Articles & Insights
Expert articles on workplace mental health, drug and alcohol awareness, and employee wellbeing.
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The Frontline of Change: Our Partnership with Fire Rescue Victoria
Between May and December 2025, ADA Australia hit the road to meet the crews of Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV)...
Cocaine… it’s alright isn’t it?
A night out with mates, getting drunk and buying “a bag” may seem socially acceptable to some, the associated risks are often not considered. Why would it be? It’s just a little fun right?
Partner Violence - Our National Shame
Tragically, not a week goes by without another report of another woman being murdered or terribly injured, and sometimes their children, at the hands of a partner or former partner...
Dry July: Giving Your Liver A Break (And Raising Money For Cancer)
While Dry July is centred on helping others, by getting on board you’re also helping yourself. A whole month ‘breather’ for the liver, a chance to wash out all those alcohol-related toxins…
Mental Health First Aid Training: Why You Should Consider It For Your Workplace
ADA Australia has recently conducted the accredited 12-hour Standard Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training course out of The Centre for U, an initiative of the Electrical Trades Union Victoria...
Patrick Terminals – “Getting Conversations Going” Around AOD Risk
Since the beginning of May, ADA Australia has rolled out a number of drug and alcohol awareness training sessions for around 80 Patrick Terminals employees, with more sessions to be completed...
Getting The Mental Health Conversation Going - Star Group
Workplaces are recognising the risks – and their obligations – around ‘mental injury’ (psychosocial risk) at work. The Star Group takes this very seriously...
UGL – Safety Conversations For A Positive Work Culture
The ADA Australia team recently ran toolbox talks to some UGL sites in Victoria and Queensland - talking about workplace risk and health challenges around substance use, and misuse.
World Bipolar Day: Eliminating Stigma
World Bipolar Day is recognised annually on the 30th of March to raise awareness and understanding of bipolar disorder and to eliminate social stigma around mental illness...
Work Stress, Don't Let It Fester
Every job to a greater, or lesser degree, comes with demands... but our work should not ‘bust our brains’; you are entitled to a safe work environment, a safe workplace, a mentally healthy workplace.
STAR Group “Walking the Talk” on Mental Health First Aid
Recently, ADA Australia facilitated the third batch of STAR Group workers through the accredited 12-hour Standard Mental Health First Aid (MFHA)...
World Plumbing Day: Who knew?
Every year on the 11th of March we recognise World Plumbing Day. At ADA Australia, we take this day to recognise all members from the Plumbing and Pipe Trades Employees Union (PPTEU)...
Opal: Building A Positive Culture Around A Compliant Drugs And Alcohol Policy
The ADA Australia facilitation team recently completed a series of Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training sessions for people leaders at Opal, one of Australasia’s leading packaging companies...
Vaping: The Dangers
Bold fruity flavours like blueberry. At face value, these flavours don’t exactly sound life-threatening, do they? Which is exactly what companies making and marketing vape products want you to think.
Training ‘People Leaders’ In The North East Link Project
The ADA Australia facilitation team recently visited the North East Link Project to conduct our drug and alcohol awareness program.
Christmas Risks: Remember To Use The ‘Well Connect App’!
Why not use the break from the grind of work to reflect on our mental wellbeing? ADA Australia's ‘Well Connect’ app is one resource that can also be utilised to help. It’s right there on your phone...
ADA Australia – Working With Toyota Material Handling Australia in 2023
Apprentices with Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) from all over Australia have recently participated in ADA Australia’s BEST LIFE, BEST WORK Apprenticeship Development Program...
Drug And Alcohol Awareness Training: Why It Matters
The ADA Australia facilitation team recently visited Patrick Terminals to conduct our flagship Drug and Alcohol awareness training program...
AEN Field Officers And ADA Australia’s 'BEST LIFE, BEST WORK' Apprentice Training
ADA Australia delivered our BEST LIFE: BEST WORK apprentice training to Field Officers with the Apprenticeship Employment Network (AEN), Victoria’s largest apprentice and trainee employer network...
ADA AUSTRALIA’S SCHOOLS’ TRAINING PROGRAMS
ADA Australia conducts alcohol and drug awareness programs with a number of secondary schools, providing alcohol and drug awareness training for students from years 8 to 12...
Walking The Talk On Workplace Wellbeing - Orora Group
ADA Australia has been providing training to Orora people leaders to promote better understanding of drugs and alcohol on both physical and mental wellbeing and on the workplace...
World Mental Health Day 2023
World Mental Health Day brings into focus, on a global level, the barriers to a more mentally healthy world such as social stigma and the protection of the rights of people suffering mental ill-heath
Gambling: a new addition to ADA’s Best Life: Best Work Apprentice Program
Hitting up the casino... or dropping 100 bucks into the Sportsbet account for the weekend… gambling is an imbedded part of Australian culture, and it’s everywhere...
ADA Australia – Partnering with Prahran Psychology Clinic
ADA Australia is pleased to announce a partnership with the Prahran Psychology Clinic...
ADA Australia at the NAEN conference
Recently, the ADA team attended the National Apprentice Employment Network (NAEN) conference at Marvel Stadium...
ADA Australia’s ‘Well Connect’ App: 24/7 Support (In Your Pocket)
ADA Australia is proud to announce that its new ‘Well Connect’ app is launched, and now available to all ADA Australia clients...
ADA Now Offering Accredited Mental Health First Aid Training
ADA Australia is pleased to announce that we will now be offering accredited 12-hour Standard Mental Health First Aid (MFHA) training, alongside our current range of courses...
Talking 'Mental Health' With Our Sporting Clubs
For many of us... our first experiences of camaraderie, passion and teamwork are on the sporting field... Unfortunately, we do see some sporting clubs adopt a toxic culture... around mental health
The Loneliness Epidemic
From time to time, many of us will go through periods of loneliness, of feeling uncomfortably isolated – lonely. This week, we recognise Australia’s first Loneliness Awareness Week...
ADA AUSTRALIA Working With Electrogroup Apprentices
The ADA facilitation team recently travelled to Queensland to deliver the first of many BEST LIFE: BEST WORK Apprenticeship Development Programs for Electrogroup.
Team Leader Masterclass in Workplace Mental Health – Get It Right ‘At The Top’
Workplace culture is always defined from the top. This is why a business committed to mental health will work to establish a culture of respect that reaches right through the business...
ADA Australia and ETU National – Taking Mental Health and AOD Training Across Australia
It is a privilege to work with the ETU on a national level and to be part of their consistent efforts to support the health and wellbeing of their membership base: their members always come first.
ADA Australia at Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung 2023 RAP Forum
At ADA Australia, we strongly support the rich and diverse culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and of their long history and connection to Country...
'It’s in our control to end coercive control’
Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month is held to raise community awareness around domestic and family violence, and its broader impact on people, on families and on communities.
International Firefighters Day (IFFD) – recognising risks to ‘first responders’
Today, we recognise International Firefighters Day (IFFD) and the brave firefighters all over the world who dedicate their careers and lives to protecting the community...
World Day For Safety And Health At Work – Doing Something Positive
Today, on World Day for Safety and Health at Work (and Worker’s Memorial Day) we are provided with an opportunity to recognise the importance of safe and healthy working environments...
Apprenticeship Development Training at The Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre
We are pleased to announce that we will be delivering our BEST LIFE: BEST WORK Apprenticeship Development program over the course of the year ahead to plumbing industry apprentices...
Looking towards 2023: Making mental wellbeing priority #1
Most of us give our best selves to our work – we all want to do ‘a good job’. So, it’s reasonable that we might expect our workplace to be also at its best...
Getting those drinking habits in check over the Christmas break
The silly season is almost here. With it comes a well-earned break; time to relax and to de-stress from the year that was. But beware the risks in “letting the hair down”...
The simple benefits in a ‘mental health’ toolbox talk
Let’s face it, our work worries should not follow us home and into our lives after work. Work should not ‘bust our brains’.
ADA Australia working with VACC
ADA Australia has recently completed a project working with VACC, the Fine Tuning Automotive Mental Health (FTAMH) Program, funded through Worksafe Victoria’s Workwell initiative...
Starting that life-saving conversation
Ever walked away from someone thinking to yourself “they seem a little off”?
Toyota Material Handling Apprenticeship Development Day roll-out
Over the past few weeks, we have been in Sydney and Brisbane (and in Adelaide next week) for the Toyota Material Handling National Apprenticeship Development Day roll-out...
Is it the ‘winter blues’ or something more troubling?
From time to time, all of us will have our bad days... And, when caught in the lingering cold of a wet August, the winter blues can exacerbate these feelings.
Will you go Dry this July?
Going alcohol-free in this month (or any month), brings a whole lot of health benefits. A whole month ‘breather’ for the liver...
New additions to the ADA Worker Wellbeing Hub
ADA Australia is pleased to announce a brand new range of five-minute videos which are now appearing on the ADA Worker Wellbeing Hub.
ADA at Oxygen Youth Space
ADA Australia’s facilitation team recently visited the Oxygen Youth Space at Moreland City Council, to provide training and education for their team of youth workers.
‘The Human Values’ - A Mentally Healthy Workplace
It may surprise you, or it might not, that 48 per cent (or one-in-two) of Australian workers believe their workplace is mentally unhealthy.
ADA Australia's Apprenticeship Development Day
ADA Australia’s Apprenticeship Development Days for 2022, being conducted at ETU Victoria’s Centre For U, are now well underway.
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training for ADA staff
Recently, five members of the ADA family, from both the Friendly Ear Support Services team and the training/facilitating team, completed the LivingWorks Australia ASIST program.
Kevin Sheedy joins the ADA Australia family
Former AFL champion and legendary coach Kevin Sheedy has joined the ADA Australia team as brand ambassador.
Taking the Conversation into Schools
ADA Australia’s facilitation team recently visited Donvale Christian College to provide training and education around drugs and alcohol for Years 10 and 11 students.
Too Young, So Much Promise: Why Are We Losing People Like Harley Balic?
Last week, I heard some deeply unsettling news. Harley Balic, a young guy I played junior football against, had lost his life at the age of 25.
Creating 'the Habit' of Positive Thinking
One benefit of this amazing adaptable brain we have, is that we can train it. We can train it, and ourselves, to “think” in certain ways.
The Fight for Human Rights: A Movement for Equality
In an unjust world, Human Rights Day provides us with hope for a better world, represented by core values such as shared humanity, simple connection and the shared bounty of this planet.
Planning a Christmas break-up?
Here’s a thought: why not make ‘the festive season’ a time to think about your drug and alcohol policy and the culture around drinking and respect in your workplace?
‘Giving back’… It’s Good For Us
Put simply, it is good for us – and good for society – to be generous and kind, to ‘give back’.
Join the MOvement: A “Tash” for Movember
But the beauty of Movember – growing a moustache for men’s health – is that no matter how underwhelming our facial hair may be, it doesn’t actually matter.
‘Back to work’ and those COVID-19 drinking habits: Time for a reset and rethink?
Among the unwelcome ‘by-products’ of extended lockdowns and the pandemic has been the alarming spike in alcohol and drug use among Australians, young Australians in particular.
World Homeless Day 2021: A Human Rights Concern
A bed to sleep in, a hot shower and a home cooked meal. For many of us, these everyday luxuries are taken for granted... So, what can we do to make a difference?
Talktober: It’s time for a shift in attitude
There is still a clear stigma in Australia around mental health and vulnerability, despite the progress of recent years. That stigma is perhaps most prevalent in young Australian men.
Sober October: An opportunity to ‘take stock’
Dry January, Dry July and now Sober October - going alcohol-free for the month is catching on. So why not give it a shot?
World Suicide Prevention Day 2021: Creating Hope Through Action
World Suicide Prevention Day provides us with an opportunity to create change around alarming suicide rates, with a hope of one day, working together towards a world without suicide.
International Overdose Awareness Day: It’s time to stop the preventable
The driving force behind the campaign is to raise awareness of overdoses, to remember those lost, and to reduce stigma surrounding overdose deaths.
Tradies’ National Health Month: Let’s Talk About Tradie Health And Wellbeing
August marks Tradies’ National Health Month, a great opportunity to check in on the physical and mental wellbeing of the workers in your crew.
Ok, Chill… Well, For One Day At Least: Introducing ‘Stress Down Day 2021’
More than just ‘a good cause’, Stress Down Day is an initiative to promote happiness, reduce stress and to encourage help-seeking behaviours
NAIDOC Week: A Celebration and an Opportunity
If someone were to ask: “What significant week in the Australian calendar begins the first Sunday in July?”, would you be able to give the correct answer? It is, of course, NAIDOC Week...
Dry July: Doing your bit to help
Although many believe that having a few drinks is a part of the Australian culture, we need to remember the simple facts. Alcohol in large doses is toxic...
'Day of the Seafarer' - For a fairer future
Since its foundation in 2011, every year on the 25th of June we celebrate the “Day of the Seafarer” which recognises the contribution of seafarers to international trade and the world economy.
Darren: Everyone has a story and this is mine
It’s a story of a struggle with mental health disorder and addiction and of its impact on my life.
Mental Health and Stigma
There is a clear stigma in this country about mental health and vulnerability.
A Manual For Riding Out the Mental Health Crisis
The coronavirus pandemic, the stress and dislocation of ‘lock-down’ and the economic uncertainty that has followed in its wake, presents serious challenges to the mental health..
Gambling Addiction: Its links to anxiety, depression and other comorbidities
Why does a problem gambler continue to gamble? Why would a person choose to repeat doing something that repeatedly demonstrates that doing it is a bad idea?...
ADA Australia working with the ETU
ADA Australia’s alcohol and drug awareness training programs, with a range of associated services, is now being delivered to ETU members and their families; some hundreds have now gone through...
Dealing with drug or alcohol impaired customers or visitors
For people working in customer service, in front counter or sales roles, the likelihood is high that they will encounter or be engaged in interactions with drug or alcohol-impaired customers...
ADA Australia: Drugs and alcohol awareness training for sporting clubs
A young footballer and a positive drug test? We can hardly claim to be shocked or surprised (without blushing to the roots of our hairs)...
The Little Blue Book of Workplace Mental Health
There is a quiet crisis in Australian workplaces that, for many workers, can too easily pass unrecognised… until too late...
ADA Australia: Submission to the National Treatment Framework
Alcohol and Drug Awareness Australia was invited to provide input to the draft National Treatment Framework (NTF), being developed by UNSW Social Policy Research Centre...
Hunky Dory: “Business has a part to play in tackling drugs and alcohol"
The Flinders University report recognised that workplaces were “largely overlooked” as places to influence behaviours and to effect cultural change around the misuse of alcohol (and drugs)...
ADA Australia: A Handbook of Alcohol, Drugs and Workplace Risk - Now Available
ADA Australia has released its new training guide – A HANDBOOK OF ALCOHOL, DRUGS AND WORKPLACE RISK...
ADA Australia: Alcohol, Drugs and Family Violence
Australian research into the scourge of family violence shows a strong causal link between the misuse of alcohol and drugs, and violence committed against partners and other family members...
Pharmaceuticals: The killer drugs we too easily ignore
According to the Victorian Coroner (Victorian Overdose Deaths, J Dwyer, C Miller, 2017), pharmaceutical drugs contribute in an astonishing 81 percent of overdose deaths in that state...
ADA Australia: Tips to help you manage your drinking
If you’ve drunk too much, there is no quick-fix to sobering-up...