Methamphetamine use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Intervention options for workers.

August 2019
Citation: 
Roche, A., Trifonoff, A., & Ryan, K. (2019). Methamphetamine use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: Intervention options for workers. Adelaide, South Australia: National Centre for Education and Training in Addiction (NCETA), Flinders University

Due to increasing concern about methamphetamine use and its impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, NCETA reviewed the existing research and produced a brief workforce development resource to assist the AOD sector.

The user-friendly and timely resource is designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers and people working with Aboriginal people and communities in the AOD and health sectors.

It provides workers with contemporary and evidence-based information on:

  • The prevalence of methamphetamine use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including the reasons why people choose to use the drug
  • The continuum of patterns of use i.e. from infrequent use, to frequently intoxicated but not dependent and dependent
  • Associated health, social and emotional wellbeing problems
  • How to yarn about methamphetamine particularly with young people
  • Providing practical supports to people using methamphetamine e.g., encouraging them to get lots of sleep, eat nutritional food and keeping them calm and safe
  • Options for intervention and treatment, e.g., harm reduction, assessment, Brief Interventions, counselling; withdrawal management; and the importance of providing treatment in a culturally appropriate manner
  • Tips for organisations and workers on enhancing worker wellbeing.

The resource also provides links to some of NCETA’s other workforce development resources including the Feeling Deadly, Working Deadly resource kit and the Centre’s online resource Ice: Training for Frontline Workers. It also provides links to the Cracks in the Ice website and the Australian Indigenous Alcohol and Other Drug Knowledge Centre’s AODconnect App.

Copies of Methamphetamine use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: Intervention options for workers can be downloaded from the NCETA website.

The resource was showcased in a recent webinar (on 30 July 2019) presented by NCETA’s Allan Trifonoff as part of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre’s webinar series. Click here [insert link] to view the webinar recording