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Miles's story of substance misuse

Over the last few weeks, you will have seen a lot of messages asking the public to tell us what they know about drug dealing in Dorset. I am urging the people of Dorset to help us in our fight to drive these criminals out of our county by continuing to report the unusual or suspicious activity they see where they live and work. The information shared will help build up intelligence that will drive future operational activity.

Since 2022, we have seen many iterations of Operation Scorpion and some great results. Across the South West, there have been over 600 arrests, and over 900 people safeguarded. However, as I have said many times before, while enforcement is an important aspect in breaking the chain of illegal drugs and reducing their impact on communities in Dorset, we also need impactful education, successful diversion pathways and effective treatment options to really tackle the issue.

One of these effective treatment options in Dorset is REACH, a service part of the nationwide charity HumanKind who offer the first step in recovery to those living with substance and alcohol misuse in Dorset, with hubs located in Gillingham, Wimborne and Weymouth.  Reach offers free and confidential advice to people over the age of 18 years whose lives are impacted by problematic substance use as well as support services for their family members or relatives. Reach is offer structured one-to-one support as well as group sessions, both face-to-face and over the phone or in online Zoom groups.

Recently my team spoke to a local Reach volunteer, Miles, who is using his own experience with substance misuse and addiction to help others. In the video below he shares his story of substance misuse and the lasting effects it has had on his life.

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