Drug and alcohol review
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Drug and alcohol review · Jan 2014
Case ReportsFrom oxycodone to heroin: two cases of transitioning opioid use in young Australians.
The non-medical use of pharmaceutical opioids is associated with a range of negative health consequences, including the development of dependence, emergency room presentations and overdose deaths. ⋯ These cases represent the first documented reports of transitions from the non-medical or recreational use of oxycodone to intravenous heroin use in Australia. As such, they represent an important starting point for the examination of pharmaceutical opioids as a pathway to injecting drug use among young Australians and highlight the need for further research designed to identify pharmaceutical opioids users at risk of transitions to injecting and to develop interventions designed to prevent or delay these transitions.
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Drug and alcohol review · Nov 2013
Aboriginal people in remote communities in Arnhem Land (Northern Territory) restrict their smoking in some environments: Implications for developing and implementing interventions to reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.
In Arnhem Land's remote Aboriginal communities [Northern Territory], very high smoking rates and overcrowding mean high exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke. This study compared smokers who restrict their smoking in these environments with those who do not. ⋯ Smoke-free homes and workplaces are important opportunities to reduce exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke in remote Indigenous communities.
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Drug and alcohol review · Nov 2013
Validating a screening tool for mental health and substance use risk in an Indigenous prison population.
The Indigenous Risk Impact Screen (IRIS) is a validated culturally appropriate and widely used tool in the community for assessing substance use and mental disorder. This research aimed to assess the utility of this tool in an Indigenous prison population. ⋯ This study demonstrated that the IRIS is a valid tool for screening of alcohol and drug use risk among an incarcerated Indigenous population. The IRIS could offer an opportunity to improve the identification, treatment and health outcomes for incarcerated Indigenous adults.
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Drug and alcohol review · Sep 2013
Multicenter StudyCorrelates of pain in an in-treatment sample of opioid-dependent people.
The limited literature on pain in opioid-treatment samples indicates that it is highly prevalent. Understanding the implications of pain on treatment outcomes is important, particularly in light of ageing opioid-treatment cohorts. This study explores correlates of pain, including aberrant behaviours related to prescribed opioids. Our hypothesis is that pain may increase aberrant opioid-related behaviours, including illicit substance use, among opioid-dependent people. ⋯ The lack of association with pain and aberrant behaviours suggest that it should not be assumed that those in opioid treatment misuse medications in response to pain. The high prevalence of depression/anxiety symptoms indicates a need for further work with larger samples to explore pain and co-morbidity among opioid-dependent people.