AddictionZ 2026

AddictionZ 2026 is organized by Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMH) and will be held from May 27 - 28, 2026 at RACV Royal Pines Resort Gold Coast, Benowa, Queensland, Australia.

Theme: Addiction Treatment in a Changing World: Whole Person, Whole System, From Hope to Action

Description:
AddictionZ 2026 is your national platform to come together with fellow professionals working across the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD), mental health, and behavioural health sectors.

Our theme  reflects the urgent need to deliver integrated, compassionate, and evidence-informed care in the face of rising addiction rates and emerging contemporary challenges.

AddictionZ stands apart in its scope: it brings together the A to Z of addiction topics and the full breadth of voices from across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond. Whether you're on the front line or shaping policy, this is where the important conversations happen, with real-world takeaways to enhance your work and your impact.

2026 Theme & Topics:
Addiction Treatment in a Changing World: Whole Person, Whole System, From Hope to Action:

Early Intervention and Prevention: Building Resilience Before Dependency:

• Effective prevention programs in schools and communities
• Universal, selective and indicated prevention models: what works and for whom
• Embedding trauma-informed, strengths-based approaches in prevention
• Family-centred early intervention for intergenerational risk
• Addressing social determinants and protective factors in local prevention strategies

Dual Diagnosis and Complex Presentations:

• Dual diagnosis and integrated treatment across mental health and AOD services
• Pain management, trauma and substance use: navigating clinical complexity
• ADHD, autism and neurodivergence in substance use treatment
• Lived experience-led adaptations for neurodivergent-friendly treatment environments
• Eating disorders, body image and co-addictions

Culturally Safe, Community-Led Responses:

• First Nations-led models of healing and care
• Addressing colonisation, racism and systemic barriers in addiction treatment
• Culturally responsive programs for migrant and refugee populations
• Multilingual and multicultural peer support and workforce development
• Using yarning, storytelling and Eldership in service design
• African diaspora community-led responses to AOD and mental health
• Supporting culturally diverse lived experience workers with targeted training and support
• Cultural humility across service models: from intake to aftercare

The Future of Addiction Care: Innovation, Technology and Disruption:

• Digital therapeutics and addiction apps: Evidence-based tools for craving, relapse, and recovery
• The AI-assisted clinician: Decision support, diagnosis and ethical boundaries
• Predictive analytics for relapse prevention: Using data to intervene before crisis
• Wearables and biosensors: Real-time feedback loops for self-regulation and support
• Gamified recovery tools: Behavioural design strategies that boost motivation and engagement
• Virtual reality in addiction treatment: Immersive environments for exposure, practice and connection
• Digital peer support and online communities: Building connection and safety in virtual spaces
• Equity in tech-based care: Addressing digital exclusion in rural, First Nations and marginalised populations
• Implementation challenges: Embedding innovation in traditional services and low-resource settings
• Emerging somatic approaches and their evidence base

Shared Horizons – Trans-Tasman and Pacific Solutions in Addiction Care:

• Indigenous knowledges and community-led recovery in Aotearoa and the PacificTrans-Tasman collaboration in workforce development, peer practice and policy reform
• Healing after displacement: substance use and trauma in Pacific Islander migrant communities
• Culturally grounded models from Tonga, Fiji, and the Cook Islands (others may be added here)
• Youth voices and leadership in Pacific Islander and M?ori communities
• Climate stress, migration and addiction: emerging pressures on Pacific nations
• Funding and partnerships: building sustainable regional responses
• Language, land and identity: anchoring recovery in cultural reconnection

Beyond Substances: Understanding Behavioural and Process Addictions:

• Finding the common ground: shared mechanisms across process and substance addictions
• Social media addiction and digital mental health risks in youth
• Gaming, gambling and immersive tech: understanding psychological hooks
• AI-assisted tools to monitor, treat and prevent behavioural addictions
• Customised CBT and digital detox approaches
• Addressing the crossover of screen-based and substance addictions
• Hidden and emerging process addictions: shopping, work, compulsive helping, porn, hoarding

Recovery, Innovation and System Reform: Transforming Addiction and Mental Health Care:

• Trauma-informed, culturally secure, and flexible rehabilitation models
• Peer-led and lived experience–driven recovery and workforce initiatives
• Family and carer integration to strengthen recovery outcomes
• Community re-entry and vocational pathways, including creative and nature-based programs
• Cross-sector collaboration: government, NGOs, and private providers uniting for continuity of care
• Data-informed and ethical innovations in digital health, evaluation, and service delivery
• Supporting recovery in justice-involved populations: youth, adults and First Nations
• Addiction, crime and marginalisation: a systems response

Addiction Across the Life Course: Tailored Care from Youth to Ageing:

• Adolescent brain development and early substance use
• Emerging adults and party drug cultures: new patterns, new solutions
• Gendered experiences: women, parenting and alcohol use
• Menopause, hormonal shifts and substance use
• Ageing, polypharmacy and late-onset addiction
• Neurodivergent needs across the lifespan: from early diagnosis to ageing with support

Inclusion in Action: Prioritising Equity Across Priority Populations:

• First Nations-led models of care and cultural healing
• LGBTIQA+ affirming treatment: best practices in gender and sexuality-informed care
• Addressing structural racism, ableism, and stigma in service systems
• Co-design with priority groups: from tokenism to true partnership
• Young people and intersectionality: youth-led responses for complex needs
• Disability-inclusive addiction care: adapting environments, language and supports
• Refugee and migrant populations: trauma-aware and culturally responsive approaches
• Supporting carers, chosen families and diverse support networks
• Community-led and non-clinical recovery approaches for refugee and migrant populations