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DrugInfo newsletter

The DrugInfo newsletter is published 4 times a year by DrugInfo, a program of the Australian Drug Foundation, supported by the Victorian Government, Department of Health.

Each newsletter is published in conjunction with the Prevention Research Quarterly (PRQ) and a seminar—offering a range of perspectives on an important alcohol and other drug-related issue.

Read the DrugInfo newsletter editorial policy.

Follow the links below to download past issues of DrugInfo.

Responding to the needs of children and parents in families experiencing alcohol and other drug problems

May 2012

This issue focuses on support for families where parents have alcohol and other drug use issues.

Heroin and other opioids

September 2011
This issues focuses on the treatment models available for opioid misuse, and provides practical examples through some local and international experiences.

Older people and AOD (alcohol and other drugs)

August 2011
This issue looks at the issue of alcohol and other drug use by older people in our community.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) in reducing alcohol and other drug-related harms

August 2011
This issue focuses on reducing alcohol and other drug-related harm using ICT and provides practical examples of some of the successes, issues and barriers to prevention work with various communities including young people.

Drug prevention and culturally and linguistically diverse communities

June 2010
This issue returns to the topic of prevention work with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) communities, for a fresh perspective.

Drug prevention and culturally and linguistically diverse communities

June 2010
This issue returns to the topic of prevention work with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) communities, for a fresh perspective.

Drugs and driving

March 2010
This issue of DrugInfo focuses on raising awareness of the impact alcohol and other drugs can have on the ability to drive safely.

Prevention of alcohol-related harm in sport

December 2009
This issue of DrugInfo examines the link between alcohol and sport, including alcohol sponsorship and the reliance of community sports clubs on alcohol revenue.

Prevention of alcohol-related harm in the workplace

September 2009
This issue of DrugInfo aims to assist occupational health and safety, human resource, and alcohol and other drug professionals to develop and implement effective responses to alcohol consumption in the workplace.

Australian alcohol guidelines: from research to practice

June 2009
This issue of DrugInfo examines how health and welfare workers, counsellors, and educators are planning to communicate the new Australian alcohol guidelines to the wider community.

Prevention of alcohol-related harm in Aboriginal communities in Australia

April 2009
This issue of DrugInfo focuses on the prevention of alcohol-related harm in Australian Indigenous communities and examines some of the responses from the alcohol and other drug sector.

Prevention of pharmaceutical drug misuse

December 2008
This issue of DrugInfo looks at the two most commonly misused types of pharmaceuticals, opioids and benzodiazepines. The issue examines prevention and early intervention strategies from the perspective of general practitioners, pharmacists and psychologists.

Prevention and early intervention of amphetamine-related harm

September 2008
This issue of DrugInfo identifies some local and national programs and projects that are based on some of the key principles for the prevention of amphetamine use.

Role of families in preventing alcohol-related harm among young people

June 2008
This issue of DrugInfo spotlights programs and projects that are aimed at helping families and young people prevent alcohol related harms in adolescence.

Preventing harm from alcohol consumption in rural and remote communities

February 2008
This issue of DrugInfo describes some of the issues facing rural and remote communities around Victoria in relation to alcohol-related harms and explores some of the ways in which these communities have responded.

Prevention and early intervention of coexisting mental health and substance use issues

November 2007
Awareness of the link between substance use problems and coexisting mental health problems has been increasing in recent years. This issue of the DrugInfo newsletter focuses on the work that is being done in this area by government, researchers, and health services.

Local government reducing harm from alcohol consumption

September 2007
This issue of the DrugInfo newsletter focuses on the work that local governments around Victoria are doing to reduce alcohol-related harm in their communities. Local governments are at the forefront of responding to alcohol and other drug issues and have a number of mechanisms that they can use including local regulation and enforcement, social marketing, service provision, advocacy and planning. The range of programs described in this newsletter show the willingness of councils to think outside the square and consider the social, built, economic and natural environments that influence health.

Culturally and linguistically diverse communities and drug prevention

June 2007
Cultural awareness and sensitivity to the needs of new and established immigrants are concerns that have been increasingly highlighted across the community, health and welfare sectors in recent years. In 2003 and 2006, at DrugInfo we looked at the successes, issues and barriers to prevention work with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) communities, including newly arrived refugees. This quarter we return to the topic from a fresh perspective: how we translate research into practice in prevention work with CLD communities.

Community and structural approaches to prevention

September 2006
"Community and structural approaches to drug prevention" doesn't readily roll off the tongue, but lots of people are doing it! Multilevel community interventions, policy changes, community development, community partnerships - these are some of the ways in which contributors have approached the topic to share their collective wisdom on alternative approaches to drug prevention.

Newly arrived refugees and drug prevention

June 2006
The plight of refugees and asylum seekers has long been a contentious issue in Australia and around the world. While there are many individuals and organisations working to support refugees and asylum seekers, there are differing views about their involvement with problematic drug use, and therefore not everyone seems to agree on the most appropriate, and effective, approaches to drug prevention with these vulnerable communities. The fact that there is a dearth of evidence from research and practice makes it even more difficult to assess the efficacy of current drug prevention efforts.

Peer education and drug prevention

March 2006
The use of peer education is well established in Australia. But how effective is it as a drug prevention strategy? What constitutes "evidence" when evaluating peer education programs? This quarterly suite of publications from DrugInfo examines these and other relevant issues on peer education.

Prevention, ecstasy and related drugs

December 2005
"Party drugs" or "ERDs"? And does it matter what we call them?
This issue of DrugInfo takes a look at a range of drugs commonly associated with youth culture. We bring you cutting-edge research and practice from local, national and international experts.

Social marketing and prevention

September 2005
This issue discusses social marketing, and how it can be used in the prevention of alcohol and other drug harms.

Prevention of cannabis-related harms

June 2005
This issue looks at cannabis-related harms, including dual diagnosis and effects on driving ability.

Prevention of alcohol-related harms

February 2005
This issue examines the link between alcohol and sport including alcohol sponsorship and the reliance of community sports clubs on alcohol revenue.

Early intervention in schools

November 2004
This issue discusses methods for reducing alcohol and drug-related harms by intervening while adolescents are still in school.

Inhalants

August 2004
This issue discusses the current state of volatile substance abuse and methods for preventing harm through this abuse.

Indigenous prevention

May 2004
This issue looks at programs working to prevent drug-related harms in Australian Indigenous communities.

Law, regulation and enforcement

February 2004
This issue looks at the laws, regulation and enforcement of those laws  as they relate to the use of drugs and alcohol.

Prevention for culturally and linguistically diverse communities

November 2003
This issue of DrugInfo discusses drug prevention strategies for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Family intervention

August 2003
This issue examines support and interventions for families, particularly ways in which alcohol and other drug use can be prevented in high-risk families.

Parent education

June 2003
This issue discusses the education of parents, and their role in prevention of alcohol and other drug-related harm.

Local government initiatives

April 2003
This issue looks at a range of local government initiatives in the prevention of alcohol and other drug harm.

Community mobilisation

February 2003
This issue discusses the drug prevention efforts of many Victorian communities that are providing shining examples of best practice through exciting and innovative programs.

Drug education for schools

November 2002
This issue looks at drug education measures in schools, including some case studies.

An overview of prevention strategies

September 2002
This issue looks at prevention strategies in within a range of settings and community groups.

What is drug prevention?

June 2002
This first issue of DrugInfo discusses the mission of DrugInfo, and the definition of prevention.

Last updated: 27 April 2012