WRAD is using International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31 to remember without stigma those who have died or become permanently injured due to overdose and to highlight effective harm reduction strategies.
To mark the day, WRAD is shining a light on the stigma and demonisation of drug addiction by lighting up its Merri Street building in purple lights from August 29 to September 2.
The colour purple sends a message that every person’s life is valuable and that stigmatising people who use drugs needs to stop.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare recorded 1,842 drug-induced deaths in 2020, with more than two-thirds considered accidental and just over 20 per cent intentional.
WRAD assertive youth outreach worker Harriet Rose said deaths from overdoses have outnumbered the national road toll since 2014 yet the issue is rarely discussed.
“These are preventable and unnecessary deaths,” Ms Rose said.
Ms Rose said drug dependence was a complex health and social issue, not a sign of personal or moral failure. “The shame and stigma associated with drug use pushes people to the margins of society, creates barriers to seeking help, and means health issues go untreated,” she said.
She added that many overdoses were connected to prescribed medications, not illicit substances.
“A common misconception is that overdoses only occur with illicit substances like heroin. All drugs can cause an overdose, including prescription and pharmaceutical medications. Often, it is a combination of drugs that results in an overdose. For instance, many substances have a sedative or depressant effect on the body where they slow the vital body activities including breathing and the heart rate. These substances are often prescribed or taken to alleviate pain, assist with sleep, or used recreationally like alcohol. However, when taken in excessive amounts or in combination, they can depress normal functions until breathing and the heart eventually stop, resulting in an overdose and potential death.”
International Overdose Awareness Day is also an opportunity to promote the lifesaving medication Naloxone. Naloxone reverses the effects of opioids and provides opportunities for opioid overdoses to be treated immediately. Naloxone is now available as an intranasal device (Nyxoid) and is easy and safe for people to use at home.
People can access free Naloxone and information about how to use it from a community pharmacist or WRAD. WRAD will also provide education sessions for interested community members.
People can get more information about drugs, overdose and overdose death prevention such as the use of Nyxoid by contacting WRAD on 5564 5777. WRAD and Handbury Medical Suites now provides after hours support on Mondays, Tuesday and Thursday from 6pm-8:30pm, with appointments available with GPs and drug and alcohol clinicians.
For drug and alcohol issues, call Directline 1800 888236, or WRAD 55 645777
A Warrnambool man who reflected on the “absolute carnage” he was leaving in his path of self-destruction has won the 2022 WRAD short story competition.
The entry `First Light’ by Mark Gavin has won first prize in the competition that followed the theme Change, Challenge and a Brighter Future in Recovery.
“I was living my life like an episode of Jackass,” Mr Gavin admits in his story.
“I would wear my excessive use of drugs and alcohol like a badge of pride, thinking I was some sort of champion,” he wrote. “All the time I was failing to see what wreckage and absolute carnage I was leaving in my wake of self-destruction. My path to a premature death lay before me and I had my foot firmly on the accelerator.”
However, Mr Gavin points to a day when he stopped using alcohol, drugs and cigarettes at the same time. “A few days later I saw the world come into high definition…I got the chance to start over.”
Mr Gavin admits his recovery hasn’t been all “roses and fairy floss” but says there is a beautiful peace and calmness to it, saying the first light of day “glows upon me like a beacon to the future”.
The competition received about a dozen entries, including stories from parents who cared for children with substance use issues and from people who have recovered from their own problems.
Second prize went to `Last Week’, an anonymous entry detailing a series of communications between a mother and son.
“It’s always been about loving unconditionally; never giving up the hope for change, never losing sight of the small things to be grateful for,” the mother wrote.
Third prize was another anonymous entry `The Yellow Card’, a story of hope about a card with a message kept by a father who had been through recovery.
The Paul Jennings award was won by Kayleearne Clyde for her submission `Strength in Recovery’, detailing her five-year addiction to methamphetamines and her three years in recovery.
“If you are thinking about starting your recovery journey, then you have already taken the first step,” she wrote. “Recovery is not something that happens overnight, it is a lifetime journey and something I will continue to work on. But it has been worth it.”
Judges said that all entries had presented emotional and inspiring stories of recovery. “Selecting a winner was a difficult task. All the writers deserve special recognition for documenting their brave recovery stories,” the judges said.
The winners share total prize money of $2,500.
WRAD will feature some of the winning stories on its website and will publish a booklet highlighting many of the entries.
For drug and alcohol issues, call Directline 1800 888236, or WRAD 55 645777
Caption: Mark Gavin, Kayleearne Clyde with WRAD Director Geoff Soma and Patron Paul Jennings
WRAD was saddened to hear the news of Archie Roach’s passing. Archie was one of WRAD’S patrons and he will be missed. His songs and brave and triumphant stories will live on and serve as an inspiration to those who are engaged in substance misuse recovery. His kindness and his encouraging words will be remembered always. We offer our condolences to his family on this very sad occasion.
Great South Coast Consortium Clinical Team Leader Chris Kendall is now providing clinical oversight for the Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre (WRAD) and Portland District Health (PDH) Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) teams in a newly created position.
Mr Kendall had previously undertaken a team leader role for WRAD, which had a clinical caseload similar to the position at PDH. Both positions became vacant and following a review, a decision was made to join the management part of the roles across both sites.
“It is the first time the Great South Consortium has worked together to share roles across the region where the person is working across both programs,” WRAD Director Geoff Soma said.
Mr Kendall is employed by WRAD and sub-contracted to PDH. He works two days per week in Portland and three days in Warrnambool.
The role involves supervising staff and providing leadership for projects such as Sliding Doors and Dual Diagnosis.
“This strengthens the collaboration between PDH and WRAD as we can share knowledge, resources and training,” Mr Soma said.
PDH’s existing AOD team members will continue to provide the same level of services to the Glenelg and Southern Grampians regions.
PDH Executive Director of Primary Care Services, Margaret Cadenhead, said the new arrangement would strengthen care pathways for clients and resources for the workforce.
“We are already part of a regional model and this new arrangement is in line with mental health reforms that look at integrated and partnership care and dual diagnosis support,” Ms Cadenhead said.
“This strengthens the whole team by allowing us to combine with a specialist AOD organisation and benefit from WRAD’s expertise.”
The new position also addresses key strategies in the Wimmera-South West AOD Catchment Action Plan compiled by the Primary Health Network, and builds on a joint arrangement with WRAD to provide a pharmacotherapy clinic at PDH one day per week.
Ms Cadenhead said it was planned to expand counselling services between Portland, Hamilton and Warrnambool.
WRAD is the lead agency in the Great South Coast consortium and provides a range of services including counselling, care recovery, non-residential withdrawal, non-residential rehabilitation, family reunification, brief interventions, overdose prevention, dual diagnosis services and assertive outreach.
For drug and alcohol issues, call Directline 1800 888236, or WRAD 55 645777
Victoria’s peak alcohol and other drug organisation has used its first board meeting in Warrnambool to call for destigmatising of AOD issues.
The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) Board met in Warrnambool on Friday June 17 and later hosted a South West AOD forum in conjunction with Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre (WRAD) to look for home-grown solutions for the local community.
VAADA President Dr Tamsin Short said there was a great window for change but people need to reconsider how they perceive AOD issues.
“There’s often a stigma within a stigma – firstly around mental health and then a further stigma around alcohol and other drugs,” Dr Short said.
“We need to shift community understanding about alcohol and other drug (AOD) issues to it being recognised as a health issue.
“I would love to see every news article with a link on how to get AOD help, like there is with articles about suicide and mental health.
“There are good supports available; services like WRAD are doing really great work, even though resources are limited.”
Dr Short said AOD issues could happen to anyone in any part of society.
“Non-stigmatising language around AOD is a massive issue that needs to be addressed,” she said. “We need to get the message across that people should be able to access treatment and not be marginalised.”
Dr Short said the Royal Commission into Mental Health recommended services be more accessible. “Mental health is going through a period of change so now is a good time to engage to ensure services are more accessible for people with AOD.”
Executive officer Sam Biondo said it was the first time VAADA had held a board meeting in Warrnambool as part of its annual country visiting program.
Mr Biondo said he was impressed by the services offered at WRAD.
“It was very positive to hear how WRAD is supporting people by developing and implementing an innovative and accessible dual diagnosis service,” he said. “It’s exciting because it has the potential to be used by other organisations around the state. Warrnambool is showing the way.”
Mr Biondo said regional residential rehabilitation was vital because of the “tyranny of distance” and the need for people, including those in Aboriginal communities, to remain close to home in recovery.
“Western Victoria is known to be a hot spot for alcohol consumption and rehabilitation should be local, not hundreds of kilometres away in Geelong or Melbourne,” he said.
“WRAD is well positioned with wrap-around services including a GP clinic, addiction medicine psychiatrist, psychologist and a broad sweep of services that make it ideally placed to provide residential rehab.
“The south-west is the only catchment without residential rehab in Victoria.”
For drug and alcohol issues, call Directline 1800 888236, or WRAD 55 645777
People in recovery from substance misuse can share their stories and inspire others to follow their lead in a writing competition organised by the Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre (WRAD).
The short story competition across the Great South Coast will follow the theme Change, Challenge and a Brighter Future in Recovery.
The inaugural writing competition in 2021 attracted more than 20 entries and helped to break down stigma associated with addiction and helped people tell their important stories.
WRAD Director Geoff Soma said the competition was so successful in celebrating recovering and that it was decided to revive it in 2022.
“It’s important to get personal stories out into the community to improve understanding about substance misuse and the role treatment can play in recovery,” Mr Soma said. “This competition is about encouraging hope and celebrating people’s journey along the road to recovery.”
People who are in recovery are being invited to tell their stories, along with friends and family. Personal entries are preferred but people can also make anonymous submissions. Fictional stories will also be considered as part of the competition.
Total prize money of $2,500 is being offered and winning stories will be published on WRAD’s website and social media platforms, newsletter with excerpts highlighted in the local media.
Warrnambool-based author and WRAD patron Paul Jennings is again supporting the competition.
Mr Jennings said the previous competition had significantly changed people’s lives. “The authors were rewarded with the knowledge that their stories had encouraged others who were still struggling with addiction and many parents, siblings and friends of sufferers had been moved by the stories of hope and courage so generously shared,” he said. “As a bonus, many of the entrants had discovered their own previously unrecognised literary talents.”
Mr Soma said WRAD wanted to generate discussion and understanding about substance misuse issues and to promote that treatment does work.
“Discussing substance misuse and recovery helps to destigmatise the problems and sharing personal stories will hopefully inspire more people to seek help and start their own journey,” he said.
The stories have a 1000-word limit. The competition starts on June 6 and entries must be lodged by July 29. For more information, people can contact competition organiser Rick Bayne on 0418 140489.
Submissions can be lodged to The WRAD Centre 172 Merri St, Warrnambool or email info@wrad.org.au or mediamastersvic@bigpond.com.
WRAD’s fourth mural has added a vibrant splash of colour to our walls.
Melbourne-based artist Marco Pennacchia completed the stunning image of a southern right whale and her calf.
Check out our new video about the Sliding Doors non-residential rehab program
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