Conversation Café: Lived experience in undergraduate addictions teaching: Current teaching and training about substance dependence has little emphasis on community-based recovery groups and few opportunities to hear from those with lived experience, despite evidence of the positive impact this has on learners.

Humanising Healthcare are Dr Hugo Jobst (resident doctor), Allan Houston (Senior Addictions worker) and Dr Seonaid Anderson (Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist), and they devised and deliver ‘Conversation Cafes’ to undergraduate medical students in four out of five of Scotland’s medical schools. They facilitate small group round table conversations between medical students and community members with lived experience of substance dependence.  

 These conversations, hearing from people with lived experience about their experience of and recovery from substance dependency, were utilised to compile the PIC which was co-created with them.  It covers:  

  • What leads to drugs and alcohol dependence  
  • Harm reduction strategies  
  • First steps to recovery  
  • The meaning of recovery  
  • Maintaining recovery   

Last modified: Tuesday, 14 October 2025, 2:43 PM