VAADA - The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association

07/10/2025

We’re deeply concerned about the future of Reconnexion — Australia’s only dedicated treatment service for benzodiazepine dependence — after the Victorian government slashed nearly 40% of its funding in 2024.

This cut comes at a critical time: almost 50% of fatal overdoses in Victoria now involve benzodiazepines, per the 2024 Coroner’s Drug Report.

Reconnexion has, for decades, provided specialised tapering programs, counselling support, and peer support networks. But with staffing and services already reduced (peer support groups cancelled, fewer counsellors), staff warn the service may not survive if funding isn’t restored.

If Reconnexion disappears, we risk leaving people in crisis without any specialist support. GPs have also expressed concern about the downstream burden on hospital services and general practice.

We cannot afford to lose this service. Please share, speak up, and advocate for restoring Reconnexion’s funding dignity.
📖 Read the article in the Herald Sun: https://ow.ly/KI2150X8eak

03/10/2025

🌿 We are honoured to announce the appointment of Aunty Suzanne Nelson (Yorta Yorta & Wiradjuri woman) as Co-Chair of our newly formed Aboriginal Advisory Committee.

This Committee will guide VAADA’s first Aboriginal Engagement Plan, strengthening cultural safety in how we work and supporting self-determination and better health outcomes for First Peoples.

Aunty Suzanne brings over five decades of experience in health and community, and a deep holistic approach to wellbeing. We look forward to walking this important journey together.
👉Read about Aunty Suzanne's appointment and our Pledge:
https://ow.ly/tMkc50X5XU1

01/10/2025

🌈 Some of the VAADA team attended a half-day forum yesterday, launching research findings from Futures of Substance studies of LGBTQ+ substance use.

The study, conducted in partnership with Thorne Harbour Health and La Trobe University is funded through a VAADA ADRIA Research Grant. The study investigated le***an, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and q***r (LGBTIQ+) people’s experiences with and understandings of alcohol and other drug use, with a focus on how LGBTIQ+ people who use alcohol and other drugs come to view their use as a concern, and how they seek support. You can find out more and access resources here 👉 https://www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/work/futures-of-substance

The forum also launched findings from the QSOX project, a longitudinal qualitative study exploring alcohol, to***co, and va**ng among le***an, bisexual and q***r women in Victoria and New South Wales.

Pictured below from left to right:
🔴 Professor Adam Bourne, Australian Research Centre in S*x, Health and Society
🟠 Dr Ruby Grant, Australian Research Centre in S*x, Health and Society
🟡 Dr Gene Lim, Australian Research Centre in S*x, Health and Society
🟢 Scott Drummond, VAADA
🔵 Dr James Petty, Australian Drug Foundation
🟣 Jane Moreton, VAADA

Find out more about VAADA's ADRIA Grants 👉 https://www.vaada.org.au/adria/

24/09/2025

The Allan Labor Government has announced a $36M residential alcohol & other drugs facility in The Mallee – the first of its kind in the region.

The 30-bed centre will be ran by Sunraysia Community Health Services with local partners, Mildura Base Public Hospital, Odyssey Victoria and Mallee District Aboriginal Services - MDAS. The facility will make it easier for people to access treatment for alcohol and drug use closer to home and their community.

Read More 👉

The Allan Labor Government is making it easier for people in the Mallee to access the mental health support and treatment they need, with the community today getting a first look at the new $36 million residential alcohol and other drugs facility in Merbein.Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt re...

24/09/2025

Melbourne City Council’s $2M plan to boost street security officers to respond to public drinking and begging runs the risk of harming the very people who need support - those facing homelessness, substance use, and mental health challenges.

True community safety comes from care, trust and support, not punitive measures that increase stigma and risk of harm.

We’re calling for investment in housing, health, and harm reduction to build a city grounded in compassion and dignity. 💛

Read our submission letter to the Future Melbourne Committee 👉 https://www.vaada.org.au/submission-future-melbourne-committee/

23/09/2025

VAADA are proud to support initiatives that recognise the leadership and impact of the peer workforce in harm reduction. The Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League - AIVL Network Awards highlight the importance of lived and living experience in benefiting the communities of people who use drugs.

Nominate someone here: https://aivl.org.au/aivl-network-awards-2025-nominations-open-now/?fbclid=IwY2xjawM-w19leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFKdzhsZ2FBQWVTTmxjRVlhAR4VWu09AvbRdpqRPknLnPkIAq7dgP6mjuHejAJr_aGSnb5W9z5KU06-iLde7Q_aem_ZSbzAdDS5DnaMzei-CUs4g

The AIVL Network Awards celebrate the talent of our peer workforce and their vital contributions to harm reduction, using lived and living experience to support and strengthen communities of people who use drugs. Submit your nominations here: https://aivl.org.au/aivl-network-awards-2025-nominations-open-now/

22/09/2025

We are saddened by the news that the Queensland Government has moved to ban pill testing. This decision seriously undermines our ability to protect Australians from adulterated, highly hazardous substances. The evolving illicit drug market has greatly increased access to dangerous substances, creating a greater population-wide need for drug checking.

Drug checking services have a national benefit. The risk from adulterated substances does not respect state borders. By ending pill testing in Queensland, we weaken Australia’s capacity to detect and respond to public health threats from contaminated or misrepresented drugs.

The Queensland Government should reconsider and commit to evidence-based harm reduction to save lives.

21/09/2025

The Victorian Pill Testing Service recently tested two different blue tablets, both with ‘M’ stamped on one side and ‘30’ on the other. One contained N-desethyl isotonitazene and the other contained protonitazene.

Nitazenes can cause life-threatening effects in very small amounts, sometimes 100–200 times stronger than he**in.

‘M30’ tablets are often sold as oxycodone, but no oxycodone with these markings is registered in Australia. Tablets with ‘M30’ are likely counterfeit.

Signs of opioid toxicity to look out for include breathing slowly and reduced consciousness (meaning someone is hard to wake up). In some cases, there may also be tiny pupils.

If you experience adverse drug effects, or are present when someone has an unexpected reaction, seek help immediately by calling Triple Zero (000).

Learn more about this Alert, including how to access free naloxone to reverse opioid overdose, and where to access support services: https://go.vic.gov.au/3Vsj0cG

21/09/2025

Please share!
⚠️⚠️ NEW DETECTION OF NITAZENE IN LIGHT BLUE, FAKE OXY TABLETS ⚠️⚠️

18/09/2025

🌟 Member Spotlight: Sam Biondo 🌟

Our September Member Newsletter features Sam Biondo, VAADA Life Member and former Executive Officer, who has dedicated his career to improving outcomes for people affected by alcohol and other drugs.

From community legal services to sector leadership, Sam’s work has championed harm reduction, evidence-based policy, and the importance of lived experience.

👉 Read Sam’s story in this month’s newsletter: https://ow.ly/MVqF50WZ7xr

✉️ Would you like to be featured? Let us know by commenting below or emailing us at: vaada@vaada.org.au

18/09/2025

📊 🔍 The First VAADABase AOD Sector Insights Report (2024–25) has been released! The first data report from our sector-wide collaboration.

Since 2023, 17 AOD agencies have partnered with VAADA and Latitude Network to securely share de-identified client data and co-design dashboards that reveal sector wide trends in a timely manner.

The report shows key insights from 60K+ closed service events across 126 outlets. A few highlights...

👨 Most common profile: Males aged 30–39, alcohol as primary drug, mood disorder diagnosis
🧠 68% of clients reported a mental health diagnosis
🍾 Alcohol, stimulants & cannabinoids were top presenting drugs
🗺️ Regional areas showed higher methamphetamine treatment rates

Read the full report 👉 https://www.vaada.org.au/aod-sector-insights-report/

Want to join the VAADABase? More info 👉 https://www.vaada.org.au/vaadabase/

17/09/2025

🚫 Victoria is set to cut thousands of graduate nurse and midwife positions in 2026 — a big challenge for already stretched sectors like Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD). These graduates are essential to frontline care, from detox to community outreach. With workforce shortages already impacting service delivery, we can’t afford to lose them.

Alongside the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), we’re calling on the Victorian Government to employ all of the 2026 graduate nurses and protect the future of AOD services.

✍️ Add your voice here: https://www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/keep-victorian-graduate-nurses-and-midwives-in-the-workforce

This short-sighted decision will create an avoidable shortage of nurses and midwives in the future, a strain on the current nursing and midwifery workforce and increased pressure on the public and private healthcare systems. To provide the healthcare services the Victorian community needs we must ke...