Are opioids really the lifetime treatment of choice for someone who may live the rest of their lives experiencing chronic pain, sometimes worsening as they age, asks Louisa Degenhardt.
Generally speaking, if a population drinks more, there will be more harm from alcohol. But this link now appears to be unravelling, writes Michael Livingston.
Solving some of the most pressing mental health issues affecting our community – substance abuse and suicide – is the focus of two Centres of Research Excellence, launched at UNSW by Ministers Tanya Plibersek and Mark Butler.
An increase in deaths from prescription painkillers is alarming, but the problem does not arise from one simple cause and a single intervention won't offer a solution, argues Louisa Degenhardt.
Ecstasy appears to be making a comeback among regular drug users, mirroring a global trend, according to the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.
An Australian study shows for the first time that people with substance use issues, who are frequently excluded from treatment for post traumatic stress, can benefit from psychological therapy.
Teenagers who smoke cannabis weekly or more are twice as likely as non-users to have an anxiety disorder in their late 20s, even if they stop using, a study has found.
We will continue to live with ongoing alcohol-related violence unless we reduce alcohol availability, ban alcohol advertising and increase its price, argues Anthony Shakeshaft.
