Alcohol and other drugs
Support for people with alcohol or drug challenges is multifaceted and culturally constrained. NWMPHN works with communities to optimise responses.
NWMPHN commissioned AOD programs
people received support through 2286 episodes of care
of people received support for their own AOD concerns, with 28.5% self-referring into care
The health impacts of alcohol and other drugs are wide-ranging, complex and can often intersect with other aspects of physical and mental health. Harms related to substance use may also be amplified by social determinants such as income, housing, culture and isolation.
NWMPHN uses data combined with subject expertise from researchers, clinicians and people with lived experience to identify gaps in AOD treatment service delivery. These include what services are available, and where.
We then co-design, commission and fund ways to fill unmet needs in ways that are culturally inclusive and geared to local settings. Periodic and rigorous review ensures that NWMPHN-enabled services remain safe, accessible and professional.
In this section
Helping new mums
The First Thousand Days clinic is a program operated by the Royal Women’s Hospital’s Alcohol and Drug Service and funded by NWMPHN. It provides wraparound care for individuals and their infants, where the infant is at risk of development delays due to maternal drug or alcohol use during pregnancy. The ‘thousand days’ term refers to the time between conception and the child’s second birthday.
AOD stigma and discrimination
NWMPHN research indicated that in some parts of the primary health sector discrimination against, and stigma towards, people who use alcohol or other drugs is distressingly common. This stigma is also embedded in broader social narratives. So we decided to work with GPs, pharmacists, nurses and mental health professionals to do something about it.
Vietnamese AOD support
The Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association (AVWA) provides alcohol and other counselling, support and information to the Vietnamese community within the NWMPHN catchment. As part of a broader wellbeing hub for Vietnamese people, the service is culturally sensitive and adaptable, integrating psychosocial and harm minimisation approaches.
The Zone is an intersectional care coordination AOD program for young people. It is delivered by the Youth Support + Advocacy Service (YSAS) in collaboration with Odyssey House and Drummond Street Services. It focuses on individuals from African, Pasifika, or LGBTIQ+ communities. In 2024-25 it delivered 559 episodes of care.
Q Health, provided by Holstep Health, is a counselling and support service for LGBTIQ+ people. It provides case management, care planning and coordination, counselling, group work, post-rehabilitation support and relapse prevention, and psychosocial support.
Parallel Pathways is a program delivered within The Living Room, a project of Youth Projects Limited, and funded by NWMPHN. It is a treatment service that provides holistic care to people experiencing alcohol and other drug challenges, along with mental ill health and homelessness.
Reconstructing Life after Dependency is a six-month program delivered by VincentCare and funded by NWMPHN. It supports adults following residential rehabilitation to maintain abstinence, obtain housing and re-establish lives in the community. It is targeted at people who are cis- or trans-male who have comorbidities of homelessness and alcohol and other drug use.
Rainbow Recovery is an alcohol and other drugs program designed for LGBTIQ+ individuals living in Melbourne's inner west. Delivered by Thorne Harbour Health, it improves health and mental wellbeing through accessible, innovative, and evidence-based care. In 2024-25 it delivered 256 episodes of care.
Delivered by Jesuit Social Services and funded by NWMPHN, Connexions delivers outreach, support and advocacy to people aged 16 to 28 who have co-occurring needs around mental ill health and alcohol and other drug use, and who have disengaged from mainstream services.
The Muslim Youth, Adult and Families program offers specialised alcohol and other drug support for young people, adults, and families within Muslim communities. It is delivered collaboratively by Odyssey Victoria, MyCentre Mosque, Youth Support Advocacy Service, and the Self Help Addiction Resource Centre. The program provides services tailored to the cultural and religious needs of individuals.
In 2024-25 NWMPHN commissioned the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, in conjunction with the Royal Children’s Hospital, to manage and evaluate the ADHD Shared Care Pilot, a program that delivers GP education and capacity-building to provide shared care. The model of care was co-designed with GPs, paediatricians, a community pharmacist, and people with lived experience caring for a child with ADHD. 20 GPs are participating in the project.
Funded by NWMPHN since 2017 and delivered by Turning Point, the program offers treatment for co-occurring PTSD and substance use disorders to women aged 25 years or over, delivered by a team of specially trained psychologists. It includes counselling, case management, care planning and coordination and psychosocial services.
CatholicCare’s alcohol and other drug program offers information and treatment support to adults from Vietnamese, African, and Burmese communities. It incorporates a community-based approach to address the complex needs of individuals struggling with substance concerns and their affected family members.
