Addiction

Addiction can be a complex disease or disorder – a vicious cycle that can be very difficult to break without the right support. For those dealing with addiction, Mission Australia delivers a holistic approach by seeking to understand the social, environmental, physical, mental and vocational experiences and after-effects of addiction. We work with people across all areas of personal development, with the goal of breaking the addiction and living a happy, healthy life without problematic alcohol and drug use.

While not everyone who drinks alcohol or uses drugs has an addiction, people who misuse these substances can experience devastating impacts on their physical, emotional and mental health.

The reason people develop addiction may include using alcohol and drugs to deal with grief and loss, experiences of violence and trauma, experimentation, or mental health issues. In reality, drug and alcohol addiction is a complex disease because it changes the brain in ways that make stopping very difficult, even for people who really want to.

Drug and alcohol addiction remains one of the most pressing health and social issues facing young Australians. The use of methamphetamines such as ice is at epidemic levels in our country and the impacts are horrific for young people and their families.

Many young people experiencing drug and alcohol addiction also suffer from mental health issues.

Youth services


Triple Care Farm

Mission Australia’s Triple Care Farm offers a youth withdrawal program and a youth residential rehabilitation program located on 110 acres in the NSW Southern Highlands. Triple Care Farm accepts referrals from young people Australia wide suffering with substance misuse, mental illness, homelessness and family breakdown.

Withdrawal Program

Supports young people for up to 28 days, providing supervised withdrawal and a range of holistic supports and therapies. Initially, the program focusses on managing the physical symptoms of withdrawal and the development of an individual treatment plan.

Residential Rehab

Specialising in treating clients with co-morbid substance dependence and mental illness, the 18 bed program works with young people aged between 16 and 24 years. The treatment model is a 12-week holistic psychosocial rehabilitation program based on harm minimisation and health promotion.

...Going to the farm was the best thing I have ever done in my life. It taught me how to live again...Triple Care Farm student

Triple Care Farm’s success has been built upon the strategic and evidence-based design of its programs. Five critical elements of this design are:

  • A holistic model of care, recognising that to overcome AOD abuse and co-occurring mental illness, young people require care that can address the range of issues they face across a spectrum of life domains
  • An individualised approach where staff work with each young person to understand their specific needs and to help them progress towards achieving their own life goals.
  • On-going support through an aftercare program, providing essential on-going support to young people as they transition into their new lives and realise long-term improvements
  • A commitment to continuous improvement through regular review and assessment against best-practice. As a result, the program continues to evolve to create better outcomes for young people.Triple Care Farm’s commitment to sharing this experience is contributing towards increasing both the number and effectiveness of youth-based Alcohol and Other Drugs services
  • The level of experienced and dedication of Triple Care Farm’s staff are consistently cited by young people and their families as one of its core strengths.

Funds to operate Triple Care Farm’s programs are raised from a number of sources including the Sir David Martin Foundation, the Department of Health (federal) and through the generous support of community and corporate partners and individual donors. When the total investment in Triple Care Farm between 2008-9 and 2012-13 is compared to the total social and economic value created, the social return on investment ratio is 2.9:1.

This means that for every $1 invested into Triple Care Farm, approximately $3 of value was created.

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