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Drug & Alcohol
For additional D&A clinical articles, see Medicine Australia


  • Project goal

  • Introduction

    • See also Patient information on drug and alcohol issues and links to other useful websites and Media Releases)
  • Articles



      • Project goal
      To reduce tobacco, alcohol and drug related problems in the Northern Rivers by promoting, supporting and increasing the ability and capacity of GPs to identify and effectively intervene with individuals with such problems who come under their care.
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      Introduction
      Drug abuse leads to significant direct and indirect costs for the Australian community. Collins and Lapsley (1996) estimated the total tangible and intangible social costs of drug abuse in Australia in 1992 was AU$18,845 million, of which tobacco accounted for 67%. This represented a 26.5% increase from 1988 figures.

      A recent national review of the quantifiable drug-caused morbidity and mortality in Australia has revealed that in 1992 hazardous and harmful alcohol use caused the loss of 3,660 lives and 55,450 personal years of life before 70 years at an average of 15.2 years of life lost per death. Among active tobacco smokers the figures were 18,920 deaths and 88,266 person years of life lost at an average of 4.7 years of life lost per death. Among illicit drug users for the same year there were 488 deaths and 17,899 person-years lost at an average of 36.7 years of life lost per death.

      Given the prevalence of alcohol and other drug abuse/dependence disorders, and the high levels of hazardous substance use in the community, coupled with low levels of specialist help-seeking by this group there is an urgent need for general medical practitioners to detect and intervene with at-risk patients to develop shared care relationships with a variety of specialist agencies.
      (Cited from Shared Care in the Management of Alcohol and other Drug –Related Disorders,1998)

      GPs are the first point of contact for people with a variety of mental health problems, including substance abuse/dependence and disorders. About 30% of hospital admissions and up to 20% of patients presenting in primary care settings have alcohol or other drug related problems. GPs provide the scope for opportunistic interventions for people presenting with drug and alcohol related disorders, given that most adults visit a GP at least once in any given year.

      The NRDGP's project draws on the Central Coast Alcohol and Drug Services GP project, which focused on building a working partnership between GPs and Area drug and alcohol services. Findings from this initiative suggest that an organised, comprehensive program to encourage and support GPs in their management of patients with alcohol and drug problems can be effective.

      The project seeks to:
      • Identify GP needs through pre and post questionnaires on drug and alcohol related problems.

      • Provide GP upskilling through 1) GP workshops 2) Development of a core group of GPs interested in further upskilling in D&A related problems, which will provide support to other GP in the area and complement the Northern Rivers D&A rehab unit, Riverlands.

      • Provide ongoing support for GPs through development of case review initiatives at local level including GPs, local D&A workers and specialist D&A support.

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      ARTICLES



      CounsellingOnline
      29/10/06   CounsellingOnline at www.counsellingonline.org.au is a new website run by the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre. more...
      Binge pill popping has great dangers doctor warns
      19/11/04   Byron Bay GP Adam Osborne is deeply concerned about the increasing number of young people he is seeing in the hospital e more...
      Binge pill popping is the new booze up
      20/10/04  Katherine Breen Kurucsev In GP Adam Osborne’s 12 years in Byron Bay he has seen a growth in more severe presentations to emergency among young pe more...
      The Buttery’s outreach counselling service provides community support for D&A issues
      30/06/04   The friendly INTRA team. Back row from left: Deidre Ikin, Jane Conway, Antonia Ravesi & David Warmington. Front row from more...
      Treating BZD dependency
      30/06/04   by Paul McGeown & David Helliwell Benzodiazepines are a useful class of drugs, widely used for their sedative, anxiol more...
      Drugs in pregnancy coordinator chosen
      14/05/04   The NRAHS maternity services has appointed Mandy Carpenter, a midwife with extensive drugs and alcohol experience, to th more...
      Minimising pethidine prescribing in EDs
      14/05/04  Jenni Prince Consumption of pethidine in Australia ranks higher than in other countries of similar economic profile1. NSW Health auth more...
      Riverlands two years on
      20/08/03  Katherine Breen Kurucsev Dr Paul McGeown gives an upbeat report on the Riverlands D&A detox facility in Lismore as it marks two years serving the more...
      MUMS program helps with alcohol and drug abuse during pregnancy
      20/08/03  Jane Du Lieu The MUMS program was established in Lismore in May 2001 to try to deal with drug and alcohol use during pregnancy. It is more...
      Drug & alcohol project winds up
      20/06/03  Gareth Daniels This will be my last report for the drug and alcohol project as I leave the division at the end of June when the drug an more...
      NSP to be housed within health services
      17/04/03   The needle syringe program will be housed in new premises in a matter of weeks. Following Lismore City Council’s blockin more...
      Lismore Council obstructs NRAHS plans for NSP
      20/02/03  Dr Andrew Binns Lismore City Council has again rejected plans to allow the continued co-location of the needle and syringe program (NSP) more...
      New location sought for NSP
      20/02/03  Katherine Breen Kurucsev In the face of stiff community opposition, the NRAHS will not now attempt to relocate the needle & syringe program to th more...
      Division offers free online CPD alcohol course
      20/02/03   The division has developed an interactive on-line course called “Contemporary Management of Alcohol Problems”. This more...
      Preliminary findings give MERIT the thumbs up
      20/02/03   The initial 12-month trial of the Magistrates’ Early Referral into Treatment program (MERIT), which is conducted in Lism more...
      Using cannabis daily increases likelihood of later depression
      17/12/02   Young women who use cannabis daily have been found to be five times more likely to suffer later depression and anxiety. more...
      Needle & syringe programs proven cost effective
      17/12/02  Gareth Daniels In 2000, the Commonwealth Department of Health commissioned a study into the economic effectiveness of needle and syring more...
      New program for drug dependent women
      17/12/02   The Lismore and District Women’s Health Centre is running the Women’s Referral and Access Project (WRAP) in Lismore and more...
      D&A ranks high
      23/03/02   Initially appointed for one year, Professor Jim Rankin, senior staff specialist, Drug and Alcohol Services, NRAHS, is pa more...
      D&A skills training in Byron Bay
      23/03/02   Preventing and treating drug and alcohol problems in general practice is the theme of the second annual D&A conference o more...
      D&A conference attracts delegates from around the nation
      23/03/02   The delegates at a four day drug and alcohol skills training and conference held in Byron Bay in July for GPs, allied he more...
      Is cannabis really a problem?
      23/03/02   Cannabis use on the increase Four in 10 Australians aged 14 to 19 years have tried cannabis (marijuana) and they are tr more...
      Seeing drug/alcohol addiction as a chronic medical illness
      23/03/02   Imagine hypertensive patients being admitted to a 28-day hypertension rehabilitation program, where they receive group a more...
      Trauma and booze
      23/03/02   Dunn et al (1997) found that the risk of traumatic death in alcohol abusers is 2.5 to eight times higher than among the more...
      Alcohol dependence assessment and treatment
      23/03/02   Four clinical interview questions, the CAGE questions (1), have proved useful in helping to make a diagnosis of alcoholi more...
      The effects of ecstacy
      23/03/02   The best way to avoid problems with drugs is not using them. However, no matter how big the risk, some people will conti more...
      NRAHS women and drugs project starts
      23/03/02   A two year integrated care trial for drug dependent women and their families has just started through the NRAHS. The pro more...
      GPs integral to new detox centre
      23/03/02   The Riverlands D&A detox centre is focused on being a GP oriented general service that co-manages patients with their re more...
      Lismore MERIT program leads to crime reduction
      23/03/02   The 13-month old MERIT program (Magistrate’s Early Referral Into Treatment), widely perceived as a successful interventi more...
      Chronic liver disease + hepatitis A = increased risks
      23/03/02   The NHMRC is recommending hepatitis A vaccine is offered to all patients with chronic liver disease, following a large i more...
      D&A report from Canada
      23/03/02  Gareth Daniels I have recently returned from Canada where I visited a number of D&A facilities. I was invited to Calgary by Dr Nady more...
      D&A project report
      20/01/02   During Sept/Oct, 76 GPs completed this evaluation form, representing 34% of the GPs in the NRDGP and Grafton area of t more...
      GPs to improve skills in drug and alcohol care
      01/12/01   What works in drug and alcohol care? This question will be the main theme to be explored at the second annual drug and a more...
      D&A skills training in Byron Bay
      01/12/01   Preventing and treating drug and alcohol problems in general practice is the theme of the second annual D&A conference o more...
      Drug and alcohol conference a success
      01/12/01   Enjoying morning tea at last weekend's drug and alcohol conference in Byron Bay are (l-r) Dr Angela Bettess, Goonellaba more...
      D&A report from Canada
      20/11/01   I have recently returned from Canada where I visited a number of D&A facilities. I was invited to Calgary by Dr Nady more...
      Lismore MERIT program leads to crime reduction
      20/09/01   The 13-month old MERIT program (Magistrate’s Early Referral Into Treatment), widely perceived as a successful interventi more...
      GPs integral to new detox centre
      20/09/01   The Riverlands D&A detox centre is focused on being a GP oriented general service that co-manages patients with their re more...
      Women and drugs
      20/09/01   A two year integrated care trial for drug dependent women and their families has just started through the NRAHS. The pro more...
      New developments in alcohol dependence treatments
      20/07/01   The aversive agent disulfiram was for a long time the only drug used to treat alcohol dependence. More recently the use more...
      Drug and alcohol education - A feasible activity?
      20/04/01   Yes, drug and alcohol education is feasible, but with considerable qualifications. Some of the more recent drug educatio more...
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