Substance use and related issues among young Aboriginal people in Albany

This project was conducted in collaboration with the Albany Aboriginal Corporation which had raised concerns about the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use among young Aboriginal people in the town. Local Aboriginal people were provided with accredited research and AOD training by NDRI staff and worked to develop and conduct a survey of AOD use among Aboriginal young people between the ages of 8 and 17 years.The survey included topics such as patterns of use, knowledge and attitutudes to AOD use, and educational, employment and recreational factors. Among the report's findings were: that among those aged 8 to 15 years tobacco and alcohol use were more common among those who were disaffected with school; and that among those aged 15 to years poly drug use was 13.5 times more common among those who were unemployed than those who were still at school in training or employed. The report concluded that any strategy to delay the uptake of drug use and/or limit its consumption must focus upon enriching the experience of kids at school and providing them with the opportunity to obtain meaningful employment. In doing so, it would not only address the specific issue of drug use, but would also address broader issues of concern.