On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, community members, peer workers, health professionals, and NUAA staff visited Lawrence Hargave Reserve in Sydney, to mark this year's International Drug Users Day of Remembrance (IDURD).  

Attendees heard from speakers including Phil Read of South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Erica Franklin of Harm Reduction Australia, Jo Catling of St Vincent's Health Australia, and NUAA’s own Tony McNaughton.

In this feature we remember IDURD’s history, the speeches from the day, and reflections from the NUAA staff who helped bring it all together.

3 women from 3 different backgrounds put their family and their drug use together in 3 different ways

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.

Dove’s boyfriend of nearly a decade passed from a heroin overdose. She talks about dealing with her feelings of grief and guilt, and his family’s regrettable reaction: “The family blames me as much as if I had put a gun to his head.”

People who use drugs, particularly people who use opioids, sometimes experience a great deal of trauma and loss. This trauma and loss is often not taken seriously. We often lack the support we need because the loved ones we lose are criminalised and “brought it on themselves”. The lack of support can be compounded by our own feelings of guilt and blame. We often believe we could have done more to prevent the death.

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

Guest editorial by Mary Ellen Harrod, NUAA CEO

We spoke to 3 people from Muslim backgrounds about their experiences with drug use, their communities and their best pieces of advice.

How do you know if a relationship is headed for disaster or if you are in danger? And what can you do about it? Kai Noonan, ACON’s expert in domestic violence, talks about abuse in a way that applies to relationships between people of all genders and sexualities