Alcohol and other drugs

Our work is multidisciplinary, reflecting the complex nature of alcohol and other drug use. We combine social, behavioural and clinical research to help develop evidence-based policy and practice with the aim of harm reduction. We apply this research to projects embedded in the community to drive lasting change.

Working closely with people who use drugs

Burnet has long-standing relationships with people who use drugs, co-designing research and programs with them. This includes:

• programs that provide take-home naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses
• supervised injecting facilities that have been shown to save lives.

We commit to outreach, including mobile settings, to meet people on their own terms. For example, our SuperMIX study runs from mobile vans which visit different health services and sites around Melbourne.

Healthy ageing

Our vision is ethical, equitable and designed for long-term engagement. For example, we focus on healthy ageing, creating opportunities for people who use alcohol and other drugs to have fulfilling lives as they get older.

Addressing criminal justice system harms

We also work in justice health—healthcare for people with current or historical involvement in the criminal justice system.

Worldwide, people involved in the criminal justice system are disproportionately affected by social disadvantage, chronic ill health, preventable disease and poor mental health.

Current drug policy in Australia means there are disproportionately high rates of people who use drugs in prisons.

Our research builds evidence and influences policy and practice to improve health outcomes for people with a history of involvement in the criminal justice system. The Forest is an example of how we have used our research—and input from people with lived experience – to inform a proposed public health model that addresses the underlying causes of incarceration and reincarceration.

Policy and advocacy

We contribute to national policy and guideline development through government submissions and our membership on advisory panels including the National Drug Strategy Household Survey.

We collaborate with agencies such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Our involvement supports the development of approaches at state and federal levels that are developed with people who use drugs.

We support international projects through WHO and UN partners in Central Asia, Ukraine and Pacific island countries.

Long-running cohort studies

We’re renowned for our cohort studies, which have produced new evidence with wide-ranging impact.

Cohort studies follow groups of people over time to see how factors such as habits or exposures can affect their health. These studies enable us to evaluate policy interventions and the impacts that policy has on health outcomes for people who use drugs.

MIXMAX is the largest active cohort study of people who use drugs in Australia. It combines 2 pre-existing studies:

• SuperMIX, which began in 2008, and follows more than 2000 people who inject drugs
• VMAX, a study that began in 2016 and tracks patterns of methamphetamine use in a sample of more than 850 people who use methamphetamine in metropolitan and rural Victoria.

Young people

We seek to understand how alcohol and other drugs affect the health of young people. We are able to do this effectively by asking young people how they want to engage in research.

Our long-running Sex, Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll study tracks annual patterns of consumption and the impact of health policies on young people.

The Mobile Intervention for Drinking in Young People (MIDY) study collected data on binge drinking. Young people would answer questions sent to them as text messages on their mobile phone while out drinking at night.    

Centre for Research Excellence into Injecting Drug Use

Bringing together universities, consumer organisations and research institutes, we launched the Centre for Research Excellence into Injecting Drug Use. CREIDU builds community knowledge about injecting drug use, improving policy and practice for the benefit of all.

Policy change

Our research has influenced and improved policies around substance use and service provision. These studies have uncovered new evidence about associated harms and evaluated the effectiveness of health programs and the methods used to treat such harms.

• SuperMIX has influenced service design and interventions with real-world, user-centric data. Data from the study has informed state government alcohol and drug treatment services including the Medically Supervised Injecting Room Trial. SuperMIX also plays an important role in systematic reviews and international collaborative studies on issues such as homelessness and hepatitis C among people who inject drugs.
• VMAX data serves a crucial function, bringing to light issues related to drug driving and influencing service provision.
• Data from the Sex, Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll study has been used to assess public health policies and programs. These include the impact of changes to vaping laws, young people’s understanding of drinking guidelines and perceptions of government health promotion campaigns.