AL-ANON family groups – support for family and friends

Al-Anon is a support group and program for friends and family of problem drinkers.

For more than 55 years and across more than a hundred countries, people have been meeting, listening and sharing their experiences dealing with an alcoholic in their lives.

The process usually begins with a person acknowledging that their own life is being affected by a friend or family members drinking problem, the Al-Anon twenty questions can help determine how prominent this problem is.

The next step is often to attend an Al-Anon family group meeting. In an interview with a member of this support group Crossfire found out what a new-comer could expect when stepping into a group support meeting for the first time.

Visit Al-Anon Australia for more information, and visit Al-Anon for international information.

A group catered to help young people, Alateen Australia, is also available.

The second interviewee in this Crossfire series is a gentlemen who joined Al-anon group meetings while with his ex-partner who was a problem drinker.

The last interivew of this series is with a woman who ahas been a member of Al-anon for more than 20 years and represents perhaps the majority of those seeking support from Al-anon groups.

What’s in your Headspace?

Headspace is an Australian National Youth Mental Health Foundation focused on providing physical and mental health advice and care to people between the ages of 12 and 25.  The foundation has launched a television ad campaign to raise its profile and has a strong presence online where its target audience tend to go first for help. Kellie Marshall, Deputy CEO of the Illawarra Division of General Practice spoke to crossfire about what services Headspace clinics provide.

For more information check out the Headspace website.
If you would like to talk to someone at Headspace Illawarra call: 02 4225 1184

Headspace Illawarra full details

Address: 1A Denison Street Wollongong NSW 2500
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Contact Details: Phone: 02 4225 1184, Fax: 02 4225 0606, Email: headspace@idgp.org.au

Generation Next: education on the young for the old

Generation Next is a seminar series designed explain the foreign world of youth to parents, teachers and others dealing with young adults and teenagers.

Cyber safety, drug and alcohol use – amongst other topics, are addressed by the presenters. Dr Ramesh Manocha, a GP medical researcher and educator, developed the Generation Next seminars in consultation with academics and experts in the relevant areas.

Dr Manocha spoke to Crossfire briefly about some of the bigger issues facing youth.

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The Butterfly Foundation helps Australian with Eating Disorders

Source:thebutterflyfoundation.org.au

The Butterfly Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation founded by Claire Vickery to help Australians with eating disorders.

The foundation has recently been granted $500 000 by the Rudd government to organise and head a collaborated project of all Australian research and health clinics who work towards a solution for eating disorders.

Claire Vickery took the time to speak to Crossfire and explain more about the issues surrounding eating disorders and how solutions can be found and put to work.

World’s Greatest Shave… IS THIS WEEKEND!

Colouring or shaving your hair can help raise money for a great cause. Each year the Leukemia Foundation run the World’s Greatest Shave to help raise money to provide care and support for patients and their families affected by the disease. The money will also go towards finding a cure. So join in and colour or shave at many events held around the Illawarra.

– Cooneys Tavern, 234-236 Keira St Wollongong, Thursday 19 March 7:00pm-12:00pm (you must be over 18) Contact: Summah Mckinnon on 0432 536 442

-Bunnings, Lot 205 Gipps Street Wollongong, Saturday 14 March 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM Contact: Tara or Julia on 02 4225 2611

– Westfield Warrawong, Corner King and Cowper Street, Saturday 14 Mar 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Contact: Centre Management on 02 4276 1566

– South Coast Portuguese Association Ltd, 127 Flagstaff Road Warrawong, Saturday 14 March, 5:30 PM Enjoy a three course meal (entrée, dinner and dessert) and feel free to have your hair shaved on the night to support the Leukaemia Foundation. Adults: $30.00 and Kids: $5.00 (then $1.00 for each year of age to 16 years) Contact: Joe Alves on 0412 105 302

– Corrimal Bowling Club , 47 Francis Street Corrimal, Sat 14 March 6:00 PM, Contact: John on 0419 287 108

– Bellambi Bowling Club, Corner Pioneer and Rathery Roads, Sat 14 Mar 5:00 PM Contact: Susan on 02 4285 9444

-ALbion Park RSL, Cnr Tongarra & Hamilton Road, Fri 13 March 7:00 PM, Contact: David De Rosa on 02 4256 1200

-Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club, Jason Ave Barrick Heights, Sunday 15th March, 2:00 PM Contact: Kim on 02 4295 9595

There are so many venues to choose from so go along and give a small donation because every dollar counts.

Ban on stem cell funding lifted in the U.S.

Barack Obama has signed an executive order reversing predecessor George W Bush’s ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Obama stated that lifting the ban will “restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost.”

Former president George. W Bush argued that using human embryos for scientific research, which often involves their destruction, crossed a moral barrier and during his time in office urged scientists to consider alternatives. However many scientist believe that stem cell research would help find treatments for grave diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes.

President Obama warned that because of the ban scientists were deserting the U.S. for other nations. The president also made it clear that, unlike his predecessor, he believes that science and morality can mix. “When government fails to make these investments, opportunities are missed. Promising avenues go unexplored,” he said at a White House ceremony attended by legislators, religious leaders and scientists.

The President helped to ease the mind of opponents who argue that stem cell research is a slippery slope that leads to non-reproductive cloning and devalues the worth of a human being, by vowing that he would not permit stem cell research to stray into the wilder bounds of science such as human cloning, which he said “has no place in our society, or any society”.

Despite this assurance there was expected opposition by Republicans and religious leaders. House of Representatives Republican leader John Boehner said Mr Obama had undermined “protections for innocent life, further dividing our nation at a time when we need greater unity to tackle the challenges before us”.

US Catholic Cardinal Justin Rigali also opposed Mr Obama’s announcement, calling it “a sad victory of politics over science and ethics.”

Will the binge drinking advertisements be effective?

Last year the Federal Government introduced a $53 million dollar scheme to tackle the ‘binge drinking epidemic.’ They introduced measures including the alcopop tax and restrictions on lock out times which were met controversy. Last November the government pledged $20 million dollars to create binge dirnking advertisements. I spoke to the Chief Executive Officer of the Alcohol, Education and Rehabilitation Foundation, Daryl Smeaton about the new campaign and whether he believes it will be effective.

Killing Bing Drinking… not brain cells

Over the past few months alcohol consumption within the community, especially teenage binge drinking has been a prominent issue within the media. The Australian Government has introduced a tax on alcopops and a number of anti binge drinking advertisements, while the NSW government has placed restrictions on licensing premises across NSW and called for limitations on alcohol advertising as a way of combating the problem.

Geoff Munro from the Community Alcohol Action Network (CAAN), an organisation working to reduce cultural pressures that encourage Australians to drink unsafely speaks about issues surrounding alcohol.

Bulli Hospital’s surgery ward in limbo

A survey of Bulli hospital facilities conducted by the Parliamentary secretary for Health recommends that elective surgery continue after the Christmas; but not indefinitely.

 

Dr Andrew McDonald MP conducted the investigation under the instruction of the Minister for Health, John Della Bosca.

 

Bulli Hospitaloffers elective surgery for ear, nose and throat patients. When the surgery ward is closed, patients will have to travel to Shellharbour or Wollongong hospital for these services.

 

Mr Della Bosca says Bulli hospitals facilities’ will “re-open after the holiday period” and that the decision was good news for the residents. The distant future of the surgery ward is still not known.

 

Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner says it’s obvious the state government is planning to cut the service eventually. “This is simply another delaying tactic by the Health Minister” Mrs Skinner said.

 

Mr McDonald spoke to surgeons and nurses when compiling his report for the state government. “After speaking with surgeons and medical staff, it became clear to me that eventually Bulli Hospital’s elective surgery will be transferred to Shellharbour and Wollongong Hospitals” Dr McDonald said.

 

Mr Della Bosca has said he will determine the future of the surgery ward in the medium term after the Christmas break.

Chocolate=Acne? Not so farfetched after all

The link between acne and diet seems to be much more intertwined than previously thought. Many dermatologists have been skeptical of the relation between diet and acne for sometime. However, Dr Robyn Smith from RMIT University in Melbourne has developed a ground breaking anti-acne diet.

Dr Smith, was part of a team that conducted the first controlled trial of the link between diet and acne in more than 40 years. Dr Smith’s findings conclude that a protein-based, low-GI diet has a significantly positive effect on acne symptoms.

“Diet has long been thought to be the cause of acne, with chocolate most often named as a culprit, but I was surprised how little scientific research had been done in this area,” she said.

Dr Smith’s study involved 43 teenage boys, who followed two different diets over 12 weeks. One group followed the typical Western teen diet of refined and highly processed carbohydrate foods while the other group ate a more natural diet, which was higher in protein and low-GI foods such as wholegrain bread, pasta and legumes. “Those on the low-GI diet reduced facial acne by 50 per cent, and showed improvements in their self-esteem and overall well being,” Dr Smith said.

The research has been compiled into a booklet, The Teenage Anti-Acne Diet, and has been distributed to more than 15,000 GPs, dietitians and dermatologists Australia wide.