ConferencesIf you are a health
professional with a special interest in alcohol and drugs, APSAD is an organisation you
should consider joining. Membership is drawn from a wide variety of disciplines including
biochemists and nurses, pharmacologists and health education teachers, social workers and
psychologists, physicians, general practitioners and psychiatrists, nutritionists and
administrators, with a common interest in drug-related problems.
Principal activities of the Society include:
This high quality journal is published quarterly and contains a variety of original
papers and reviews and is used to a substantial extent by Australian researchers as a
vehicle for publishing their research findings. All members of APSAD receive the journal
as part of their subscription. In addition APSAD produces a newsletter which informs its
membership of issues, initiatives and a wide range of activities that relate to alcohol
and drugs.
APSAD has pioneered the development in Australia of a postgraduate training program for
medical practitioners wishing to increase their knowledge or specialise in the area of
alcohol and drugs. A Board of Censors has been established which determines and maintains
appropriate examination procedures and standards. Already some trainees have completed
training and others are in the process of completing their training. A number of these
come from general practice.
APSAD is presently launching a Methadone Prescribers Accreditation Course, in
association with the NSW Drug and Alcohol Directorate. The goal of the program is to equip
doctors with the competence required to provide methadone maintenance.
Many APSAD members individually and collectively have been involved in advising
Government on a variety of alcohol and drug policy issues.
An annual conference is held in a different State each year and regional conferences
are held in response to demand. APSAD arranges its workshops focusing on areas of special
interest such as the management of alcohol-related brain damage, the development of
hospital-based units, cocaine and cannabis use.
The Society can be contacted at the following address:
The Executive Secretary APSAD
c/- Centre for Drug and Alcohol Studies
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Missenden Road
Camperdown NSW 2050
Telephone (02) 516 6419
