A seminar was organized on 17 and 18 September 2007 in the St. St. Constantine and Elena resort on the theme ‘Application of the CAPTURE-RECAPTURE method in the estimation of the number of problem drug users’. Representatives of Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv and Bourgas, as well as from Romania, attended the seminar.
Lecturers at the seminar were experts from the National Focal Point on Drugs and Drug Addictions and foreign specialists – Martin Busch (Austrian Focal Point), Collin Taylor (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction) and Clive Richardson (Greece).
The main purpose of the seminar was to pass on Bulgarian and European experience in the conduct of studies under the CAPTURE-RECAPTURE method to representatives of the big Bulgarian cities willing to estimate the number of problem drug users. Practical work hours were also organized during day two aimed at outlining the basic points of forthcoming studies in Varna, Plovdiv and Bourgas.
The ‘Buprenorphine – Critical Questions Answered’ brochure authored by Anette Verster and Ernst Buning considers some questions of the substitute therapy with buprenorphine. For several years now Euro-Methwork has been working in the field of substitute therapy in Europe. Following the publication of numerous materials on methadone this brochure presents thorough information about the substance second in position by distribution for substitute therapy in cases of opiate dependencies – the buprenorphine.
The brochure is divided into two parts – the first one provides a general overview of different types of treatment for opiate dependency with accents placed on their advantages and shortcomings. The second part is a review of critical questions concerning the buprenorphine with special attention devoted to patients’ prospects.
It is the hope of the authors that, by providing a more clear view on the various potentials of this substance for substitute therapy, the brochure will help improve the quality of treatment in everyday practice.
