Development, dissemination and community response towards the first community notice regarding misrepresented illicit anabolic-androgenic steroids in circulation in Australia.

Introduction: Drug alerts aimed at both people who use drugs and health workers help to prevent acute harms from unpredictable illicit drug markets and by equipping health workers to handle unusual drug events and share vital information with service users. However, there has never been an alert produced for anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), an important class of illicit drugs. We report on the development, implementation and community receptivity of the first-ever AAS community drug alert.

The world's first anabolic-androgenic steroid testing trial: A two-phase pilot combining chemical analysis, results dissemination and community feedback.

Background And Aims: The clandestine production and distribution of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) poses health risks due to the uncertainty of their contents. This study aimed to test the chemical content of AAS samples and provide aggregate results back to the community, exploring how these results influenced usage decisions and risk management.

Design: A mixed-methods approach was used, combining chemical analysis of AAS samples with qualitative interviews.

Mapping the risk environment for peers with lived-living experience working in the alcohol and other drugs sector in Queensland.

Introduction: Peer workers in the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) sector play a vital role in harm reduction for people who use drugs (PWUDs); however, their experiences are often shaped by complex macro- and micro-risk environments. This study explores these environments and their implications for peer workers, particularly concerning stigma, legal barriers, and organisational culture.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 peers with lived-living experience of illicit drug use.

How do relational practices co-constitute care for people who use drugs? The social and political dimensions of peer-led harm reduction.

Introduction: People who use drugs have a long history of mobilising to reduce harm within their communities, significantly influencing harm reduction efforts globally. Peers with lived experience contribute through needle exchange programs, harm reduction education, and community-based research. Despite facing stigma, their initiatives have generated multiple benefits for communities.

A Collaborative Approach to Understanding the Intersections of Practice and Policy for Peers in the Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector.

Introduction: Peers in the alcohol and other drug sectors possess lived-living experience (LLE) crucial for shaping community care. However, genuine consumer collaboration is often confounded by stigma. This study examined peers' perceptions, exploring their experiences regarding workforce dynamics, policy implications, and impacts on health equity.

"The compounds for females are really commonly faked!": Women's challenges in anabolic steroid acquisition and the place of drug checking interventions.

Introduction: Women who use drugs, particularly those using anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), encounter heightened social risks influenced by the legal status of AAS, varying regionally. In jurisdictions where AAS are legal, medical guidance and prescription are common, while in illegal regions, there are challenges associated with acquisition and safer usage. Therefore, we aimed to explore the experiences of women who use AAS in Australia, where these substances are criminalised, with a focus on the challenges they encounter in acquiring and using these drugs.