Alcohol and Mental Health Symposium 2025 Scholarships

Scholarships for Aotearoa members to attend the Alcohol and Mental Health Symposium 2025

The deadline for scholarship applications is Tuesday 22^nd April 2025.

We are pleased to be able to offer travel scholarship opportunities to attend the Alcohol and Mental Health Symposium 2025 on Monday 5^th May in Wellington. We have a number of scholarships for members in Aotearoa who live outside Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington, have lived or living experience, or can demonstrate a need for travel assistance.

Head to the Alcohol and Mental Health Symposium 2025 website for more details, speakers, and to secure your spot. Tickets are Free.

Before applying, please ensure you have read the application guidelines below.

SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT

• Facilitate attendance from outside Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington
• Frontline and Community workers
• Lived and living experience
• Enrolled PhD, student, Early or Mid Career Researcher
• Scholarships are intended for those who demonstrate a need for financial assistance.

GUIDELINES

• Scholarships are restricted to current APSAD members.
• Applicants must reside in Aotearoa.
• NZ$400 per scholarship recipient will be provided.
• Successful scholarship recipients will be required to organise their own travel and accommodation.
• Successful scholarship recipients may be asked to write a short paragraph about what they gained from attending and learned at the symposium for inclusion in the Member eNews following the symposium.

SELECTION CRITERIA

• Briefly explain why you are applying for a travel scholarship (max 300 words)
• Will your organisation will fund your attendance if you do not receive a scholarship?
• How you fulfil the Scholarship Support requirements (max 300 words).

Alcohol and Mental Health Symposium 2025

Mā te Wai, Ka Ora
Transforming Our Waters, Transforming Ourselves

Alcohol and Mental Health Symposium 2025

8:30am - 6:30pm Monday 5th May, 2025

Parliament Grand Hall, Parliament House, Wellington

 

Alcohol Healthwatch are excited to be joining E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services, Takanga A Fohe, Le Va, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka | University of Otago, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, and the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs (APSAD) deliver a symposium on alcohol and mental health.

The symposium will be an opportunity to identify key action areas for prevention and early intervention in this important area. Hosted by Aotearoa New Zealand's first-ever Minister for Mental Health, Hon. Matt Doocey, the time to act has never been better. We will be bringing a range of people together including those with lived experience, young people, professionals, and community champions from the wide range of sectors impacted by alcohol and mental health challenges.

This conference aims to:

• Hear from and build on promising practice in prevention, early intervention, and research.
• Facilitate meaningful relationships supporting the collective goal of taking action on the intersection between alcohol and mental health challenges.
• Produce an attendee-informed consensus statement reflecting people's experiences to guide future efforts in this space.

Speakers

We will have a topical conference programme forming a basis for concerted action; showcasing mahi already underway in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia and encouraging collective participation and collaboration.

Speakers include:

• Hon Matt Doocey, Minister of Mental Health
• Jehan Casinader, MC
• Zoe Hawke, E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services
• Kristie Cocotis, Health Program Director, Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) Australia
• Dr. Rose Crossin, Dr. Jude Ball, and Professor Joseph Boden, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke | University of Otago
• Matua Pat Mohi, Mokoia Island
• Tom Devine, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

For more details and to reserve your spot head to the Alcohol and Mental Health Symposium 2025 website

Partnership with the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs (APSAD)

As part of our symposium planning, Alcohol Healthwatch have been fortunate to form a partnership with APSAD (thank you to APSAD's New Zealand director, Dr Rose Crossin for the idea) for our upcoming symposium. The partnership includes the potential of a small travel grant ($200) for APSAD members to attend our symposium.

If you’d like to become a member of APSAD to take advantage of the travel grant, you can join here. We are keen to support travel to facilitate attendance from people who:

• Live outside Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington
• Have lived experience
• Can demonstrate a need for travel assistance

Already an APSAD member and in Aotearoa? Apply for a scholarship here.

Interested in participating in a study to improve care for people after traumatic brain injury?

Interested in participating in a study to improve care for people after traumatic brain injury (TBI)? 

We are seeking your help to understand perspectives of traumatic brain injury rehabilitation from clinicians, people with a TBI, and their family members to inform best-practice models, training, and resource needs to enhance care. This is funded by the Medical Research Future Fund Mission for TBI. 

We are interested in hearing from people with a moderate-to-severe TBI, their family members, and clinicians or healthcare workers who provide care after TBI. The information you provide us will be used to improve care for people with TBI across Australia. You can find information on how to participate in the study on our poster here, or you can email one of the members of our research team through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

DPMP Values Survey is LIVE!

Examining the relationship between values and policy preferences in alcohol and other drugs

The Drug Policy Modelling Program with the Matilda Centre are looking for people who work in AOD (in any capacity) to complete a survey on values and policy preferences [Ethics approval iRECS7418]. You can find more details about it here: https://www.unsw.edu.au/research/sprc/research/dpmp/examining-the-relationship-between-values-and-policy-preferences-in-alcohol-and-other-drugs

It is an anonymous online survey that takes 15 minutes to complete. The researchers hope the findings will strengthen the appreciation of the values held by people who work across the AOD sector, identify policy preferences that could be used to support advocacy work, and fill a crucial gap in knowledge about the relationship between values and policy preferences.

This does not constitute our organisational endorsement of the research.

APSAD has moved!

APSAD OFFICE HAS RELOCATED

After 12 wonderful years at our office on Macquarie Street in Sydney’s CBD, hosted by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), we’re embarking on an exciting new chapter and relocating to a shared space with ASHM Health on Clarence Street.

With our team working hybrid and spread across different cities, we’ve decided to downsize and will now be renting a couple of desks at ASHM’s office.

A heartfelt thank you to the RACP for providing us with a beautiful office and incredible support over the past 12 years. Being part of the RACP community has allowed us to connect with other professional societies, share resources, and exchange valuable insights.

We’re looking forward to this new chapter and the opportunity to share a space with a like-minded professional society. Collaborating and interacting with their team will bring fresh energy and ideas to our work.

Our phone number will remain the same, but please note that our postal address will change, our new address is Level 3, 160 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000. Our current mailing address will be active until 31 March 2025, so please update your records.

DAR Call for Papers - NoLos

Understanding the emergence, availability and consumption trends of no and low alcohol (‘NoLos’) beverage products:
Call for papers for Drug and Alcohol Review Special Section

Aim: The goal of this Special Section of Drug and Alcohol Review is to provide empirical evidence on the following for NoLos:

● Emergence of NoLo products, product availability and accessibility, and market characteristics;
● Patterns of purchase and consumption, broader contexts (social norms, industries), and drivers of purchase and consumption;
● Potential for harm reduction and potential for harms from consumption; and
● Policy options to control availability/reduce harms.

Guest editors: Belinda Lunnay; Mia Miller; Cassandra Wright; Molly Bowdring; Niamh Fitzgerald, Nathan Harrison

Background:
No and low alcohol beverage products (aka ‘NoLos’) have been available for decades but in recent years have become a rapidly growing global market. They have entered outlets (licensed and non-licensed), market segments (young people, people who are pregnant, people living with alcohol use disorder) and contexts (underage events, athletic performance supplements, wellness influencer lifestyles) not previously seen. Many NoLos have the same branding as an alcoholic drink but can be marketed where (and to whom) advertising of an alcoholic drink is not allowed. They are thus potentially a tool for increasing marketing of alcohol brands. On the other hand, they are a potential alternative drink for those seeking to cut down their alcohol intake. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported that between 2016–19, the proportion of ex-drinkers increased from 7.6% to 8.9% [1]. While the impacts of NoLos on the level of alcohol consumption are unclear, the ISWR global drinks market analyst stated sales of NoLos increased by 83% in the 12 months following Australia’s initial COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and were predicted to increase by a further 24% by 2024[1]. Reports from 2020 showed the NoLo sector witnessed significant growth globally [2] including in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Spain, the UK and US. There was a 6% growth in Australia. While that growth is modest, the IWSR predicts the NoLo market will increase again by 8% between 2021 and 2025, in contrast to the modest estimated growth of 0.7% for conventional alcohol products during the same period[2].

The World Health Organization’s (2023) snapshot report ‘A public health perspective on zero- and low-alcohol beverages’ identifies a need to ‘monitor Nolo consumption and impact on aggregated alcohol consumption to understand the public health implications’ see: A public health perspective on zero- and low-alcohol beverages (who.int). It identifies deficits in knowledge concerning the acceptability (marketing, labelling), availability (consumers, target market segments, locations) and affordability of NoLos – knowledge required to respond with policy and regulation recommendations (pricing, taxation, addressing marketing loopholes through regulation and bans). There are also symbolic practices attached to NoLos which have been used by corporate actors within the alcohol industry and also the wellness, health, tourism sectors, which may have varying implications for harm and entail conflicts of interest.

Public health debates concerning whether NoLos reduce harms hinge on their use as ‘tools’ for moderation and/or abstinence. Debates concerning whether present potential risks include that they potentially reinforce alcohol consumption norms, expectations and practices rather than address cultures of intoxication. There are also concerns that NoLos expose alcohol brands to children through availability in markets previously not occupied by alcohol (e.g., supermarkets in Australia); and that they channel revenue made by alcohol companies, as many products are part of alcohol the portfolios of alcohol companies. There are also nuances in understandings of factors that impact the potential to reduce or increase harms through NoLos – for example, the use of NoLos to support moderation may have differential impact among individuals in recovery compared to among social drinkers.

The expanding market of NoLos and differences in product composition, labelling, availability, acceptability, and target markets globally and in relation to different sub-populations of consumers, means up to date evidence is needed to inform timely policy responses. There are also differences across contexts and geographies that can be learned and shared.

This Special Section will bring together evidence about the use of, and evidenced benefits or risks presented by, NoLos in different national contexts that can directly inform policy and regulation concerning the availability, pricing, and marketing of NoLos. We also welcome evidence that will inform guidance on use of NoLos in clinical treatment of high-risk alcohol consumption.

This call extends from the NoLo International Research Network convened by Guest Editors Mia Miller and Cassandra Wright and discussions at a meeting of the Network at KBS, Perth May 2024. The Network comprises researchers across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, US, Asia, Canada and Europe, including the other named Guest Editors.

Given the substantial gaps in knowledge about the impact of NoLos for increasing or reducing harm, and the current research interest in this area, this Special Section aims to bring together key emerging evidence on NoLos within and across research groups globally. Specifically, we welcome papers with empirical data from any country/region on:

• Data that characterises the emergence of NoLo products, product availability and accessibility, and market characteristics;
• Data reporting/analysing the marketing and advertising of NoLos (e.g., analysing strategies used by industries [alcohol and others] to promote the consumption of NoLos, studies on how NoLo marketing impacts use outcomes);
• Attitudes and action of teenagers below the legal drinking age and of teenagers’ parents concerning underage teenagers’ consumption of NoLo beverages with alcohol brands and packaging,
• Data reporting and exploring patterns of purchase and consumption and links with social, commercial and political determinants of health (tactics used by for-profit industries), and the drivers of purchase and consumption among particular population groups (young people, people who are pregnant; abstainers/people seeking to reduce their ethanol intake) with implications for harm/benefit and policy.

We welcome papers from different disciplines however they must report on empirical studies and be aimed at a public health audience (i.e., advancing public health scholarship and/or policy). Papers that describe product development from an agricultural or food science perspective, or those that are aimed at advancing the alcohol or NoLo sector (for example, wine producers) are out of scope. Please contact the editorial office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you have a particular proposal you wish to discuss.

Details:
This is an open call for papers. The submission deadline for a 1-2 page letter of intent for the Special Section is 20 December 2024. The letter of intent should include proposed author names and affiliations, manuscript title and an abstract that outlines the proposed submission. Abstracts should clearly convey how the proposed manuscript is relevant to the aims of the Special Section. Editors will advise authors of the outcome of the EOI by 31 January 2025.

Manuscripts will need to align with the Drug and Alcohol Review author guidelines and broadly adhere to DAR word length guidelines. Manuscripts will need to be submitted via the Research Exchange submission portal: https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/DAR. and will be subject to peer review by at least two independent reviewers. Papers that do not meet the standard of the journal may be rejected.

When submitting their paper, authors should select the appropriate manuscript type (e.g. Original Paper, Review) and respond to the Special Issue question with “Understanding the emergence, availability and consumption trends of no and low alcohol (‘NoLos’) beverage products”.

Authors are asked to submit their papers by June 2025. Papers will be published online as they are accepted after peer review, and eventually made available together as a special section in an issue of the journal.

Please direct any queries to the Editorial Office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

References
AIHW. National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2019. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2020.

1. Corfe S, Hyde R, Shepherd J. Alcohol-free and Low-strength Drinks: Understanding Their Role in Reducing Alcohol-related Harms, Social Market Foundation, London. 2020.

[1] IWSR- No- and Low-Alcohol Gains Share (theiwsr.com)

[2] No- and low-alcohol category value surpasses $11bn in 2022 - IWSR (theiwsr.com)

Position Vacant: Clinical Nurse - Alcohol and Other Drugs Services

Position Title: Clinical Nurse - Alcohol and Other Drugs Services

Location: Alcohol and Other Drugs Services Rural Mental Health Division, Cherbourg, Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service

Remuneration: Permanent full time, $107,960 - $115,604 per annum (plus superannuation and leave loading benefits), (Nurse Grade 6 (1))

Join our dynamic multidisciplinary team in Cherbourg and take your career to the next level as a Clinical Nurse! Embrace the rewarding experience of working in a close-knit rural community, where your expertise in alcohol and other drug services will truly shine.

We value your commitment and, to show our appreciation, we’re offering a generous workforce attraction incentive of up to $70,000 for eligible team members. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity—apply today and become an integral part of our vibrant team!

What your day will look like….

Step into a pivotal role with our Alcohol and Other Drugs Service and make a real impact in the local community! As a Clinical Nurse, you’ll be at the heart of delivering top-notch, compassionate care to those in need. You’ll build strong, trusting relationships with clients, ensuring they receive the highest quality support.

With a passion for excellence, you’ll drive continuous improvement in our services and be a guiding light for less experienced team members. If you’re ready to lead with integrity and contribute to meaningful change, this is your chance to shine and make a difference every day!

Enquiries: Collette Ramsay, (07) 4162 0487

Job Ad Reference: DD2409589599

Application Details: https://smartjobs.qld.gov.au/jobs/QLD-DD2409589599

Closing Date: Tuesday, 1 October 2024

Correction - June APSAD newsletter

Correction: In the version of the below article sent with the June APSAD newsletter, IDRS was incorrectly spelt out as the Intellectual Disability Rights Service instead of the Illicit Drug Reporting System. We apologise for this error and the corrected article is included below.

Western Australia Representative Update

Hello from the state with a never-ending summer, where we have only just seen the start of some wind, rain and storms that never come. I look at the weather map each day, then shiver in comradery with many of you as I step out into the winter sun.

A significant change is coming for the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector in WA.

As of 1 July 2024, a new Office of Alcohol and Other Drugs will be established. The Office will sit inside the Mental Health Commission and be responsible for influencing future policy and strategy to strengthen action on AOD issues across Western Australia.

The establishment of the Office was a result of the 2022 Independent Review of the WA Health System Governance, which found AOD governance needed improvement. It recommended dedicated leadership, stronger accountability and better collaboration on planning, funding and performance, transparency and impactful leadership. In response, a package of reforms was announced that included establishing a working group to consider optimum governance arrangements for AOD into the future and to respond to calls and concerns from the sector to lift the prominence and profile of the AOD sector within the Mental Health Commission.

The Cook Government is also clear in their commitment to decreasing the harm associated with alcohol and other drugs, and to elevate the focus on AOD within the health and mental health systems.

Great segway, as I am excited to be sitting on the steering committee for the Development of the National Practice Standards, an initiative that aims to support AOD services and practitioners in providing evidence-based support to clients with co-occurring mental health conditions, driven by the fabulous Dr Christina Marel and the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use. I have assisted in identifying WA steering committee candidates and it is exciting to see so many key WA AOD agencies leading the charge, who conscientiously implement WA state practice standards and developing AOD strategies and frameworks, aiming to provide clients with a one doorway access, clear supported referral pathways and recognition that mental wellbeing needs to encompass all aspects of the person.

My ‘baby’ of take-home naloxone is never far, so I am really pleased to see the latest Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System and Illicit Drug Reporting System reports showing that Western Australians who use heroin and other drugs have increased awareness of naloxone availability and have been trained to use it (I may have trained the odd few over the last 10 years). The percent reporting ever using naloxone to resuscitate someone who had overdosed significantly increased to 44%, with 24% of participants having done so in the past year.

Staying with naloxone, the 2023 Council of Ambulance Authorities Awards for Excellence awarded the National Excellence in Clinical Practice award to St John Ambulance WA (SJAWA) for the groundbreaking first, and only of its kind in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, ‘Leave behind naloxone’ Project. A joint initiative between the Mental Health Commission and SJAWA, to provide a clinical model of patient centred care and safety net for vulnerable people who use opioids and refuse transport to hospital, which saw the State Operations Centre adapt its call taking processes, clinical guidance and internal systems protocols and implement the ability to ‘leave behind naloxone’. This initiative has reduced opioid related harms and deaths in WA and has seen other positive outcomes including reduced need for police attendance at overdose; a reduction in ambulance transportation to emergency departments (ED) at peak times, which aides a return of ambulances to respond to the community; positive relationship building between SJAWA and people at risk of overdose and community resilience building.

We have the annual WA Addiction Symposium in October 2024, where I will be presenting on the topical landscape of novel and counterfeit benzodiazepines, the second highest drug class being detected at Australian drug checking services. With novel opioids also increasing in detections, it will be an important harm reduction conversation for doctors, pain specialists and pharmacists to consider with patients.

The Emerging Drugs Network Australia (EDNA) is very pleased to announce that it will be contributing data to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). EDNA is a national toxicosurveillance and reporting system of illicit and emerging drugs involved in ED presentations. The key benefit is its capacity to improve detection, monitoring and tactical responses to emerging drug-related threats in the community via rapid laboratory confirmed toxicology data. Dr Jess Soderstrom – Royal Perth Hospital Head Toxicologist and ED physician, notes that since EDNA commenced in Western Australia in April 2020, it has detected a total of 476 novel psychoactive substances across 306 ED presentations, including 46 different types of novel benzodiazepines, designer stimulants and psychedelics, synthetic cannabinoids and more recently, novel opioid detections involved in ED presentations and deaths across multiple states.

The EDNA national network, together with expanded and additional state-based toxicosurviellance systems (EDNA-Victoria and the New South Wales Prescription, Recreational and Illicit Substance Evaluation program), have commenced contribution of novel psychoactive substance detections from ED presentations across six Australian states to the UNODC SMART Forensics. SMART Forensics provides science-based responses to drug-related challenges by identifying and communicating emerging global drug-related threats to relevant stakeholders worldwide through its early warning system. This is the first time Australia has developed the scientific and collaborative capacity to contribute this type of information to the UNODC’s global surveillance network.

I look forward to seeing you all at the APSAD Symposium in Melbourne, I will bring my umbrella!

Grace Oh

Western Australia APSAD Council Representative
Australian Drug Education & Consultancy, Perth, Australia

Call for Papers

Are you conducting research on novel synthetic opioids?

NEW APSAD LIVED & LIVING EXPERIENCE AWARD!

IN 2024 WE'RE CELBRATING THE 20^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE APSAD AWARDS WITH THE NEW LIVED & LIVING EXPERIENCE AWARD

To celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the APSAD Awards we are excited to announce the new Lived and Living Experience Award. 

The Lived and Living Experience Award recognises an individual that has made an important contribution to clinical practice, research, training, prevention, or policy in their role as someone with lived experience working or volunteering in the area of substance use or harm reduction services.

Details for the Lived and Living Experience Award:

• APSAD Membership is not a prerequisite, nor is it of any advantage or disadvantage during the nomination process.
• The nominator must be a current APSAD member. Any member can nominate across multiple Award categories.
• Nominations close 29 July 2024.
• The recipients for all APSAD Awards are announced at the official Awards Ceremony held during the 2024 APSAD Conference on Ngunnawal Country (Canberra) 30 Oct -2 Nov.