Alcohol and Other Drugs

Grief and loss are understood to underpin AOD abuse in Aboriginal communities. We focus on providing culturally appropriate support to the Elders of the Aboriginal community, who provide extensive and immeasurable support to multiple generations of their families. 

Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation assists its clients in its own work of healing from inter-generational trauma and in building resilience. This approach can offer healthier ways of coping with and recovering from trauma, without using drugs and alcohol to cope.  

Read Karri’s story.

The Community Restorative Centre’s Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Transition program works to break down discriminatory barriers and the social and internalised stigma experienced by criminalised populations with experiences of substance dependency.

This program acknowledges how substance dependency is driven by systemic and structural factors, including racism, poverty and institutional and interpersonal trauma and harm. 

Clients can be referred prior to their release from custody, however, they have the flexibility to support any client who has been in prison previously and wants to access AOD support. Priority is given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Find out more on the Community Restorative Centre website.

headfyrst is a support service for young people aged 12-25 years who need support tackling AOD dependency. 

The headfyrst and headspace teams are co-operatively involved in ongoing care co-ordination towards the shared goal of high quality, free treatment supporting the recovery journey of young people. 

headfyrst offers a safe, confidential, young person-centred program that encourages open communication between young people and their clinician. Honest and open exchange occurs when young people are able to express their feelings and experiences in a non-judgmental environment. 

headfyrst is a free service that offers flexible and individual support within a case management model. Anyone can refer a person to headfyrst, including young people who want to be supported through the service themselves.

For more information about their services and access to referrals, visit the Salvation Army website.

• Read Max’s story
• Read Ramon’s story

Marrin Weejali provides a culturally appropriate AOD treatment and case management model which supports adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with families experiencing the harmful effects of alcohol and illicit substances to achieve physical, social and emotional wellbeing.

The service can support clients and their families through treatment and wellness journey, using internal services and referral pathways or linkages. For example, legal, employment, medical, child and family care and housing services.

Please complete the Referral Form if you would like to access this service.

• Read Maya’s story
• Read Michael’s story

Odyssey House aims to reduce the harm associated with the use of alcohol and other drugs by providing one-on-one and general and culturally specific group support.

There is a focus on increasing access to drug and alcohol services for priority populations including:

• Families with children
• People leaving prison
• People with co-occurring mental illness
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Culturally and linguistically diverse communities 
• LGBTQIA+ people

The approach is client-focused with a tailored program of individual counselling and groups. With this approach, Odyssey House community service at Blacktown, with outreach in Doonside, will work to improve the health and social functioning of clients.

Odyssey House also provides multicultural AOD support programs and referral services for families and communities in partnership with multicultural community organisations.

Enhanced Rehabilitation Capacity

This service deliver- high quality, evidence and best-practice-based interventions to the client target groups through individual and family counselling, workshops, and mentoring. It focuses on encouraging participants to re-engage with their community, apply their potential, and improve their lives.

In providing assessment and intervention for AOD and co-morbid challenges, the service works from a harm minimisation model while valuing support, education about relapse prevention and strength-based resiliency strategies. 

Contact the Ted Noffs Foundation for more information.

Deadly Dreaming

This program connects mentors and Elders with young Aboriginal people who are in contact with, or at risk of coming in contact with the juvenile justice system. This program aims to help young people create links to culture, country, and community through workshops that incorporate art, music, dance and life skills development.

Deadly Dreaming also implements early intervention for mental health, alcohol and other drugs and school retention.

Find out more on the Ted Noffs Foundation website.

We Help Others (WHO) is a residential rehabilitation service that offers treatment and case coordination. This is for people in Western Sydney with alcohol and other drug dependencies and co-occurring severe and complex mental health conditions.

Referrals and advocacy for those requiring engagement with Government agencies are available, for example, housing services.

Read Eli’s story.

This program delivers a day rehabilitation program and AOD service to reduce drug-related harm for individuals aged 13-19 years and their families. Their clinical services team provides one-on-one counselling, group work, treatment plans, case management, living skills development and recreational activities.

For further information, please visit the Youth Off the Streets website.

Read Darrel’s story.