Addiction and Substance Use in Australia

Lecture Overview

Have you ever thought about how your own biases may affect the way we engage with someone? Addiction is complex and can be influenced by a range of factors. In this lecture, Geoff Ahern delves into substance use and outlines how we as health professionals should approach addiction.

Educators

Geoffrey Ahern

Geoffrey Ahern is a senior mental health clinician and educator who splits his time between working with people in a mental health crisis in the ED setting and working proactively to educate other health professionals and the community about how to better understand mental health problems, as well as substance use and addiction. Over the years, he has gained extensive experience in emergency and trauma, rural nursing, alcohol and other drug counselling, and psychiatric nursing across both the public and private sectors. He holds a masters of health science (mental health and addiction). Geoff is particularly fascinated by the impact that exercise, nutrition, community, meaning and purpose, and practices like yoga have on a person’s mental health, as well as living a simple life of reflection, contentment and wonderment.