WHY ARE DRUGS ARE DRUGS A ROAD SAFETY ISSUE? Driving whilst under the influence of drugs is a significant road safety issue. You’ve probably heard all about the dangers of drinking and getting behind the wheel, although, mixing drugs and driving can be just as dangerous. ......
Mindfulness is about living in the now. Is it essentially about being more aware and awake in every moment of your life. WHY BE MINDFUL? Mindfulness can reduce stress, treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, increase self-control, and improve your......
WHAT IS VAPING? Vaping involves the inhalation of vapour created by highly addictive electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes, vape pens, and other vaping devices). The vapour is produced through the heating of a liquid that typically contains flavourings, chemicals and nicotine. These devices can also be used......
When people undertake change (especially in relation to addiction) it is known that there are five main stages. Pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. Behaviour change is a slow process and it is complex. To undertake behaviour change a person needs to disrupt their current......
I’m so used to saying the F word, that I didn’t really notice the C-word until this week when my youngest daughter told me that she might not have to go to school because of Corona Virus. Immediately I thought, wait … is this a......
So, it’s official … the world has gone mad and we’re running out of toilet paper! Although I have to say the cleanliness in prisons has improved hugely which is great news for the germ-phobes amongst us! J The changing landscape regarding the C-word has......
ROUTINE – THE SCARIEST WORD IN RECOVERY The one word that scares most people in recovery is … routine Routine is one of the most important things for clients in recovery, yet is often the most resisted concept to put into action. And why? Because......
HOW DO YOU RECOGNISE ADDICTION IN YOUR CHILDREN OR PARTNERS? It is very difficult to see someone we love self-destructing with their addiction. We often feel helpless as we watch them make poor choices and we often enable them even though we think we are......
Every single person experiences stress or anxiety at some point in their life. However, depending on our personality type and underlying fears, anxiety is experienced, and triggered, differently for each personality type. Anxiety is simply described as the prolonged exposure to stress and stressful thoughts.......
Personality wise, we all have different thinking styles, and as a result, some of us are more predisposed to anxiety than others. Therefore, when we understand the underlying personality-based triggers and how they originate from our fears, we’re then able to put effective strategies into......
One of the key myths about prison is that prisoners are rehabilitated in prison. If those prisoners are drug addicted, the average tax-payer would assume that the prisoner receives treatment to prevent them being released and doing it all again. Karl O’Callaghan said it best......
Loving and supporting an addict, whether a spouse, family member or friend, is an unquestionably difficult situation to be in. Addiction does not just manifest itself in the individual but it also affects the friends, families and partners of the addict in question. People who......
What comes to mind when you think of ‘addiction’? We usually have a picture in our mind that arises whenever we hear the word. Sometimes we think of alcohol, sometimes illegal drugs, then often our mind adds to the picture with thoughts of loss of......
Tough love is many things and has been known as being cruel to be kind. As the Urban Dictionary says, “ to show somebody tough love today may save them heartache in the future BUT, it may cause a small amount of upset for the......
WHAT IS HARM MINIMISATION? Harm minimisation defines harm reduction as the policies, programmes and practices that aim to reduce the harms associated with the use of psychoactive drugs in people unwilling or unable to stop. So… the aim is to not try and STOP someone......
I was interviewed by Steve and Basil from 6PR morning show on Friday asking about the reasons behind the rise in wine-o-clock and whether it was a “bad” thing. They asked “isn’t it good to have a glass of two to relax each day?” It’s......
I was interviewed by Channel 7’s Daily Edition recently after the findings of a worrying report were released. The report, produced by University of Western Sydney, showed that over 500,000 Australian women are drinking to dangerous levels. What is also worrying is that despite falls......
I’ve been asked a lot lately by media about how much is too much to be drinking every day. The answer is actually about informed choice – because there is a worrying number of women that are miscalculating what a standard drink is. If asked,......
A recent front page article about mandatory rehab for meth users on the West Australian sparked a much heated debate about treatment options and human rights. I was constantly asked why aren’t we doing this immediately as it seems to be a logical solution to......