APSAD is now calling for nominations for the 2015 APSAD Awards.

The Annual APSAD Awards for Excellence in Science, Research and Practice are designed to provide peer recognition for those working in the drug and alcohol field in Australasia.

We have revamped the APSAD Awards for the second year in a row and we are pleased to announce the inclusion of the new Mentor Award for any individual with an energy, passion and commitment for mentoring and supporting the career development of clinicians, researchers or students., see the Information Pack on the website for more information and the nomination process.

There are five categories of Award:

• Early Career
• Senior Scientist
• First Peoples
• Clinician
• Mentor

All five Awards reflect excellence in the application of theory and knowledge to any aspect of drug and alcohol use or misuse. Recipients of the APSAD Awards will be recognised as having made an outstanding contribution to reducing the harms associated with alcohol and other drug use in Australasia.

Each Award receives;

• A plaque and a certificate
• $1,000 to subsidise the costs of attending this year’s APSAD Conference, including travel, accommodation and registration
• One year subscription full membership to APSAD

The Early Career Award receives as an extra:

• Presentation of the Early Career Keynote address at the 2015 APSAD Conference in Perth

The Awards will be presented at the 2015 APSAD Conference Dinner in Perth on 10^th November.

Focus of the Awards

• The Early Career Awardis for excellence in research relative to career opportunities
• The Senior Scientist Award is for a scientist who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of substance use and misuse
• The First Peoples Awardrecognises an individual that had made and important contribution to the advancement of the health of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori peoples
• The Clinician Awardrecognises excellence and leadership in clinical practice in the field of substance use in any discipline
• The Mentor Awardrecognises an individual who has made an important contribution to mentoring and supporting the career development of clinicians, researchers or students

The Awards are designed to;

• acknowledge significant contributions to AOD science, practice, and mentorship;
• recognise and support young scientists and clinicians with exceptional potential; and
• provide role models for future generations of Australasian AOD scientists and clinicians

For further information and to obtain the Information pack and the nomination form, visit the APSAD Awards page on the APSAD Website or contact the APSAD Office:

Ph:     (02) 9252-2287

Email:  exec.officer@apsad.org.au

Nominations are due by 17:00 4 September 2015

The National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) is pleased to announce that the National Alcohol and Drug Knowledgebase (NADK), developed with support from the Australian Government Department of Health, has now been expanded to include Cannabis.

A new section of the NADK has been developed that specifically focusses on Cannabis. The Cannabis Section of the NADK was launched on Monday 27 July 2015 and can be accessed from: http://nadk.flinders.edu.au/ and also from the NCETA homepage: www.nceta.flinders.edu.au.

The NADK is the only publicly accessible, centrally located source of comprehensive alcohol and drug data.  It utilises a diverse range of reliable data sources and presents key information in a simple, easy to use format.

The Cannabis Section of the NADK includes 88 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on:

• General information and attitudes
• Cannabis use patterns
• Cannabis and employment
• Cannabis and crime
• The impact of cannabis use on physical and mental health
• Treatment
• Cannabis and young people.

In expanding the Knowledgebase, NCETA has examined all relevant and reliable Australian datasets, and extracted key data or undertaken additional analyses to ensure that the best information is available and readily accessible.

As new data becomes available the NADK will be revised and updated to ensure that current and reliable information is accessible.

The Alcohol Section of the NADK has also been updated to include more recently available data.

NCETA continues to expand the NADK and information about methamphetamine will be available shortly.

Webinar

Co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders: how do they affect young people?

July 30, 2015: 2PM AEST

with Dr Cath Chapman

Did you know that…?

~ Co-occurring anxiety, depression and substance use disorders are among the leading causes of burden in people ages 15-24

~ There are some important differences among girls and boys in terms of which disorders co-occur and which set of problems develops first

~ Around the world, girls are catching up to boys in terms of alcohol and cannabis use

This webinar will present an update on research into co-occurring mental and substance use disorders among young people in Australia. It will ask: how many young people experience co-occurring mental and substance use disorders? What is the impact? And what are the implications for research, prevention and treatment? It will include a discussion of some recent trends in drug and alcohol use among young Australians, changing gender patterns across the world, and will raise some questions for future directions in research and prevention of mental and substance use disorders. This webinar will draw on the latest research to provide a big picture view of the changing landscape of mental and substance use disorders in Australia and what it means for young people.

Key Learning Objectives

Participants of this webinar will:

1. Learn about patterns of co-occurring mental and substance use disorders among young people in Australia
2. Explore how these patterns are changing
3. Discuss the implications for research, prevention and treatment

– Register Here –

From the University of Canberra:

Finding Solutions That Lead To Serenity

 We are conducting a study to examine the coping styles and treatment experiences of family members of alcoholics. This survey is open to people aged 18 years and over, who have been affected by someone else’s drinking, and who have attended an online or face-to-face Al-Anon meeting. It is expected to take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Your participation will help us to understand and support family members’ recovery from the emotional and psychosocial effects of alcoholism.

The online survey is available at the following link: http://canberrahealth.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3Jk5ofqY1v8WSLb

Please note that submission of the survey constitutes your consent to participate.

Completion of this study is entirely voluntary. You may stop participating at any time. If you feel uncomfortable in providing an answer to any question, you can leave it blank. If any question causes you concern or distress you may wish to contact one of the following:

• Alcohol and Drug 24 hour helpline – 02 6207 9977 (ACT Government Counselling Service)
• Lifeline – 13 11 14
• Al-Anon Family Groups – 1300 252 666
• Family Drug Support Line – 1300 368 186
• DIRECTIONS ACT – (02) 6132 4800

This study will be used to produce a written thesis. This is a curriculum requirement of the Master of Clinical Psychology program at the University of Canberra.

The data collected for the study will be treated as confidential. Your name is not required. Data will be stored electronically on a password protected computer and accessed only by the researchers involved in this project. No individual cases will be reported as part of the analysis of this data.

This study has been approved by the University of Canberra Human Research Ethics Committee.

If you wish to receive a summary of results of this study please provide your email address at the completion of the online survey. Please note that this personal information will be kept separate to your responses from the main survey.

 If you have any questions or comments about this study, please contact Mylie Sell, Master of Clinical Psychology student (Mylie.Sell@uni.canberra.edu.au), or her research supervisor Dr Lynne Magor-Blatch (Lynne.Magor-Blatch@canberra.edu.au). 

Thank you for taking part in this study.  Your participation is appreciated.

Edith Cowan University’s Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, has partnered with Curtin University, the Aboriginal Maternity Services Support Unit and Healthway for the launch of a new online portal supporting the prevention of tobacco smoking among pregnant Aboriginal women in Western Australia (WA).

The Preventing Aboriginal maternal smoking WA (PAMSWA) portal aims to address the gap in accessing coordinated services and resources for health professionals addressing maternal smoking among pregnant Aboriginal women in WA, whose smoking rates are reported at being four times higher than non-Indigenous women.

The free to access portal provides quality information about smoking cessation and prevention to support better health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, their babies and families with the selection of content carefully evaluated to ensure it is culturally appropriate and promotes best practice methods and strategies available for working with pregnant Aboriginal women.

The portal also links to the Preventing Aboriginal maternal smoking WA yarning place to encourage information sharing and collaboration among health professionals and others involved in maternal health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

Ultimately, the portal will create a solid knowledge base about Aboriginal maternal smoking and establish the site as the ‘go-to’ place for any information, resources, training opportunities and support for health professionals who work with pregnant Aboriginal women and their families, advancing Aboriginal maternal and child health outcomes.

You can access the portal here:                                 http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/population-groups/preventing-aboriginal-maternal-smoking

You can access the Yarning Place here:   http://www.yarning.org.au/group/18