Advisers turn out in force after course

The Commandant of the Australian Command and Staff College, CDRE Cam Darby, Deputy Commandant, ACSC, CAPT Steve Hooke, Chief of Staff to the Commander, ADC, CAPT Bob Brown, Jerry Bishop and CDRE Peter McKay, (Retd) were among those to launch a new lifebuoy at the Australian Defence College.

By CPO Rory Munn

The Southern Region Alcohol and Drug Program (LCDR Debra Byrne) has recently completed an Alcohol and Drug Program Advisers (ADPA) Course 2/04 at HMAS Cerberus.

The three-week course consisted of nine Naval personnel and one Army sergeant bringing a mixture of experiences and attitudes to the course.

Ten new ADPAs have now taken their place in the fleet or rejoined their various units.

They are all now qualified to act as advisers to the RAN on alcohol and other drug matters as laid down by the provisions contained in current regulations.

This intense course covers interviewing skills, assessment procedures, ethics in dealing with members experiencing substance abuse problems, presentation skills, an overview of the RAN Alcohol and Drug Program, 12 step programs as well as general information on alcohol and drugs matters.

Dealing with gambling problems and tobacco issues are also covered in this course.

ADPAs are vital to the RAN ADP and are the cornerstone of the program.

Each ADPA works directly for his or her commanding officer providing advice on the program, initial assessments of members experiencing difficulties with substance abuse and education on alcohol and other drugs to ship’s company.

They also act as referral agency, referring more serious cases to area ADPCs for more intensive assessments.

Ships and units should carry one ADPA for every 150 members of the ship’s company.

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