Prevention & Service Support Team - NHS Ayrshire & Arran

13/01/2026

🌿 CANNABIS TRAINING COURSE – SPACES AVAILABLE! 🌿
FREE TRAINING

📅 Tuesday 20th January 2026
🕙 10am – 1pm
📍 Ayr Hospital

This training is designed to give participants a broader understanding of cannabis, including its prevalence, types, effects, and issues surrounding its use. We’ll also explore medicinal cannabis and the impact of THC and CBD on the body.

💬 By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
✔ Identify different types of cannabis and administration routes
✔ Understand the importance of THC and CBD
✔ Recognise the effects of cannabis use
✔ Clarify links between cannabis use and mental health
✔ Examine symptoms of cannabis dependence
✔ Discuss issues surrounding medicinal cannabis

💙 Delivered by the Prevention & Service Support Team, NHS Ayrshire & Arran

📲 Interested in joining?
Book your FREE place here:
https://forms.office.com/e/XCMuPDdrAH

13/01/2026

🔥 FREE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY 🔥
🍷💊 ALCOHOL & DRUG BRIEF INTERVENTIONS 💬

We still have spaces available on our Alcohol and Drug Brief Interventions training session.

📅 Tuesday 27th January 2026
⏰ 9.30am to 4.30pm
📍 Ayr Hospital

This practical, skills based training is ideal for anyone supporting people where alcohol or drug use may be a concern.

🔍 During the session you will learn how to
✔ Understand what Brief Interventions are and when to use them
✔ Refresh your knowledge of drinking guidelines and alcohol units
✔ Confidently raise alcohol and drug use and provide feedback
✔ Understand the cycle of change and identify a person’s stage of change
✔ Use key Brief Intervention skills including:
Motivational Interviewing, Reflective listening, Rolling with resistance, Developing discrepancy, Eliciting change talk
✔ Apply these skills in real world alcohol and drug conversations
✔ Signpost or refer to local support services

💙 This FREE training is delivered by the Prevention and Service Support Team, NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

📲 Interested in taking part
Click the booking link below to secure your place
https://forms.office.com/e/XCMuPDdrAH

09/01/2026

⚠️ ALCOHOL RELATED BRAIN DAMAGE TRAINING ⚠️

We have last-minute spaces available on our FREE Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD) training.

📅 Friday 16th January 2026
⏰ 10am–1pm
💻 Online via Microsoft Teams

💡 This course provides an overview of Alcohol Related Brain Damage and related issues.
It is open to anyone with an interest in learning more about ARBD and may be particularly useful for those working within addictions, health, or support services.

📘 By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
✅ Examine the effects of alcohol on society
✅ Understand recommended alcohol unit guidelines
✅ Acknowledge the link between alcohol and health inequalities
✅ Define ARBD and understand its causes
✅ Recognise the signs and symptoms of ARBD and the associated six conditions
✅ Illustrate the diagnosis of ARBD and the barriers involved
✅ Understand recovery issues
✅ Raise awareness of local service provision

👉 To book a place on this FREE course, register here:
🔗 https://forms.office.com/e/XCMuPDdrAH

📢 Please share with colleagues and networks who may benefit.

08/01/2026

⚽️Our team has been working in partnership to deliver the Pitchin In programme, a community initiative in East Ayrshire designed to support young people who may be at risk of exclusion or facing barriers. The programme aims to reduce anti-social behaviour, improve school attendance, and build confidence. Recently, Leanne from our team attended to provide drug and alcohol education.

A football-driven intervention programme has improved school attendance and reduced crime involvement across Ayrshire. The Killie Community’s Pitchin’ In ini...

07/01/2026

🧠 Mental Health & Substance Use Training
📅 Tomorrow – Thursday 8 January 2026
⏰ 10am–12.30pm
💻 Online via Microsoft Teams

We’ve had a few last-minute cancellations, so limited spaces are now available.

This session is ideal for anyone with a basic understanding of substance use who wants to develop their knowledge of mental health, dual diagnosis, risk behaviours, trauma, and resilience.

🔗 Book your place here:
https://forms.office.com/e/XCMuPDdrAH

📩 Please share

05/01/2026

🍷 Alcohol Awareness Training | Book Your Place 🍷

Want to boost your knowledge and confidence around alcohol and its effects? Our FREE face-to-face Alcohol Awareness training is a great opportunity to learn, ask questions, and build practical understanding in a supportive environment.

📍 Ayr Hospital
📅 Tuesday 13th January 2026
⏰ 10am – 1pm

✨ During the session, you’ll learn about:
✅ The impact of alcohol on individuals, families, and society
✅ How alcohol travels through the body and what affects how it’s processed
✅ What alcohol units really mean and the lower-risk drinking guidelines
✅ The short and long-term effects of regularly drinking above these guidelines
✅ How to recognise the signs and symptoms of alcohol-related problems

🎓 Completely FREE for anyone who lives or works in Ayrshire & Arran

📆 Book your place now:
🔗 https://forms.office.com/e/XCMuPDdrAH

📝 Complete the Microsoft Form and we’ll send you all the details you need

📣 Spaces are limited, so secure your place early and feel free to tag a colleague or friend who might benefit.

05/01/2026

✨ A Fresh Start for the New Year, Training is Back! ✨

Following the festive rush, normal service has resumed and our Prevention & Service Support Team Alcohol & Drug Training Sessions are now open for bookings 🎉

If you’re looking to start the new year with new knowledge, skills, or confidence, why not join one of our FREE alcohol and drug training courses and learn more about substances, their effects, and how to support others safely and effectively.

🎓 FREE Alcohol & Drug Training Courses - Book Now!
📅 Courses run January - June 2026
📍 Open to anyone living or working in Ayrshire & Arran

🌟 Whether you support others, work in the community, or simply want to educate yourself - there’s a session for you.

📆 Click the link or scan the QR code on the calendar to book
📝 Complete the form and we’ll send you everything you need
📲 Spaces are limited, so don’t miss out!

👇 View the training calendar & book your place:
🔗 https://forms.office.com/e/XCMuPDdrAH

📣 Feel free to tag a friend or colleague who might be interested!

25/12/2025

🎄12 Days of a Safe Christmas Day 12 – A Christmas Wish From Our Team ✨❤️

As we bring our 12 Days of a Safe Christmas to a close, we want to share a warm festive message from all of us in the Prevention & Service Support Team.

This time of year can feel joyful, overwhelming, exciting or emotional, sometimes all at once. However you’re spending the season, we hope you find moments of calm, comfort and connection.

💛 Our Christmas wish for you: • Stay safe • Be kind to yourself • Look out for others • Reach out if things feel tough • Remember: support is always available.

If you, or someone you know, needs information, guidance or local support, you’ll find everything you need on the NHS Ayrshire & Arran Alcohol and Drugs app including services, self-help resources, alerts and training.

We also provide FREE alcohol and drug training, available to anyone who lives or works within Ayrshire & Arran. You can book your training session here:
🔗https://forms.office.com/e/XCMuPDdrAH

From our team to you and your loved ones…
🎄 Wishing you a safe, warm and happy Christmas. ✨

24/12/2025

🎄 12 Days of a Safe Christmas Day 11 – Health & Wellbeing ⛄💙

Today’s all about self-care. The Day 11 visual shares simple ways to look after your mental health during the festive season.

Top tips:
• Ask for help if things feel overwhelming
• Do something you enjoy to boost your mood
• Talk about your feelings with someone you trust
• Keep active to support sleep and wellbeing
• Don’t freeze people out – stay connected

A little self-care can go a long way. Be kind to yourself this Christmas. ❤️

23/12/2025

🎄 12 Days of a Safe Christmas Day 10 – Harm Reduction ❤️🩹

Today’s message is all about small actions that make a big difference. Harm reduction means keeping people safer by reducing risks through education and support.

Key harm reduction tips:
• Always use sterile equipment
• Never share
• Choose the right equipment
• Rotate sites & dispose safely
• Know about naloxone and overdose awareness

There were 1,017 drug-related deaths in Scotland in 2024 — 1,017 lives that could potentially have been saved.

If you, or someone you know, uses drugs, support is available across Ayrshire through recovery services, IEP provision, and naloxone training.

You can find all of these services easily by downloading the NHS Ayrshire & Arran Alcohol and Drugs Services app.

👉 Join us tomorrow for Day 11 – Health & Wellbeing.

22/12/2025

🎄 12 Days of a Safe Christmas Day 9 – Naloxone & Overdose Awareness 💚💊

Today’s message is simple but lifesaving:
👉 Get a kit. Save a life. Book onto naloxone training.

Naloxone can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, giving someone precious time until emergency services arrive. It’s easy to carry, easy to use, and it truly saves lives.

We provide FREE naloxone training to anyone who lives or works within Ayrshire & Arran, and you can book your session here:
🔗 https://forms.office.com/e/XCMuPDdrAH

If you live, work, or socialise around anyone who may use opioids, getting trained could make all the difference this Christmas. ❤️

👉 Join us tomorrow for Day 10 – Harm Reduction.

21/12/2025

🎄 12 Days of a Safe Christmas Day 8 – THC 🌿⚠️

Today we’re looking at THC, the part of cannabis that causes the “high”.
Effects of THC can include:
• Mental health problems & psychosis
• Increased heart rate
• Hallucinations
• Difficulty concentrating
• Dependence

THC vapes & edibles:
• Vapes can contain up to 90% THC
• Some have been contaminated with spice or nitazines
• Edibles take longer to kick in (up to 3 hours), increasing the risk of re-dosing and overdose

Harm reduction tips:
• Be aware of THC strength
• Avoid mixing with ni****ne
• Use clean equipment
• Don’t overcharge vapes
• Don’t re-dose too quickly

Staying informed helps you make safer choices. ❤️

👉 Join us tomorrow for Day 9 – Naloxone & Overdose Awareness.