Alcohol and other drug consumption
ARCSHS has consolidated a reputation for groundbreaking research in the areas of alcohol and other drug consumption, particularly (though not only) as they relate to sex and gender.
Our research in this area aims to understand the rich social dynamics at work in relation to alcohol and other drug consumption, and within this theme we have explored a wide range of issues over many years.
These include:
- how LGBTIQ+ communities experience, conceptualise and respond to drug-related harms
- the relationship between alcohol and other drug consumption, gender and human rights
- young people’s experiences of drug consumption and drug education
- pharmaceutical practices, including body enhancement or augmentation practices
- stigma and discrimination related to alcohol and other drugs
- opportunities to reduce harms that can sometimes be associated with alcohol and other drug consumption
Our projects include:
- Drugs and human rights
- Understanding the role of trauma in alcohol and other drug-related problems to improve policy and services
- Addressing gender and sexuality in drug education - Developing effective and ethical drug education
- Drugs and human rights - A world-first ‘post-human rights’ framework for drug policy: Improving social, economic and health outcomes
- Gender, Law and Drugs Program
- Futures of Substance - Exploring LGBTIQ+ people's determinations of ‘problematic’ use
- QSOX - Cultural practices of alcohol use, vaping and smoking among lesbian, bisexual and queer women
- Understanding the role of anti-ageing cosmetic non-surgical practices in health, gender and ageing
- Overdose Lifesavers - Personal stories of opioid overdose and the use of take-home naloxone to save lives
- Lives of Substance - Personal stories of alcohol or other drug addiction, dependence or habit
- Drugs, Gender and Sexuality Program
- Optimise+ - Strengthening LGBTQ+ community-controlled mental health and AOD services.
Human rights and drug policy: Report launch and workshop
This event marks the culmination of a four-year research project undertaken in order to learn more about the relationship between human rights and drug policy, including:
- Whether human rights are a useful framework to guide reform, especially for specific populations sometimes critical of rights (such as women and LGTBQIA+ populations);
- How rights can guide reforms; and
- What it would take to move towards a more rights-compliant future.
The launch included presentations from lead investigator Kate Seaar and research officer Sean Mulcahy, as well as Chris Gough from CAHMA, and two panels, one featuring Rachel Payne MP, Aiv Puglielli MP and Fiona Patten, current and former members of the Victorian Legislative Council, and the second with Ele Morrison (AIVL), Chris Gough (CAHMA), Nick Kent (Harm Reduction Vic) and Alejandra Zuluaga (ARCSHS).