‘We must not focus solely on young people’: An overview of deaths related to inhalant misuse within Australia
NDARC's professor Shane Darke discusses his recently published study on deaths related to inhalant misuse in Australia.
Blogs
Self-reported drug use: is it reliable?
NDARC's Chrianna Bharat explains the implications behind a recently published study that looks at the reliability of self-reported drug use compared to biological test results.
Travel scholarship recipients share highlights from their week at NDARC
In September this year, NDARC awarded travel scholarships to early career researchers (ECRs) and higher degree research students (HDRs) in the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) sector. Here's what they had to say.
Can tailored text message quit support programs help close the gap in treatment outcomes experienced by low socioeconomic smokers in Australia?
Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of death, globally. In 2019, approximately 14% of Australians aged 14 years or older were current smokers.
Adolescent psychosocial alcohol-related harms increase risk of later alcohol use disorder
Alcohol-related harms are a broad range of negative consequences that can result from drinking alcohol. These can range from things that only affect your body, such as feeling sick or having a hangover, to things that affect you psychologically and socially, such as having problems with friends or getting into fights.
Addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among people in Australia who regularly inject drugs
It has been one year since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout commenced in Australia, and while vaccination rates initially lagged behind other countries, over 95% of Australians aged 12 years and older are now fully vaccinated.
We tend to consider the remaining unvaccinated people a homogenous ‘anti-vax’ group. However, there are some less vocal, disadvantaged populations with lower rates of vaccine uptake who require targeted efforts to increase uptake. There are three key reasons why people who inject drugs should be encouraged to be vaccinated.
Childhood trauma associated with increased risk of opioid use disorder (OUD) among people prescribed opioids for chronic non-cancer pain.
To reduce the likelihood of opioid use disorder (OUD) among people prescribed opioids for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), it is important to identify individual risk factors for OUD among this population. However, until now, little has been known about the relationship between a childhood trauma and OUD risk among people prescribed opioids for CNCP.
‘Synthetic cannabis’: A dangerous misnomer
The term ‘synthetic cannabis’ (or ‘synthetic marijuana’) has been widely used. The term, however, is wrong. This may sound like a pedantic point, but the misnaming of these drugs has potentially dangerous consequences. In a recent article in the International Journal of Drug Policy we proposed that they be referred to as synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs), to emphasise that this is a drug class entirely distinct from marijuana.
The first national clinical research priority setting study in the AoD sector in Australia
The first national clinical research priority setting study in the AOD sector in Australia was conducted to determine the focus of clinical research, seed funding, and training programs for The National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs (NCCRED).
The opioid epidemic, COVID-19 pandemic, and the Opioid Agonist & Safety Study
Globally, the opioid epidemic has not gone away, it has merely been muted by COVID-19. We have been very fortunate in Australia, but in countries such as Canada, the UK and the US it is a very different story.