Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) help a heck of a lot of people. But these group sessions may not be for everyone. New peer support groups, which don’t rely on the AA/NA approach, are beginning to emerge in Australia for people who choose to use drugs. What are they? And who can they help? Users News dives into the alternatives available to you.

Users News provides an update on how NUAA is helping to eliminate hepatitis C in Australia.

Users News chats to peer worker Jodie Stevenson about her journey into the AOD sector and how you can get a job in the industry too.

There is an ongoing clinical trial of giving psilocybin (the active ingredient in ‘magic mushrooms’) to help people who are living with a methamphetamine (‘meth’ or ‘ice’) use disorder. Maureen Steele is a Peer Worker who helped design the trial to ensure it gives users what they need to succeed.

When you’re beginning your journey of drug use, it is easy to get a bit overenthusiastic and end up lost, especially when you don’t have any elders around to help guide you. Akshay spent a lot of time worrying that cannabis and LSD had given him drug-induced anxiety, depersonalisation and psychosis, but he eventually realised that the people who were trying to help him held some negative attitudes towards drugs, and he needed a more supportive — and experienced — community around him.

Jack’s friend became mentally unwell and he desperately wanted to help but unfortunately, he started to burn out. Jack talks about what you can do to support a friend, and how to set healthier boundaries.

Gail Gray is a proud First Nation Wiradjuri Woman who grew up on Gadigal land in Sydney. Gail spent over 15 years in and out of NSW jails. She has now spent 15 years using her lived experience to help women in the justice system. Gail talked to NUAA about how her choices led her to the Community Restorative Centre (CRC) as a caseworker with the Miranda Project.

What is leadership and how can we — people who use or have used drugs — exercise it?

Guest editorial by Mary Ellen Harrod, NUAA CEO

Peer Worker Maureen Steele has been an active and influential peer worker for some 30 years. She has been inducted in the NUAA Hall of Fame for her tireless and outstanding commitment to our community.

DanceWize NSW co-ordinator Georgina Bell, who has seen first-hand the difference that harm reduction services make on the ground at festivals, raves and bush doofs.