Alcohol and other drugs contribute to premature death, disability and social exclusion. Attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol and other drugs change rapidly, particularly among young people. New substances such as synthetic opioids like nitazenes can emerge at any time.
In Australia, premature death caused by alcohol cost $2.6 billion in the year to June 2018, according to the National Drug Research Institute. The cost of lost quality of life due to alcohol was $20.7 billion. The total cost to Australia of alcohol use was $66.8 billion.
More than 645,000 Australians used extra-medical opioids in the year to June 2016 and over 70,000 years of life were lost to premature death.
Extra-medical opioids are those that were not taken as part of a prescription or medical treatment.
New substances can gain in popularity at any time, presenting new challenges.
Burnet studies these issues and takes a harm reduction approach to tackling them. This means we focus more on reducing drug-related harm and the negative impacts of substance use rather than solely trying to prevent it.
People who use alcohol and other drugs frequently face stigma and discrimination. Harmful stereotypes continue to influence public attitudes and government policy responses.
For example, when women who use or inject drugs become pregnant, they may be fearful of attending health services for necessary checkups due to the stigma associated with drug use. This means they may miss out on vital care and monitoring – a danger to the health of mother and child.
Novel psychoactive substances including synthetic opioids are emerging more frequently in drug markets. This requires rapid analysis to detect and respond to potential harms.
Among young people, attitudes to alcohol and other drugs and related behaviours shift rapidly. Smoking rates have dropped among this group, but vaping has surged. Nicotine pouches have become popular among young people. Nicotine pouches are small bags of synthetic nicotine placed between the lips and gums and absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream. Harms related to nicotine pouches are poorly understood.
Our work is multidisciplinary, reflecting the complex nature of alcohol and other drug use. We combine social, behavioural and clinical research to help develop evidence-based policy and practice with the aim of harm reduction. We apply this research to projects embedded in the community to drive lasting change.
Burnet has long-standing relationships with people who use drugs, co-designing research and programs with them. This includes:
We commit to outreach, including mobile settings, to meet people on their own terms. For example, our SuperMIX study runs from mobile vans which visit different health services and sites around Melbourne.
Our vision is ethical, equitable and designed for long-term engagement. For example, we focus on healthy ageing, creating opportunities for people who use alcohol and other drugs to have fulfilling lives as they get older.
We also work in justice health—healthcare for people with current or historical involvement in the criminal justice system.
Worldwide, people involved in the criminal justice system are disproportionately affected by social disadvantage, chronic ill health, preventable disease and poor mental health.
Current drug policy in Australia means there are disproportionately high rates of people who use drugs in prisons.
Our research builds evidence and influences policy and practice to improve health outcomes for people with a history of involvement in the criminal justice system. The Forest is an example of how we have used our research—and input from people with lived experience – to inform a proposed public health model that addresses the underlying causes of incarceration and reincarceration.
We contribute to national policy and guideline development through government submissions and our membership on advisory panels including the National Drug Strategy Household Survey.
We collaborate with agencies such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Our involvement supports the development of approaches at state and federal levels that are developed with people who use drugs.
We support international projects through WHO and UN partners in Central Asia, Ukraine and Pacific island countries.
We’re renowned for our cohort studies, which have produced new evidence with wide-ranging impact.
Cohort studies follow groups of people over time to see how factors such as habits or exposures can affect their health. These studies enable us to evaluate policy interventions and the impacts that policy has on health outcomes for people who use drugs.
MIXMAX is the largest active cohort study of people who use drugs in Australia. It combines 2 pre-existing studies:
We seek to understand how alcohol and other drugs affect the health of young people. We are able to do this effectively by asking young people how they want to engage in research.
Our long-running Sex, Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll study tracks annual patterns of consumption and the impact of health policies on young people.
The Mobile Intervention for Drinking in Young People (MIDY) study collected data on binge drinking. Young people would answer questions sent to them as text messages on their mobile phone while out drinking at night.
Bringing together universities, consumer organisations and research institutes, we launched the Centre for Research Excellence into Injecting Drug Use. CREIDU builds community knowledge about injecting drug use, improving policy and practice for the benefit of all.
Our research has influenced and improved policies around substance use and service provision. These studies have uncovered new evidence about associated harms and evaluated the effectiveness of health programs and the methods used to treat such harms.
The Medical Journal of Australia
Jocelyn Chan, M. David Curtis, Rebecca Winter
Addiction
Emma Vieira, Nicholas Taylor, Michael Livingston, Emma Vieira, Nicholas Taylor, Michael Livingston
Drug and Alcohol Review
Michael Livingston, Nicholas Taylor, Jessica Howell, M. David Curtis, Paul Dietze
Health & Justice
Kasun Rathnayake, Shelley Walker, Paul Dietze, Peter Higgs, Bernadette Ward, Margaret Hellard, Joseph Doyle, Mark Stoové, Lisa Maher, Shelley Walker
International Journal of Drug Policy
Oisin Stronach, Paul Dietze, Michael Livingston, Amanda Roxburgh, Oisin Stronach, Paul Dietze, Michael Livingston, Amanda Roxburgh
Drug and Alcohol Review
Paul Dietze, Ashleigh C. Stewart, Penny Hill, Bridget Draper, M. David Curtis, Amy Kirwan
Binge drinking is a significant public health issue in Australia, but current health promotion strategies for reducing binge drinking are largely ineffective.
We describe the prevalence and clinical impact of concurrent liver diseases among people undergoing liver transplantation for liver cirrhosis and liver cancer in Australia and New Zealand
Every year, we survey young people about their sexual health, drug use, mental health and wellbeing. That data informs public health policies and programs.