Drugs & Alcohol

Sex, Schoolies and the Age of Consent

The annual pilgrimage to schoolies for tens of thousands of high school graduates can throw up some tricky questions ... about sex. The migration of teenagers to different states creates murky legal dilemmas, particularly around the issue of consent. In Queensland, a popular destination for schoolies celebrations, the age of consent for sodomy is 18, compared [...]

What’s a ‘Skittles Party’?

Before attending a skittles parties, teenagers raid their parent's medicine cabinets and get their hands on as much medication as they can. At the party, they pool the prescription and over-the-counter drugs they've gathered into a communal bowl. Partygoers then take handfuls of pills, often with alcohol to get high. The parties, also known as [...]

Psychiatry’s Mind-Brain Problem

Recently, a psychiatric study on first episodes of psychosis made front-page news. People seemed quite surprised by the finding: that treatment programs that emphasized low doses of psychotropic drugs, along with individual psychotherapy, family education and a focus on social adaptation, resulted in decreased symptoms and increased wellness. But the real surprise — and disappointment [...]

Alcohol, Schoolies and Setting Limits with Our Teens 

Research tells us clearly that teens and alcohol don't mix. (In fact, medical studies routinely suggest that humans and alcohol don't mix!) One in ten teens have a regrettable sexual experience related to alcohol consumption. One in five injure themselves while drunk. And the earlier our kids start drinking, the greater the risk of alcohol [...]

FARE Study Finds Many People Think It’s Okay to Give Other People’s Kids Alcohol

Would you give alcohol to another person's child? Nearly a third of people say it's OK, if the kids are in a safe environment. A study from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) has found people tend to think supplying alcohol to teenagers is much less morally concerning than other illegal alcohol related [...]

By |2020-10-30T17:07:54+11:00November 13th, 2015|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

League Immortal Andrew Johns Apologises for ‘Disgraceful’ Behaviour at Toowoomba Airport

Apology: Andrew Johns. Photo: Getty Images Johns was named the game's eighth Immortal in 2012 ahead of contenders Norm Provan, Ron Coote and Mal Meninga. Johns' on-field achievements were never in doubt. However, his elevation was met coolly by some, who felt his behaviour off the field did not live up to the title. - [...]

Both Talk Therapy and Medication May Be Less Effective for Depression

tumblr.com The benefits of talk therapy for depression have been overstated in the scientific literature, according to a study in the journal PLOS ONE. The finding comes several years after a similar study reached the same conclusion about antidepressant drugs. Both talk therapy and antidepressant drugs "are efficacious," says Steven Hollon, a professor [...]

Debunking the Ice Epidemic

The ice epidemic! New stories, new perspectives every day in the news. But what is really happening? Are we facing an ice epidemic? I want to begin by highlighting the truths and myths of ice use in Australia. Let’s start with the latest research. According to the 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 2.1% of [...]

The Lancet Criticises PHE E-cig Report for Weak Evidence 

A highly publicised study by Public Health England (PHE) that claimed that e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful than tobacco has been attacked by medical journal The Lancet for relying on weak evidence. - Daniel Culpan Source: The Lancet criticises PHE e-cig report for weak evidence (Wired UK) Image from Unsplash

By |2020-10-30T17:12:44+11:00September 11th, 2015|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments
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