News

This week we celebrate International Women's Day, and while the occasion is an opportunity to celebrate female achievements, it also highlights the many inequalities women still face. Our Deputy Clinical Director of Treatment Services, Dr Shalini Arunogiri, writes about the barriers women encounter when it comes to addiction and treatment, and how a Turning Point program is helping women find their voice.

Today is a historic day with the tabling in Parliament of the final report and recommendations of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.

Researchers at Turning Point and Monash University are looking for Victorian participants to take part in this survey, with the chance to win one of twenty $50 Coles vouchers.

It was a privilege to work with the participants and their loved ones during filming and to share on screen the positive changes they were able to achieve.

Professor Dan Lubman has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to medical education, research, treatment and policy in the field of addiction.

For many people, January is a time for setting New Year’s goals or resolutions. If managing your gambling, alcohol or other drug use is something you want to achieve in 2021, here are some tips to help you get started or stay on track.

A new study by researchers from Monash University & Turning Point has shown that women and people with mental health issues are more likely to require attendance by an ambulance for oxycodone misuse.

In times of crisis we often turn to alcohol or other drugs to help us cope, so it's not surprising that one in four Australians will develop an alcohol, drug [or gambling] disorder during their lifetime and around one in 20 will develop an addiction. As a society however, we often assign blame to the individual and don't consider the factors that contribute to someone developing an addiction.

During COVID-19, people receiving treatment for opioid use disorder in Australia faced significant challenges. Over 500,000 Australians access buprenorphine or methadone medication treatment programmes nationally, which usually involves seeing a doctor once a month, and attending a pharmacy several times a week to collect medication, alongside counselling and peer supports. The pandemic lockdown restrictions posed real challenges to access.

In this episode, we watch the participants in the final weeks of their bespoke treatment program. We see that the road to recovery isn’t a straight line, and observe that addiction, like other health conditions, can be characterised by periods of improvement and vulnerability. What is great to see is that each participant has made positive steps forward, to improve their health and wellbeing.

Tonight is the final episode of Addicted Australia, drawing to a close some of the most compelling television of 2020. But the campaign to Rethink Addiction is not over and we still need your help.

This recap of Addicted Australia explores the treatment and support provided to documentary participants, and the themes covered in Episode 3. In this episode we learn more about the participants and their families, gaining further insight into what it's like to receive addiction treatment and support.