Assessing the Processes and Experiences of Using and Implementing a Routine Data Collection System at Two Aboriginal Alcohol and Other Drug Residential Services Located in Rural Queensland.

Introduction: Routine data collection in alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services is essential for continuous quality improvement, yet its implementation in Aboriginal residential services remains challenging. This study evaluates the processes and experiences of implementing a routine data collection system at two Aboriginal AOD residential rehabilitation services in rural Queensland, both of which operate under a family-centric model of care.

Methods: A participatory evaluation approach was used, engaging staff and clients to co-design and implement data collection tools.

A scoping review of key domains for youth outcome measurement in alcohol and other drug treatment.

Introduction: The alcohol and other drug treatment needs of young people differ from adults. It is important that outcomes measured in this client population are meaningful and use tools that are validated among young people. However, there has been no research to date that has looked at which outcomes and tools are most relevant for this population.

Online SMART Recovery mutual-help groups: a comparison of the characteristics and experiences of men living in rural and urban regions of Australia.

Introduction: Harms arising from alcohol and other drug (AOD) use are disproportionately felt by men living in rural locations. The detrimental impact of AOD use is compounded by a range of barriers to help-seeking. Online recovery support services (including mutual-help groups) are increasingly used to reach people who might not otherwise seek support for AOD use.

The Association Between the Nonmedical use of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids and Interpersonal Violence: A Meta-Analysis.

The nonmedical use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) by athletes and the general population is a public health concern. One particular concern relates to the link between AAS use and violence. Although there is a growing body of research on the association between AAS and violence, results as to what the relationship is seem to be mixed.

Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Use Patterns and Steroid Use Disorders in a Sample of Male Gym Visitors.

Introduction: The use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) and other image- and performance-enhancing drugs is a growing public health concern. AAS use is associated with various physical and mental harms, including cardiovascular risks, cognitive deficiencies, and dependence. The aim of this study was to determine whether patterns of AAS use and other variables are associated with the presence of an AAS use disorder (AASUD).

Human enhancement drugs and Armed Forces: an overview of some key ethical considerations of creating 'Super-Soldiers'.

There is a long history and growing evidence base that the use of drugs, such as anabolic-androgenic steroids, to enhance human performance is common amongst armed forces, including in Australia. We should not be surprised that this might have occurred for it has long been predicted by observers. It is a commonplace of many recent discussion of the future of warfare and future military technology to proclaim the imminent arrival of Super Soldiers, whose capacities are modified via drugs, digital technology and genetic engineering, in ways that increase their performance exponentially.

Are market mechanisms associated with alcohol and other drug treatment outcomes?

Background And Aims: The configuration of alcohol and other drug treatment service systems has been influenced by the uptake of market mechanisms for treatment funding and purchasing. This study measured the impact of market mechanisms for funding and purchasing alcohol and drug treatment services on client outcomes.

Design: An observational cross-sectional study, employing multi-level analysis: episodes of care data, nested within person-level data, nested within treatment site and nested within organization.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Male Strength Athletes Who Use Non-prescribed Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids.

One sub-population potentially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are strength athletes who use anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). We examined links between disruption in AAS use and training due to the pandemic and mental health outcomes in this population, hypothesising: (a) the pandemic would be linked with reduced training and AAS use; and (b) athletes perceiving greater impact on their training and AAS use would report increases in detrimental mental health outcomes. Male strength athletes using AAS ( = 237) from 42 countries completed an online questionnaire in May 2020.

The pharmaceuticalisation of 'healthy' ageing: Testosterone enhancement for longevity.

The United Nations estimates that the world's population will reach 8.5 billion by 2030, and the populations of most countries are expected to grow older. This is case for many developed countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, and member states of the European Union.

Testing the boundaries: Self-medicated testosterone replacement and why it is practised.

Background: Testosterone is used therapeutically in medical settings. Non-prescribed testosterone use is typically illegal, described as 'enhancement' or 'doping', and considered a problem. However, research has found that some non-prescribed testosterone use may be therapeutic (i.

Perceptions of purchasing and payment mechanisms in alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia: A qualitative study involving alcohol and other drug service providers and purchasers of treatment.

Introduction And Aims: Governments across the globe invest considerable amounts in funding alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment. Little attention however has been paid to the ways AOD service providers are chosen and how they are paid. This study sought to examine the perceptions of Australian AOD treatment purchasers and providers regarding different purchasing and payment mechanisms.

The impact of rurality on opioid-related harms: A systematic review of qualitative research.

Introduction: Over the past decade, there has been mounting recognition that opioid use and related mortality and morbidity is a significant public health problem in rural, non-urban areas across the globe. Taking what has been termed the 'opioid crisis' as a starting off point, this article aims to systematically review the qualitative literature on the ways in which rurality shapes the risk for opioid-related harm.

Methods: A systematic review was undertaken using database searches and secondary reference list searches for qualitative literature on rural and non-urban opioid-related harms.

Seeking legitimacy for broad understandings of substance use.

This commentary invites discussion about implicit and explicit factors that impede research about substance use from a nuanced perspective that recognises potential benefits and advantages. It is argued that explicit efforts to engage in scholarship beyond those informed by theoretical and philosophical assumptions that substance use is inherently risky and problematic can enhance genuine inquisition about substance use and transform which discourses and interpretations are legitimised. Prioritisation of scholarly funding and publication has largely been predicated on the notion that illicit substances pose an inherent risk for individual and social harm.

Overview of "home" cultivation policies and the case for community-based cannabis supply.

Background: Cannabis policies should be relevant to communities most impacted by them. Home cultivation policies can engage people who grow cannabis and build on their motivation to supply a safe product. This paper aims to examine the laws pertaining to "home" (i.

The emergence of Exercise Addiction, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and other image-related psychopathological correlates in fitness settings: A cross sectional study.

Introduction: In a society that perpetuates the strive for a perfect appearance, a fit body has become synonymous with success, but simultaneously hard to achieve. This represents a fertile ground for the development of Exercise Addiction (EA) alongside other disorders, such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). This study aims to explore the diffusion of EA in fitness settings in the United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Hungary and the previously unexplored association with appearance anxiety, BDD, self-esteem and the use of fitness supplements.

Health risk and health seeking behaviours among people who inject performance and image enhancing drugs who access needle syringe programs in Australia.

Introduction And Aims: People who use performance and image enhancing drugs (PIED) are a growing population in needle syringe programs (NSP) in Australia. Previous international research has identified heterogeneity among the PIED-using population. This study investigated health behaviours among NSP attendees who had recently (last 12 months) injected PIEDs and examined differences among this group according to recent psychoactive drug use.

The burgeoning recognition and accommodation of the social supply of drugs in international criminal justice systems: An eleven-nation comparative overview.

Background: It is now commonly accepted that there exists a form of drug supply, that involves the non-commercial supply of drugs to friends and acquaintances for little or no profit, which is qualitatively different from profit motivated 'drug dealing proper'. 'Social supply', as it has become known, has a strong conceptual footprint in the United Kingdom, shaped by empirical research, policy discussion and its accommodation in legal frameworks. Though scholarship has emerged in a number of contexts outside the UK, the extent to which social supply has developed as an internationally recognised concept in criminal justice contexts is still unclear.

Exploring the relationship between online buyers and sellers of image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs): Quality issues, trust and self-regulation.

Background: Online drug markets are expanding the boundaries of drug supply including the sale and purchase of image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs). However, the role of the internet in IPED markets, and in particular the ways in which these substances are supplied via the surface web, has rarely been considered. This article examines the online IPED market in order to inform drug policy and to provide a nuanced understanding of retailers involved, particularly exploring the relationship between buyers and sellers.

Social suppliers: Exploring the cultural contours of the performance and image enhancing drug (PIED) market among bodybuilders in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Background: This paper explores the understudied phenomenon of performance and image enhancing drug (PIED) markets by examining the structure and formation of the market for PIEDs among bodybuilders in the Netherlands and Belgium. This article specifically seeks to account for individual reasons and motivations for dealing PIEDs within these bodybuilding subcultures. Understanding illicit PIED markets is important for policy decisions as knowledge on the production and distribution of these substances may assist in designing law enforcement efforts, harm reduction initiatives and treatment options.