Changing the narrative of addiction in Australia

Australia is in crisis when it comes to addressing addiction, with around one in 20 Australians having an addiction or substance abuse problem, and costs associated with alcohol and drug-related harms to Australian society exceed $55.2 billion annually.

It is still one of the most stigmatised health conditions in Australia, with prevailing community perceptions and entrenched beliefs that patients are to blame for their condition.

Monash University is committed to research and translation to practice, in all aspects of addiction - alcohol, opioid, methamphetamine, gambling - as well as treatments, support services, mental health and wellbeing issues, health risks and sociocultural issues.

Spotlight on Addiction experts

Professor Dan Lubman, Turning Point Executive Clinical Director, Director Monash Addiction Research Centre

Professor Lubman is Australia’s leading expert in:

  • The harms associated with alcohol, drugs and gambling
  • The impact of alcohol and drug use on brain function
  • The relationship between substance use, gambling and mental disorder
  • Addiction treatment responses
  • Alcohol and other drug (AOD) policy

“Turning Point developed a targeted treatment program for the 10 Australians appearing in the SBS series Addicted Australia. They were determined to tackle their addictions. The program does not aim to be alternative or radical, but simply shows what we would expect for any other health condition. What makes it significant, is that while most Australians typically experience a treatment system that is fragmented and disjointed, we provided wrap-around, tailored care for each individual, integrated with peer and family support.

“Addiction is one of the most stigmatised of all health conditions. The accompanying shame and stigma can result in a delay of up to 20 years from when somebody starts developing a problem with alcohol, drugs or gambling, before they seek help. That is far too long, and as a consequence, many Australians and their families suffer in silence. We must come up with a better way of helping people. We’re hoping this treatment program will not only help the 10 participants, but also be a catalyst for systemic change.”

Read more of Professor Lubman’s commentary at Monash Lens

Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences alumna, Dr Shalini Arunogiri - Deputy Clinical Director, Turning Point and Deputy Head of Department, Psychiatry at Central Clinical School.

Dr Shalini Arunogiri specialises in:

  • Trauma
  • Mental health co-morbidity and methamphetamine use
  • Treating addiction in women
  • Medication treatments for addictive disorders

“Nearly 3 in 4 people with addiction have experienced trauma at some point in their lives.”

“Few people with co-occurring PTSD and addiction get specific treatment for trauma - which means people often get trapped in a vicious cycle, where the trauma symptoms perpetuate and maintain the addiction, and vice versa.”

“One in three people who use ice regularly have experienced symptoms of psychosis; and nearly one in two report mental illness. Yet treatment for ice use doesn’t always address comorbidity. People fall through the gaps between mental health services and drug and alcohol treatment.”

“Standard treatments for addiction have been mostly tested in men- we don’t know if they work as well for women. If women try to quit smoking at particular parts of their menstrual cycle, they will have worse withdrawal. Yet we don’t know how our cycles affect other types of drug use, if and how they might affect withdrawal or recovery.”

Dr Vicky Phan - Addiction Psychiatrist at Turning Point/Eastern Health, Lecturer at Monash University

Dr Phan has a deep, clinical understanding of:

  • Addiction as a health condition
  • Stigma
  • Addiction treatment
  • The link between trauma and addiction

"The problem with addiction being such a stigmatised issue is that people don’t feel able to acknowledge it and talk openly about it. Stigma lets addiction live in the shadows and people go unheard and unseen."

Dr Chris Langmead, Head of Servier Program in Drug Discovery, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS)

Dr Langmead specialises in developing treatments for addiction and psychiatric disorders, specifically schizophrenia.

“Addiction is a brain disorder, not a moral issue, but there is currently no truly effective treatment available - MIPS is paving the way towards tackling the scourge of drug addiction using a variety of approaches”

“The differences in the brain of an addict versus a "normal" brain and how he is working on ways to target these pathways and "reset" the brain back to normal.”

Professor Antonio Verdejo-Garcia, School of Psychological Sciences Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and Co-Chair of the Neuroscience Interest Group at the International Society of Addiction Medicine.

Professor Verjejo-Garcia is an expert in the way that:

  • Addiction erodes the brain systems that allow us to think long-term
  • Addiction changes the way we feel about the things we like and the people we love
  • We are using digital cognitive tests and data science to improve our understanding of the thinking processes that drive addiction
  • We are developing new treatments for addiction that harness neuroscience insights to retrain the brain and foster recovery-oriented behaviours