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| Did you see that report? December 2011 - January 2012 |
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January 2012
Drinking cultures and social occasions [webpage]
VicHealth, January 2012
This study, conducted by Turning Point Drug and Alcohol Centre and Eastern Health, provides evidence that acute intoxication increased numbers of injuries due to assaults and traffic accidents on public holidays and other major celebratory events and rises in incidents on the day before.
Evaluation of the impact of febfast participation: final report [webpage]
VicHealth, January 2012
This evaluation examines the febfast (alcohol-free month) event to understand who took part and why, and what impacts the event had on their alcohol awareness, health and subsequent drinking behaviours with the aim of increasing participation rates in the future. febfast is an annual health and charity event that encourages people to forgo alcohol in February while raising money to support young people experiencing alcohol and other drug related problems
What are the options? Pricing and taxation policy reforms to redress excessive alcohol consumption and related harms in Australia [pdf]
The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, January 2012.
Increasing community and political concern about excessive alcohol consumption and related harms in Australia has prompted calls for the introduction of tighter regulatory controls. From an evidence-based, research perspective, measures which increase alcohol prices and taxes, in particular, are considered most effective for reducing alcohol consumption and related harms. Accordingly, this report presents a review of pricing and taxation policy levers that have been considered and/or implemented nationally and internationally. These policies include: alcohol taxation and differential price by beverage; special/additional taxation on alcopops; minimum pricing; and bans on price discounts and promotions. Industry response to these policy initiatives is discussed, in addition to the role of public opinion in policy-making, and the issue of substitution and complementarity with other drugs. This review is designed to inform policymakers of useful taxation and pricing policy levers to redress alcohol-related harm in the Australian community. We conclude that each policy holds some promise, and it appears that they would be more successful when used in combination than as individual uncoordinated strategies.
Problem gambling and health [pdf]
The Australian Greens, Janaury 2012
This document outlines the debate around gambling reform in Australia and looks at some proposed reforms through the lens of health policy.
Drug-related hospital stays in Australia 1993–2009 [pdf]
NIDIP Bulletin, NDARC, January 2012
This bulletin presents data on drug-related hospital separations in Australia from 1993–2009 for the following drug types: opioids, cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis.A hospital separation is defined as an episode of care for an admitted patient, which may refer to a total hospital stay (from admission to discharge), or a portion of a hospital stay beginning or ending in a change of type of care, or transfer to another hospital.
December 2011
It has been estimated that roughly 13% of Australian children live in a home with at least one adult who misuses alcohol (Dawe et al., 2007). This Resource Sheet discusses the guidelines on alcohol consumption, the effects of alcohol on parenting behaviour, and the relationship between alcohol abuse and child maltreatment.
Therapeutic residential care (TRC) is becoming an increasingly relevant out-of-home care option for children and young people with multiple and complex needs. It is a new and developing approach in Australia, one aimed not simply at containment of the “hard cases”—as is often the case in traditional residential care—but rather at actively facilitating healing and recovery from the effects of abuse, neglect and separation from family. In this Issues Paper, therapeutic residential care is described and contrasted with other models of out-of-home care. The theory and evidence supporting the use of this form of care are examined and used to develop a set of key elements, which, it is argued, should guide the provision of therapeutic residential care in Australia.
The aims of this study were to compare ease of recruitment and the characteristics of participants based on the current EDRS criteria (REU) to those using a wider range of stimulants (RSU).
The purpose of this report is to provide statistical information regarding the changes to some indicators in the 24 months following the introduction of mandated liquor restrictions in Halls Creek on 18 May 2009.The purpose of this report is to provide statistical information regarding the changes to some indicators in the 24 months following the introduction of mandated liquor restrictions in Halls Creek on 18 May 2009.
Drink or drunk: why do staff at licensed premises continue to serve patrons to intoxication despite current laws and interventions? [pdf]
National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund,December 2011
This paper examines how and why intoxicated persons continue to be able to access more alcohol. In 2009, ICCWA (with funding from the National Drug Law Enforcement Research Foundation) examined why staff at licensed premises continue to serve patrons to intoxication despite current laws and interventions. The Drink or Drunk project specifically aimed to gain an understanding of what motivates staff at licensed premises to continue to serve patrons to intoxication and what deters them from providing intoxicated patrons with further service.
Aim: To assess whether intensive judicial supervision (IJS) during the early stages of drug court reduces drug use and sanctioning rates.
Method: The study employed a non-blinded randomised controlled trial to test the effect of IJS on early-phase substance use and sanctioning rates. All participants accepted onto the Parramatta Drug Court program between March 2010 and March 2011 were randomly allocated into either an IJS or supervision as usual (SAU) condition. The IJS group had phase 1 of their program extended from three to four months and appeared before the judge two times per week during phase 1. The SAU group appeared once per week for three months during phase 1.
Results: Participants in the IJS group were significantly less likely to return positive urinalysis tests and had a significantly greater number of episodes of abstinence than participants in the SAU group. IJS participants were less likely to accrue sanctions than participants in the SAU group. There was no significant difference in the odds of having sanctions waived or having to serve sanctions in prison between the two groups.
Conclusion: These interim findings provide strong evidence that intensively supervising drug court participants in the early phases reduces early-phase substance use and sanctioning rates.
Examines young women's drinking behaviour through broad topic areas: reasons for drinking; women's understanding and management of risks; and prevention and management of excessive intoxication.
This report addresses the research objectives of:
–– documenting the creation, nature and characteristics of partnerships between the police and third parties that seek to reduce sales of pseudoephedrine and control the methamphetamine problem in Queensland and Victoria; and
–– understanding the wider impact of law enforcement efforts to reduce pseudoephedrine sales in terms of treatment, prevention and harm reduction across Queensland and Victoria.
[Last updated: 17 May 2012]
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