As spring spreads over Australasia the final planning stages are underway for our annual conference to be held in Perth in November. A friendly reminder to plan ahead and book accommodation and flights as well as registering for the conference. The line-up of keynote speakers promises an interesting and informative time as well as the enjoyment of meeting and greeting friends and colleagues.
This report comes to you from the warm and lovely Alice Springs where I am spending two weeks experiencing the challenges and charms of constructing treatment plans for residents of the township and the communities. I am inspired by the warmth and generosity of spirit that the AOD and general health community demonstrate despite the challenges they often face in delivering care. Although the teams may identify additional services that they would like, I am not sure this is any different in busy urban settings where there always seem to be needs that outstretch demand.
I’m sure I am not alone in wondering whether political changes will have any effect on plans for healthcare funding and service delivery. There is clearly a significant unmet need for services for individuals and families affected by substance use disorders. Concerns about potential effects of planned cost cutting on the existing inadequate services are not unfounded as well as concerns from the treatment and research sector about the focus on punishment in discussions about the alleged “ice epidemic”. The paucity of evidence based drug treatment services available in prison settings is an additional concern when considered alongside the strong community desire for custodial sentencing for those convicted for drug related crimes. Let’s hope that consultation will be strong and evidence based and that good sense will prevail.
I look forward to meeting up with you all in Perth.
IN THIS ISSUE
Click on the headings listed below to go directly to the article of interest.
Conference Highlights
As chosen by Dr Robert Tait Conference co-convenor As one of the conference conveners, I really shouldn't be picking favourites, but there are a couple of keynote presentations that are particularly relevant to my research that I'll be sure not to miss. My PhD included a brief intervention in ED for adolescents with alcohol and drug related problems, and now I'm working on brief online interventions, so keynote Rebecca Cunningham’s work is of great interest to me. Brief interventions have always had a strong research backing, but the problem has been in the subsequent translation and implementation. Professor Cunningham is a practising ED physician, so her insights on delivering brief interventions to adolescent alcohol and other drug users, to reduce both substance use and violence will be fascinating.
The second keynote of personal interest is Kairi Kolves’ work on alcohol use and suicide. A common theme in my research has been the relationship between substance use and mental health problems, including deliberate self-harm. Too often mental health and substance use problems are treated separately, so a keynote that explores their inter relationship will be so helpful from my perspective and I'm sure will really appeal to our audience.
Full detailed program is now available to Downloadfrom the Conference website
Visit the APSAD YouTube Channeland preview Robert Tait's Conference Highlights. Also available to view is keynote presentations from previous APSAD Conferences.
Pre Conference Social Event | Sunday 8 November Hosted by Peter Higgs, NDRI Curtin University
We are delighted to invite conference delegates to attend the special screening of Pawno an uplifting journey into the underbelly of inner-suburban Melbourne. This special film event will be held at the Conference venue the Pan Pacific on Sunday 8 November 5:30 pm. Open to all delegates to attend no booking necessary.
Click on the image to preview the trailer
APSAD NEWS
Annual General Meeting
The APSAD AGM is held each year during our annual Scientific Conference which this year will be held in Perth at the Pan Pacific on Tuesday 10 November at 17:10.
If you are unable to attend the AGM you may appoint one person to attend and vote at the meeting as your proxy. Proxies may only be appointed by returning the Proxy Form via post, or fax to +61 (0)2 9252 2209, or email by 17:00 Friday 30 October. You may appoint the Chairman as your proxy or your own proxy. A proxy need not be a member. The Proxy Form must be signed by the member or an attorney duly authorised in writing.
A detailed agenda and further details will be available closer to the date. For further information contact Liz Baxter Membership Renewal Reminder
Membership renewal reminders were emailed to members this week. If you haven't renewed your membership yet for this financial year and you wish to pay online email Deborah for a copy of your invoice which will contain a link to pay your Membership via PayPal.
If you haven't received your invoice to renew your membership, or you have any questions please email Deborah Dmoch in the APSAD office.
Drug and Alcohol Review
Clinician’s Corner
Wray et al.† found that tailored psychological interventions, including motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioural therapy and contingency management, are effective in reducing heavy drinking among men who have sex with men (MSM).
Rates of heavy drinking are high among MSM, and a challenge has been tailoring effective treatments for alcohol use to this population. To examine what treatment options work best in this context, Wray et al. conducted a systematic review of randomised controlled trials that evaluated interventions to reduce heavy drinking or alcohol-related harm among MSM.
Only five trials were identified, these involving 1022 participants in total. Four evaluated various combinations of motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioural therapy and contingency management, which were tailored to MSM. The fifth study trialled a non-tailored brief intervention designed to reduce intoxication in a bar setting.
All interventions, except for the brief intervention that was not tailored to MSM, produced significant reductions in drinking, including reductions in the overall volume of alcohol consumed and the number of heavy drinking sessions.
Although few trials have evaluated alcohol-related interventions for MSM, existing trials suggest that psychological treatment options can be successfully tailored to MSM to reduce heavy drinking.
A complimentary PDF of the article is available to APSAD members by emailing dar@apsad.org.au. † Wray TB, Grin B, Dorfman L, et al. Systematic review of interventions to reduce problematic alcohol use in men who have sex with men. Drug and Alcohol Review 2015: Available on Early View.
Conference Report
Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia (DANA)
Many Faces of Addiction Forum Report by Jennifer Harland, DANA President
DANA held a sell-out Forum in Sydney on 15-16 August. Based on member feedback from previous years, DANA made significant changes to this year’s annual conference format and the result was an engaging, informative and interactive event. Speakers were selected to present topics that were of great interest to attendees and which have the most impact on informing practice.
Over the two days, delegates heard from a range of recognised industry leads, clinicians, academics and consumers. John Rogerson from the Australian Drug Foundation gave an engaging presentation on the impact of alcohol in sport and the Good Sports Program. Clinically, the audience was encouraged to reflect on their own practice around the take-home Naloxone program (presented by William Woods), tobacco dependence (Dr Colin Mendelson), supporting older adults with addiction (Andrew Taylor), alcohol withdrawal and the importance of monitoring clients dietary needs and ‘refeeding’ (presented by Moira Gilmour).
Dr Andrew Smirnov gave an informative presentation on the subjective effects and addiction potential of ecstasy and methamphetamine and their implications for policy and practice. In another very educational session, Andrew Taylor discussed cannabinoid replacement therapy for the management and treatment of resistant cannabis dependent clients in an outpatient setting.
One of Day Two’s highlights was Dr Kate Conigrave and Michael Doyle’s excellent session on what the nursing profession can do to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to address substance misuse and to influence positive outcomes for this group.
Read More downloadthe full conference review and for more information about DANA please visit their website
Upcoming Events & Workshops
Turning Point Annual Oration & Symposium 22 October | Museum Theatre, Melbourne Museum, Carlton VIC For further information visit their website
Brief Inventions Smoking Cessation Training Course 2015 19 - 20 November | University of Sydney
This 2 day course will cover brief interventions and smoking cessation strategies. This course is suitable for people who work in healthcare and public health that would like basic smoking cessation knowledge.
For further information visit their website
Social Research Conference on HIV, Viral Hepatitis & Related Diseases 31 March - 1 April | Save the date!
Margins & belonging: marginalised people building community
Hosted by the Centre for Social Research in Health (CSRH), the conference will aim to examine how social margins and belonging are produced and contested by a range of discourses and practices within medicine, the media, research, criminal law and law enforcement, political rhetoric, health policy and health promotion, harm reduction, peer movements and activisms, human rights frameworks and the subcultures of affected communities.
For further information visit their website.
2016 The National Conference on Addiction Disorders, along with Behavioural Healthcare Executive Summit 18 - 21 August 2016 | Denver, US Call for presentations submission close Friday 16 Octoberfor further information visit theirwebsite
