themselves forward for the scrutiny that we rightly should face. Perhaps most critically, we all want to protect our loved ones from what will often seem to be the negative prism of social media and strangers commenting on our family members. Therefore, when I agreed to speak about my dad, Jim, and my experiences growing up, it concerned me how people would judge him, judge me and judge my family. That is exactly why I felt that I needed to tell my dad’s story.

The stigma that many individuals and families face when they are supporting someone who is battling addiction is very real, and the stigma and judgment that people often face need to be addressed if we are to break down the barriers to people accessing help and support, and for our loved ones to have the confidence and self-worth to come forward.

I have genuinely been overwhelmed by the number of constituents, colleagues, journalists and people in different countries who have reached out since I wrote my letter and we launched the campaign.

For many people who experience problematic alcohol or drug use, there will often be a life event or trigger to that behaviour and any problematic addictions and issues that go on to develop. I can only imagine how difficult it was for my dad to lose my mum to breast cancer and to be left as a single parent with three children between the ages of seven and 14. My dad was a dreamer. He would often speak about his lifelong dream of moving the whole family to live in a wooden hut in the forests of the great Canadian wilderness. To be honest, I suppose that I am lucky that he made it only as far as Perthshire. My dad was entertaining and charismatic; arguably, he was at his best socially in the pub or at the races. As in many cases, that is probably where a problem with alcohol developed.

The message behind the campaign “See Beyond—See the Lives—Scotland” is that everyone knows someone. As the debate will demonstrate, everyone does know someone.

The campaign was launched in May by the University of Stirling, Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems and the Salvation Army. Alongside Monica Lennon, I was pleased to help to launch the campaign in the Parliament, with 14 other people who have shared their letters to their loved ones.

When I spoke to families after that event, it was telling that many of their experiences were the same as mine and my family’s. Stigma is still attached to our loved ones speaking about problematic alcohol and drug use, not only from how people talk about that but from the judgments that they bring to it.

The notion that someone has done this to themselves and the labels that society often attaches to people are harmful. When they seek treatment and support, our loved ones face conscious and unconscious bias, sometimes even from overworked medical professionals.

In its briefing for the debate, Crisis said:

“Stigma Kills!

Stigma impacts on a person’s self-esteem, their mental wellbeing, limits their willingness and ability to engage with support services and ability to sustain changes in their lives.

People can change—but stigma holds them back.”

I hope that today’s debate will present an opportunity to change the conversation about alcohol and drug issues and to address the devastating impact that the loss of a loved one to alcohol or drugs has on their family and friends. I hope that people will visit the “See Beyond” website and support the campaign by agreeing to sign the pledge. I ask people to

“pledge to be respectful and compassionate towards those affected by substance use, including the families and friends of those who have died from alcohol or drugs”

and to pledge to

“show respect by using kind and non-judgmental language about those affected”—

our friends in the media in particular need to consider that when reporting stories. I also ask people to pledge to

“show compassion by reaching out to someone who has lost a loved one to alcohol or drugs”.

Many of us in Scotland have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and the role that alcohol plays in our culture and our society is often at the heart of that—from wetting the baby’s head and giving a good send-off at a wake to drowning our sorrows when times are tough and having alcohol at the heart of all our community, sporting and social lives.

Over the past 10 years, Scotland has lost more than 20,000 people to alcohol and drugs. I lost my dad. I know that we can make a difference, and that starts with ending stigma.

We move to the open debate.

12:58  

I thank Miles Briggs for securing this debate during international recovery month and for bravely sharing his experiences today. I am also beyond grateful to all the organisations that are involved in the powerful and vital “See Beyond—See the Lives—Scotland” campaign and to those who are sitting in the public gallery.

I give my sincere condolences to every person, family member, partner and friend who has tragically lost a loved one to alcohol, drugs or both. I have spoken before in the chamber about my family’s loss, so I will not go into that today, but we know that the issue touches all our lives, as Miles Briggs said.

Such deaths are preventable, yet every day in Scotland we lose more than six people in that way. All the people who have died recently or in years gone by are people whom our system failed.

Problem substance use is a complex issue that is often intricately connected with challenges of poverty, mental health, generational trauma or one-off events. It is critical to consider the social, cultural and economic drivers.

The impact of deindustrialisation remains stark, and that holds particularly true for my Uddingston and Bellshill constituency. Once a proud centre of coal mines and steelworks, Lanarkshire was sadly transformed, and mass unemployment and persistent poverty descended. Too many people found solace in using substances to escape the grinding reality of a life that they felt was devoid of joy or hope.

The most recent recorded local statistics show that there were 76 suspected drug deaths there during the first six months of this year—one of the highest recorded levels in Scotland. However, on a positive note, as we have already heard, many organisations are truly person centred and trauma informed, and focus on the whole person and their whole wellbeing.

In my constituency, the Blue Triangle service operates at the intersection of social care and social justice in a system that is designed to fix people issue by issue. The service says:

“We see the person, not their stuff, and our Mission is to Empower People to Thrive ... to provide a Springboard, not a Safety Net”.

The Beacons centre in nearby Blantyre is also fantastic. A young woman there bravely spoke of her personal battles with mental health and substance use, as well as the stigma that she experienced. She said:

“I was a dancer, I had ambition ... it just happened that there was deprivation, inequalities and adverse childhood experiences that got me.

Stigma is a barrier to recovery; you are so scared that you will be punished, or kids taken away from you”.

She said that the fear of losing her kids was terrifying, but what helped her recovery was being valued and accepted and rebuilding a sense of control and hope, not judgment, punishment or blame.

Stigma and inaccurate perceptions are devastating. They shatter self-esteem and confidence and limit individuals’ capacity to seek the essential support and treatment that they need, even when they want it. The media certainly play a role. Yesterday’s green light for Scotland’s first drug consumption room, which will offer easy access to key health and support services, resulted in social media headlines such as

“BREAKING: UK’s first illegal drugs consumption room given go-ahead”

and

“First illegal drugs consumption room”.

Some of those headlines have already gone, but the damage stays. Sadly, a life-saving policy was manipulated to reinforce criminal stereotypes and to dehumanise. As leaders, we must challenge those headlines.

We all have a responsibility to reflect on our communication, words and language; to be kind; to talk about the person, not the substance user; and to be catalysts for kindness, change and social renewal.

13:02  

I am proud to take part in this debate with colleagues from across the chamber, for whom I have immense respect when it comes to this subject. I thank Miles Briggs, my colleague and friend, for being personal and open about his experiences. I also thank the stakeholders who brought the campaign “See Beyond—See the Lives—Scotland” to the Parliament.

I will use the campaign’s title as the guide for my comments. We are used to many debates like today’s and I often think that they are great debates, in which there a lot of do-goodery and warm words are shared across the chamber. What does today’s debate focus on? What is it saying to us and asking of us? What does “See Beyond—See the Lives” mean?

At first glance, I guess that we are being asked, as politicians, to see beyond the substance, the alcohol, the drink or the demon—to see beyond the drug addicts or alcoholics and see them as human beings, not as alkies and junkies, as they are too often seen. We are being asked to see them as our dad, mum, sibling or child.

I do not have siblings or children, but I had a dad who was an alcoholic—and a violent one at that. I am now the age that he was when he succumbed to his illness. In fact, when I was writing my speech yesterday, I realised that his funeral was so long ago that I barely remember it. I also have a mum who is five years sober. I am very proud of her and she is very much alive. I do not intend to rehearse those stories in great detail today.

For many of the reasons that Miles Briggs eloquently told us, there is still a huge amount of shame and stigma around the subject. However, last year, I did an interview with Holyrood magazine, which was the hardest interview that I have had to give in politics. We all have our personal stories—no one is immune to or above the subject. For the relatives of an alcoholic, it can be really hard to see beyond the fear, pain, anger, confusion and utter despair that they experience—more so if they are doing it on their own and if they are a young person or the child of the alcoholic.

It is difficult to see beyond the consequences of the person’s drinking and the absolute mess that is often left behind for relatives and loved ones, including deteriorating health—financial and physical—endless desperate ringing around for help, calls to the bank to try to block cards, failure to secure power of attorney, attending funerals and even being at the hands of violence.

However, the reality is that when we strip away the masking effects of the alcohol—the pretend person that it has made them—deep down, underneath it all we often find a warm, loving, helpless and desperate person who is simply crying out for help from us and from the system. The problem is that such help is not always there.

When we try to help someone to face the illness, the stigma is unbelievable—in fact, sometimes it is disgusting. I have heard phrases like, “Well, she’s just a selfish alkie”, “He’s a monster when he’s drunk”, “They’re not worth the help—they deserve what they get”, “That’s their choice in life—they’re all adults and they chose that path” or, even worse, “They’re beyond help”. No one is beyond help.

We have difficult and even divisive debates about whether drug takers are criminals or victims of health problems, but when was the last time we had a proper conversation about problem drinking? Let us see the lives of those people through their own eyes, because they often know the damage that they are doing to themselves. They are far too often self-medicating to deal with horrific problems and experiences. They often also feel so much guilt because they know the hurt that they are causing their loved ones.

We should see those lives through their friends, their relatives and the survivors—in particular, those who have had to grieve. We should see the lives of those who have recovered. People do recover and are in recovery. Let us see the difference, which is as stark as night and day, and black and white, when we see someone who is in recovery.

When I think of my mum’s recovery—she will not mind my saying this—the thing that pleases me most is that as she emerged from the darkness of that illness, she grew to rediscover who she was as a person. She became more herself again. Her humour, her wit, her interests, her hobbies, her intellect and her emotions all returned slowly but surely.

As a family, we take nothing for granted. Every day is a new day, but only if someone in that dark, deep place can look ahead and see a parallel future, free of the shackles of the disease. It is not easy for them to imagine, but it is a beautiful thing when they do.

Every such death is avoidable. What we can do as MSPs is complete the pledge that the campaign asks of us. I pledge to be respectful, compassionate and non-judgmental, and to reach out to someone who needs my help. I make that pledge today. Let us all make it.

13:07  

Colleagues will know that I am not often stuck for words, but Miles Briggs has made a habit of making me cry in Parliament in recent months. I am genuinely grateful to him for bringing the debate to Parliament and for bringing colleagues together, and I am grateful to members who signed the motion but could not be here to speak. I thank everyone in the gallery—I am trying not to make any eye contact, right now.

This is a debate, and what we say matters, but it is also important to have the space in the chamber to listen and to show compassion and kindness, which we hope will resonate in our communities.

I thank Miles Briggs for mentioning my dad, Gerard—Gerry—at the start, and for talking about his lovely dad, Jim. We are two different MSPs from different parties, different parts of the chamber and different parts of the country, and our two dads were, I am sure, very different, but at the end of the day, we can see that there is a common thread that joins us. It is a pity that Miles Briggs and I are not sitting together for this debate, because a hug would be nice right now.

When we were approached to be part of the campaign, it was a huge honour. I did not want to turn up looking like I am right now, with a runny nose and wet eyes, but I suppose that that is what it is about: it is about showing our vulnerability and being honest that this is really hard. It is hard to find the words. Some days it is a bit easier than others but, as they say, “One day at a time.”

I am really grateful to the University of Stirling, the Salvation Army, Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs and SHAAP for reaching out to us. I also thank the people who are here, in the gallery.

A lot of good stuff is happening out there; Stephanie Callaghan was right to talk about some of the projects, charities and groups that are doing the work. Over the summer, after our parliamentary event was held, I got out in Lanarkshire and elsewhere to chat and see what was going on. There is a lot of love, kindness and compassion out there, but we need to scale up the work and make sure that there is funding to do it.

The barriers are real and stigma is a killer. People might ask why we are discussing stigma when we should be talking about legislation, policy and funding. All those things are important—we need everything—but stigma is a killer because people are frightened to ask for help. They are worried about the police being at the door and about social work services using their substance use against them. What will the school say? What will people say at work? What might our colleagues in Parliament think of us if we say that substance use is an issue for us?

The Eva Burrows 1st Stop project in Cambuslang is one that I have spent time with. It is doing amazing work to end stigma and to bring tackling homelessness into the equation. We have had really good briefings on that from Turning Point Scotland and Crisis. We know that we are not doing enough and that we need to do more. It is a public health crisis.

Presiding Officer, I hope that you will indulge me, because we do not have a lot of speakers in the debate from the Labour benches. I want to talk about the letter that I wrote to my dad. It took me ages to write it. I looked at everyone else’s letters and was so amazed and impressed by them that I could not write mine. I found it very hard—so Miles Briggs completed his homework before I did. I talk to my dad when I visit the cemetery and so on. I know that that might sound weird, but we need to talk about bereavement, dying and grief a bit more.

I suppose that what I wrote was a love letter to my dad. I will not read it all now; it is on the website, and people can see the video. I was really struck by Ann’s letter to her friend Carol. Ann talked about her guilt. In my letter to my dad, I said:

“There were times it was too difficult to be around. Too many days when it was too painful to run to you. On those dark days when we were apart, I hope you know you were always loved.”

I wrote that because there was a lot of anger, isolation and distance. That guilt is real.

Some of the stigma that I experienced as a family member was through the national health service. People know that I am a huge champion of our NHS, but we need the kindness that I spoke of not just from our politicians but from our general practitioners, our nurses, our doctors and so on.

I will end with this, and I do not it say for sympathy. We have missed out on so many moments and milestones spent together because of avoidable deaths. All the family members of the 20,000 people who have lost their lives over the past decade will get that. In my case, my dad and I talking about politics, and debating ideas, influenced me in my life, but my dad died the year before I was elected to the Scottish Parliament. I struggle with that. In the letter, I say:

“If you’d lived one more year to see me elected to the Scottish Parliament, it would have been a special moment for us to share.”

I will stop there, Presiding Officer. Thank you for your indulgence. I want anyone who is struggling today to know that they are not alone and that they can reach out. Get on that website and get people to sign the pledge. We have a lot of work to do, but we can do it together, because we have to see beyond, and we have to see the lives.

Thank you, Ms Lennon. I am sure that your dad would be enormously proud.

I call Beatrice Wishart.

13:13  

I thank Miles Briggs for bringing this important debate to the chamber. When I attended the “See Beyond” parliamentary event in June, I heard moving and powerful contributions from family members and friends of people who have died because of alcohol or drugs, including from our MSP colleagues Miles Briggs and Monica Lennon. I commend them both for their work on this important issue. I know that many across Scotland sadly share that experience, and I thank everyone who shared their stories at the event.

Alcohol and drug addiction can be devastating to communities, family, friends and, of course, the person with the addiction. Today might not be the time for this conversation, but I observe parallels with gambling addiction. The stigma associated with that addiction also causes people to hide their problems, which makes seeking help harder.

It is true that everyone knows someone. I could share stories about drug and alcohol addiction that are close to home, but living in a small community means that people and families could be easily identified from what I might say, so I will obviously not do so. Suffice it to say that I have a great understanding and empathise with people who have experienced addiction personally or as a friend or family member. I know that children who grow up in households where there is addiction can be impacted both in the short term and long into their adult lives.

Nobody chooses to have an addiction, but we live in a world with less compassion than we would like to admit. There is a long history of stigmatisation of and discrimination against people with addictions. Drug and alcohol addiction stigma can have serious consequences. Feeling judged can prevent a person from seeking support and treatment and stigma can erode self-esteem and is linked to mental health problems. Family and friends of someone with a drug or alcohol addiction can be affected by feelings of shame and guilt, and, when bereaved, people can find it difficult to speak openly about losing someone to drugs or alcohol and get the support that they need. Organisations that provide support to people with addictions are stigmatised, too, and communities can become defined by substance abuse, causing them to feel isolated. It is important that we tackle stigma so that the people who are affected by alcohol and drugs can get better and more timely support.

Removing stigma involves effort from all of us, across society. As the “See Beyond” pledge states, that effort involves a commitment to being “respectful and compassionate” towards those affected by substance use; using “non-judgmental language” when talking about substance use problems; and “reaching out” to those who have been affected. Those steps are important to take. Addiction is a health issue and should be treated with help and support, not judgment.

Scotland will soon have its first safe consumption room, which is a measure that has received widespread support and seeks to protect some of the most vulnerable people from overdose. Evidence from other countries shows that safe consumption rooms save lives and can provide a point of contact with services that people with problematic drug use might otherwise face barriers in accessing.

Action must take place on many fronts to reduce the harm that is caused by drug and alcohol addiction. In my constituency of Shetland, the charity Dogs Against Drugs was set up over 20 years ago following a number of drug-related deaths in the isles, each of which was a tragedy. It has two main activities: seizure through use of trained drug detection dogs of drugs that arrive in Shetland, and drugs education in schools to prevent substance use.

Recognition of the intersecting issues that contribute to addiction means addressing homelessness, treating mental health problems, reducing poverty and ensuring that tackling stigma is integrated across all actions. At the heart of everything must be the people who live with addiction and their friends, families and communities.

13:18  

As we know, problem drinking is an issue and, sadly, Scotland has an unenviable reputation across the world, as alcohol is embedded right in the heart of our culture. There are no signs of that situation changing; indeed, more than four in 10 non-drinkers perceive that others think that they are odd for not drinking. The situation affects young and old, rich and poor, and our towns and cities as well as rural and remote communities, with around one in four people drinking at hazardous or harmful levels.

Recent statistics reveal that, in Dumfries and Galloway, the number of people who died of an alcohol-specific death last year amounted to 36. Those figures might not be the worst in comparison to the average in Scotland, but they simply cannot be ignored or glossed over because, as the motion states,

“behind every death, there are families, friends and communities who are experiencing devastating loss”.

According to NHS Dumfries and Galloway and based on data from 2017 to 2021, 30 per cent of men and 11 per cent of women exceed daily or weekly recommended drinking limits. A total of 442 people were admitted to hospital in the region due to alcohol-related illness. Those stats make for worrying reading.

It is concerning that the number of Scots who are gaining access to receive treatment for problem drinking has fallen dramatically at a time when the number of alcohol-related deaths is soaring. That is not only regrettable; it is shameful. The Government has admitted that it took its eye off the ball on the drug deaths crisis, and I fear that it is doing exactly the same with deaths caused by alcohol.

I recognise the fantastic staff and volunteers who work in drug and alcohol addiction support in Dumfries and Galloway, but the one big barrier is stigma, which limits the number of people who come forward. The problem is not going to go away and cannot be brushed under the carpet. It needs swift action as well as increased resources to help those who need support when they seek it.

Are we really sending out the right message to anyone who is struggling with alcohol? I do not think that we are. We cannot simply acknowledge the issue, particularly because of the stigma, guilt and embarrassment that we have been talking about today. When people come forward, we cannot just say that we know that they have a problem but we are sorry that there is no treatment programme places available.

We need to remove the stigma that surrounds addiction in all its forms if we are to stand any chance of addressing the issue. Huge efforts have been made to remove the stigma that is attached to drug addiction, and we need to take the same approach to alcohol. The “See Beyond” campaign aims to reduce that stigma.

My grandfather died 50 years ago. He was a successful and well-respected businessman and it was not until many years later that my mother admitted that he was an alcoholic. Until then, his illness was referred to as “problems with his nerves”. He spent time in a mental hospital, but the reality was that he had a serious problem with alcohol abuse and it affected my grandmother, who was not able to talk about it because of the stigma. That was 50 years ago, but little has changed.

One of my very best friends died a few months ago. He was an amazing musician and the best of friends, but he clearly had a problem with alcohol. None of us stepped in. He was what is often referred to as a functioning alcoholic, but alcohol was almost certainly a contributing factor to him losing his job and, ultimately, his life. There was no death notice, no funeral and no chance to share our grief with the family; there was just silence. I would love to name him and pay tribute to him, but there is clearly so much stigma surrounding his death that his family is not able to cope with it. That is not a criticism; it is just a reflection of the stigma that still exists to this day.

That must change, and the “See Beyond” campaign is making progress on that. Today, I ask the minister and his Government to act swiftly to ensure that the many Scots who are struggling with alcohol issues, as well as their families, friends and communities, get the vital support that is necessary to tackle this growing epidemic.

13:22  

I start by thanking Miles Briggs for bringing such an important debate to the chamber. As other members have done, I thank him and Monica Lennon for their personal letters.

I also thank Lucy, Holly, Zoe, Fiona, Peter, Andy, Gerry, Pauline, Irene, Caroline, Ann, Philip and Lorraine—I hope that I have not missed anyone—for sharing their heart-wrenching stories of love, loss and hope for the future.

It is unfortunate that we require to have this debate, but it is a reality that we must do so, because judgment and stigma continue, as we have heard. If our approach to changing that does not include accepting where we have gone wrong in the past and where we are not getting it quite right now, we are doing a disservice to those who already have become, or who could become, dependent, and their friends, their families and their communities. I say to all my colleagues in the Parliament that we must listen to their stories and seek to understand how and why stigma affects people and their loved ones while they are navigating an often tremendously difficult time in their lives.

I am not going to repeat the statistics that we have heard today, but every individual who has lost their life through alcohol or drug dependency is a loss before their time, and it must always be remembered that their friends and family have lost a loved one. Every life lost is an absolute tragedy.

This is a public health emergency and it must be treated in that way. That includes our being respectful and compassionate to others. The point about the way in which the media present the issue is important, and I call on all parliamentarians to challenge such language, because we know that it affects people.

Will the member give way on that point?

Of course.

Now that I have composed myself, I will make one of the points that I had hoped to get to. Sometimes, we get good articles and features, the words of which are on point, but when it comes to the headlines and the photos, stigma creeps back in. Does Carol Mochan agree that there is more work to do on media reporting and that it is not just about the copy but the photos and the headlines?

I absolutely agree with that point. I will make a point that crystallises it.

As I often do, I will talk about the impact of alcohol and drug harm on our most vulnerable communities. People in Scotland’s most deprived communities are five times more likely to die because of alcohol-related disease and 16 times more likely to die from drug misuse than those in our least deprived communities. The impacts of alcohol harm are wide ranging and can affect anyone, but I am sure that we all want to address the fact that, in 2023, those harms are still felt acutely in our most vulnerable communities.

That links to the point that Monica Lennon made, that those communities are often already stigmatised. Therefore, it is really important that we strive to not stigmatise certain communities and people who perhaps have dependencies that they are trying to work with. We need a strategy that is underpinned by kindness. It is imperative that we have a compassionate preventative approach that tackles the root causes of some of the problems in our communities, and that we crystallise in people’s minds the point that we must always treat people with kindness and respect.

As I said at the beginning of my speech, I wish that we did not have to have the debate, but we do. I encourage everyone who can do so to listen to the stories and sign up to the pledge.

13:27  

I, too, thank Miles Briggs for lodging the motion as we welcome and support the work of the “See Beyond—See the Lives—Scotland” campaign. I spoke to Miles Briggs after I had read his letter. I said to him that his honesty and courage shone through. I thank him very much for doing that.

When I read Monica Lennon’s letter, I thought about my relationship with my dad and the excitement of waiting for him to come home. It was a love letter. It was beautiful.

The Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy, Elena Whitham, was present at the event in the garden lobby in June, and I know that she was moved by those who chose to share their experiences as family members who have tragically lost someone due to substance use. They included Miles Briggs and Monica Lennon.

When I was preparing for this speech, I watched a few of the videos on the campaign’s website. The feelings of honesty and grief, but also, as Carol Mochan said, love and hope, shone out from all of them. I thank those involved very much.

I appreciate how difficult and painful such situations are. However, as other members said, it is only by listening to the voices of people with lived experience that we will find the right solutions and truly understand the damage that stigma does. The debate shows that we are gaining a clearer understanding of the harms of stigma and that it is necessary to work together across the parties to tackle it.

I am pleased to say that, since the event earlier this year, officials have been working with the coalition of partners who have delivered the “See Beyond” campaign to support them to share it further. It is a powerful resource and we are committed to ensuring that families across the country that have lost a loved one to substance abuse can see that they are not alone. As Jamie Greene said in his beautiful speech, for which I thank him,

“No one is beyond help.”

We have set out the principles of how we will improve holistic support for families that are affected by drugs and alcohol in our framework “Families Affected by Drug and Alcohol Use in Scotland: A Framework for Holistic Whole Family Approaches and Family Inclusive Practice”, which was published in December 2021. That framework recognises that all family members need help and support, both in order to be involved in their loved one’s recovery and in their own right. In order to realise that, we are investing more than £6.5 million per year to improve family support. That is provided both through alcohol and drug partnerships and directly to vital front-line organisations via a grant funding programme.

It is essential that we invest in networks of community family support to enable families to talk to and support one another, giving them safe and supportive platforms to reach out to others who share the same experiences.

I am grateful to the minister for her kind words. From my experience of living through this, trying to assist someone to get on the path to recovery, the reality is that you feel very alone. You are often signposted to so many different places, most of which are overwhelmed and overstretched. Some of them do not even exist any more—they have shut down.

There needs to be a clear central place for family members or people who are trying to help people with substance abuse to go, so that they can pick up the phone and get immediate help from somebody who is local to them. It is the local nature of, and quick and easy access to, a service that is so important, and that one-to-one contact with someone who will help them. For far too many, that is simply not there at the moment. I hope that that can improve.

I thank Mr Greene for that intervention. He has put that on the record, and I am sure that my colleague Elena Whitham or her officials will get back to him on that. He made a powerful point.

We know that stigma can inhibit that vital connection with families, who may feel judged and isolated. Stigma is driven by assumptions that are not based on fact or evidence—we see and hear the harmful stereotypes far too often. That is why campaigns such as “See Beyond” are so important in bringing attention to the damage that is caused by stigma. It can be difficult to share our painful experiences, and it can be challenging to hear them, but, as a society, we cannot turn away from that. Stephanie Callaghan, in her contribution, highlighted the fact that it is about not judgment or blame, but hope.

In sharing their stories, the families who took part in the “See Beyond” campaign are bravely showing other families across Scotland that they are not alone. It is essential that we are able to foster a culture in which we can speak openly and without fear about losing a loved one due to drugs or alcohol, or about one’s own experiences of drugs or alcohol abuse.

I am grateful to the minister for her comments. It is good that she is here in her capacity as the minister for public health. One of the organisations that I spent time with this summer is the Scottish Association for Mental Health. It has an individual placement and support service in North Lanarkshire, and it stressed to me that employment can be a health outcome on someone’s journey.

However, I heard some worrying stories about people in the workplace. If someone was living with cancer, people would—one would hope—be very supportive, but substance abuse has been treated somewhat differently. Some people said that they had been asked to sign up to drug and alcohol testing as a condition of coming back to work, but, when I asked them about it, it did not sound as if they had given fully informed consent to that.

Are there conversations that the minister could have with other colleagues in Government? We need to look at the matter holistically. I feel that there is workplace stigma. There are some really good employers and there are some who just do not get it. Could we do some more work on that?

I can give you the time back, minister.

Thank you.

I thank Monica Lennon for that intervention, as she raised an important point. My previous employer, a while ago, had very clear guidelines that everyone understood and worked towards, which I thought was really positive. We are working across ministerial portfolios, so I am happy to look at what the member described.

Together, we can tackle prejudice and discrimination towards people who are affected by substance use. I confirm that the Scottish Government absolutely recognises drug dependency as a health condition and that people who are affected by substance use should be treated with the same compassion as those who are experiencing any other health condition.

I also want to reflect on what Beatrice Wishart said. Last week, I was at the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland self-management awards, where the keynote speaker talked about gambling as a public health issue.

Our stigma action plan was developed with input from our third sector partners. In the coming months, the detail of the work will be co-produced with people who have lived and living experience, including families. Through a new voluntary accreditation scheme, we will target the structural and systemic stigma that is too often embedded in organisations. Member organisations will be asked to show how they are actively supporting people who are affected by substance misuse by removing barriers.

We will also introduce a national programme to target public stigma, challenge uninformed assumptions and highlight the fact that a health condition such as substance dependency should not be used to define or punish people or their families.

Stigma is fed by the myth that addiction is a choice and that people can stop using drugs if only they try hard enough. There are many reasons why people use drugs and alcohol. For some, it is to try the experience. For some, it is an occasional thing, but others use them to cope with trauma or pain. No matter the reason, no one chooses addiction. We do have a choice, however: we must choose to actively fight stigma and to respond to the drug emergency with kindness and compassion. We can all learn to do that.

Alongside our work to support families and tackle stigma, Scotland has set out an ambitious way forward for respecting and enhancing human rights, and the forthcoming human rights bill will give effect to a range of internationally recognised human rights in Scots law. Those include the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the rights to adequate housing and an adequate standard of living. The incorporation of those rights into Scots law through the bill will play an important role in tackling the stigma of substance dependency across Scotland by ensuring that everyone’s human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled.

By working together across the chamber with vital organisations such as those behind “See Beyond” and with those whose lives have been affected by substance use, we can end stigma. Every person in Scotland can also play their part by reaching out with kindness, providing a listening ear and treating people who are affected by alcohol and drugs with respect. As Miles Briggs said, everyone knows someone.

Thank you, minister. That concludes the debate, and I suspend this meeting of Parliament until 2.30 pm.

13:37 Meeting suspended.  

14:30 On resuming—