FDS Insight Magazine Jun - Sep 2023

9 glad I came today to hear from others who are just like me, it has helped me more than you ever realise’. VIC – Melbourne – 23 February n Melbourne on 23 February 2023 we hosted a particularly vibrant International Family Drug Support Day (IFDSD) event at the Parliament of Victoria building. The room was buzzing from the moment we arrived. A broad range of interested parties attended including families, peer workers, people who use substances, clinicians, CEOs, the Department of Health and politicians. Chloe Span, FDS Victoria Clinical Services Manager, opened the event by telling the story of Damien Trimingham and FDS. Lisa next shared about the close and connected relationship she enjoys with her daughter, especially after ‘letting go’ of unnecessary blame she put on herself earlier in her journey. Zoe spoke of the strength she found in drawing meaningful boundaries with an ex- partner and thanked FDS for making a difference. Dash (they/them) owed their substance use change process largely to the permission granted by their mother who said that they could ‘use’ if they wanted to, instead of continuing along a pathway of treatment and rehabilitation. We are grateful to Dr. Tim Read MP (Australian Greens) and his newest colleague, Aiv Puglielli MP who sponsored the event and gave a presentation on their support for drug checking and pill testing legislation. David Limbrick MP of the Liberal Democrats also spoke about the drug policies being the problem, rather than the people who use them. Sione Crawford, CEO of Harm Reduction Victoria, shared his living experience as a person who uses drugs and infamously said that ‘harm reduction is about love.’ The Department of Health spoke of the need for more harm reduction-oriented programs and reaffirmed their commitment to the second injecting room for the CBD. We additionally heard from abstinence-based programs about how they adopted family- inclusive practice and welcome families into their clinics. The 2023 IFDSD event successfully fostered and reinforced connection. Family members who had earlier completed their Stepping Stones program reconnected; and relationships were formed between AOD services and the community. To capture the essence of the day, we ran a post-event survey and gained anecdotal feedback. We received 46 responses which reflect the popularity of the 2023 IFDSD. Below are some of our favourite quotes: • I liked the inclusivity, and the space and time for multiple different perspectives. The focus on harm reduction was really nice to have. • Moving personal stories combined with some policy ideas. • Great to hear a range of different stories from parents, carers, I