Alcohol and Other Drug Issues in Contemporary Australia

Chapter 5: Alcohol and Other Drug Issues in Contemporary Australia

Description:

The aim of this chapter is to provide the reader with an overview of alcohol and other drug use in Australia, and to present the relationship alcohol and other drug use has to men's health. Some commonly used substances and related issues are discussed; however the major emphasis is on alcohol due to its high level of use and its related problems amongst men in the Australian community.

Topics:

• Introduction
• The Social and economic cost of drugs
• Alcohol
  • Spectrum of alcohol problems
  • Alcohol and heroes
  • Alcohol and violence
• Alcohol use and indigenous Australians
• Tobacco use
• Illicit drugs
• Understanding drug-related problems
• Brief intervention
• Harm intervention
• Services
• References
• Suggested reading

Author:

Charlotte De Crespigny
Registered Nurse, Bachelor of Nursing, Graduate Diploma in Primary Health Care, Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia Lecturer in the undergraduate nursing program at The Flinders University of South Australia

Charlotte has worked as a clinician and educator in the drug and alcohol field for 10 years. She recently established, and now coordinates, the national postgraduate alcohol/drug nursing studies program in the School of Nursing at The Flinders University of South Australia. She is also attached to the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA). She is a doctoral candidate with Flinders and NECTA.

Charlotte's doctoral research is into young women's social drinking and environments but she is involved in other research on older women and medication use, and the clinical learning of mental health undergraduate nurses. She provides staff development and consultations to services on matters related to primary health care and alcohol and drug use.

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