Paul from the Real Stories of Addiction campaign and Jolie from Rethink Addiction Partner, Turning Point, spoke to SBS about the barrier that Chinese gamblers in Australia face. Watch the full interview in Mandarin on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttxx9lGJFe8&t=1020s SBS: On Monday this week, the federal government announced a voluntary self-exclusion service to reduce the harm caused by gambling. However, within the Chinese community, there are many gambling addicts who, due to cultural, language, and shame-related reasons, struggle to take the first step towards seeking help ..read more

Dry July is a time where people stop drinking alcohol for the month to help raise funds for an ,important cause. However, it can also be a great starting point for people to begin their sobriety journey. Going 31 days without drinking has a plethora of benefits on your physical and mental health and wanting to maintain these gains is a worthy pursuit. However, telling people that you no longer want to drink after Dry July may cause you to have some awkward conversations. To help you navigate this new era of sobriety, ,Sober Awkward Podcast creator and host, Victoria Vanstone provides some tips ..read more

Associate Nurse Unit Manager from Turning Point’s ,Wellington House, Jolie, and Program Manager from the ,Salvation Army, Masiyane, work closely with people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities. Although there is very limited data on the prevalence of AOD use within CALD communities, a ,report from the Victorian Alcohol And Drug Association found that CALD communities are significantly under-represented in the AOD treatment system which is likely due to an under-utilisation of services rather than low demand. We spoke with both Jolie and Masiyane about the issues CALD ..read more

National Volunteer Week is a chance to acknowledge those who take time out of their lives to help their communities and the people within them who may be struggling. Many partners of Rethink Addiction rely on the support of volunteers and are extremely grateful for their help. This year's theme for Volunteer Week is The Change Makers. In the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector, volunteers play an instrumental role in helping change the lives of those living with addiction. Rethink Addiction Partner, Odyssey House, has a number of volunteers who assist people at different stages of their recove ..read more

In honour of International Nurses Day, Rethink Addiction would like to thank the great work AOD nurses do all over Australia. We talked to some nurses from one of our partners, Drug and Alcohol Nurses Australasia (DANA), about how they got involved in the AOD sector, what they are doing now, and what they want to see for AOD nursing in the future. Falling into AOD nursing According to DANA Vice President Jen Harland, AOD nursing is something that a lot of nurses fall into. “It is a specialty not many people know about when they are studying nursing. I only really found out about it when I was ..read more

This year the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival is not only celebrating its 45th anniversary, it’s also hosting WorldPride. Members of the LGBTIQA+ community and allies from all around the world are visiting the ‘harbour city’ to participate in a number of events, including the Mardi Gras parade on Oxford Street and the Queer Screen’s 30th Mardi Gras Film Festival. While WorldPride is an event for the LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate, there is no denying the presence of alcohol and other drugs at the festival. Outgoing CEO of Untoxicated, Andrew Addie, points out that alcohol companie ..read more

After two years of COVID lockdowns and travel restrictions, Australian music lovers are excited to finally attend festivals again. This summer there are plenty of festivals across the country showcasing a star-studded line up of national and international acts. However, there is no denying that illicit drugs are also present at these events, which can compromise the safety of those attending these festivals. That's why it's important to have harm reduction measures in place. One program that has been delivering effective harm prevention services for over 25 years is DanceWize. What is DanceWi ..read more

AADANT’s Stories Project - How it began Rethink Addiction has partners from all over Australia who are committed to sharing the stories of people with lived experience of drug and alcohol use, and destigmatising addiction. One of our partners, The Association of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies NT (AADANT) has been travelling throughout the Northern Territory to collect people’s stories of drug and alcohol use as part of The Stories Project. The idea first came about when AADANT Executive Officer, Peter Burnheim, and Turning Point Executive Clinical Director, Professor Dan Lubman, spoke with e ..read more

Only in the harsh light of sobriety could Melbourne man Benn Veenker really understand the cost his addiction had on his family and friends. Read at the ABC ..read more

Addiction in Australia last year was estimated to cost $80 billion, according to a new report launched at Parliament House this morning. The report titled Understanding the cost of addiction in Australia by KPMG and Rethink Addiction highlight the significant costs associated with alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and gambling, including on workplace and household productivity, harmful consumption and healthcare. Read at Croakey ..read more