Substance Misuse
Menzies now has a team of researchers focusing on substance misuse. This will develop the work that has been already carried out examining the impacts of substance misuse on communities and families. In a previous study of the patterns of petrol sniffing in a remote Indigenous community Senior and Chenhall (2008)12 made the observation that prohibition of one substance led to the substitution of another, in this case marijuana. This substitution led to a number of serious and possibly unexpected effects. Senior and Chenhall argued that interventions that were implemented without consultation, without a detailed and grounded knowledge of the community and without addressing the fundamental social determinants of substance misuse, may have detrimental impacts.
The substance misuse team is also currently working on a CRC Aboriginal Health-funded project evaluating the impacts of the Balunu Foundation. Balunu is an Indigenous run intervention for at risk Indigenous youth, who are involved in criminal activities and in drug and alcohol abuse. The project has involved exploring the life aspirations and perceived quality of life of youth involved in the program and working with Balunu to develop interventions which most effectively meet the needs of such youth. At the same time, we are developing measures to demonstrate the effectiveness of this intervention so that it becomes a model of the most appropriate way to intervene with at risk Indigenous youth. Again, this research provides a model of appropriate consultation, working with Indigenous organisations and exploration of the issues that effect youth, which was perhaps missing in the Emergency Response.
Chenhall and Senior are also currently working with residential alcohol and drug treatment programs to develop effective evaluation frameworks (Carson et al., 2007)13. Residential alcohol and drug treatment centres have significant networks within different communities in the NT and provide their service with Indigenous people suffering from alcohol and drug problems as well as developing capacity within communities in the form of education and training around substance misuse. They received little consultation throughout the NT Emergency Response.
While the NT Emergency Response Team has focused on the reduction of supply of alcohol, a comprehensive substance misuse strategy needs to incorporate a broader perspective in order to have a long term effect. This will include a focus on demand reduction and harm minimisation. However, supply reduction strategies can provide the impetus for communities to develop and engage with stakeholders to implement a comprehensive community led substance misuse strategy.
12. Senior, K and Chenhall, R, (2008) ‘Lukumbat marawana: a changing pattern of drug use by youth in a remote Aboriginal community’, Australian Journal of Rural Health, 16: 75-79.
13. Carson, B, Dunbar, T, Chenhall, R. C and Bailie, R (2007) The Social determinants of Indigenous Health, Allen and Unwin, Sydney.