Brief interventions while waiting
Use this when time is limited and you want to agree on interim care or explore uncertainty without making readiness a condition of help.
5 min readGo to the sheet
Free guides and practical sheets
Addiction &
mental health
in real life.
Understand the pattern, prepare a better conversation and return to what matters.
Guides by topic
Choose a guide.
Every guide includes an original practical sheet. Fill it in privately on screen and print your answers, or download a blank one-page PDF. Return for a fresh copy whenever you need it.
16 guides, each with a practical sheet
General Practice consultations
Brief interventions, continuing care and support for the clinician.
Sustaining care when progress is slow
Use this when caring is taking a personal toll, or when you would value space to consider your own needs and the care arrangement.
6 min readGo to the sheet
A focused Addiction Medicine referral
Use this when seeking specialist input on a substance-use concern, co-occurring complexity or an unresolved treatment question.
5 min readGo to the sheet
Understanding the pattern
Impaired control, hidden costs, overlapping concerns, stigma and gambling.
Understanding impaired control
Use this when a conversation has become stuck on willpower, broken promises or whether caring means accepting harmful behaviour.
5 min readGo to the sheet
Still managing, but at what cost?
Use this when you are unsure whether your concerns deserve attention because you are still meeting your responsibilities.
5 min readGo to the sheet
When substance use and mental health get tangled
Use this when several problems seem connected and you are unsure which one to discuss first.
5 min readGo to the sheet
Responding to stigma
Use this after a shaming comment, an uncomfortable healthcare encounter or a moment when you notice yourself using harsh labels about yourself.
4 min readGo to the sheet
When gambling is hard to control
Use this when a promise or spending limit keeps failing, gambling is becoming harder to discuss, or someone else's gambling is affecting you.
5 min readGo to the sheet
Responding and taking a next step
Plan for an urge, uncertainty, a difficult week or an upcoming appointment.
Making a plan for cravings
Use this when you are settled enough to plan for an urge to use. It is not a guide to managing withdrawal or an emergency.
5 min readGo to the sheet
When someone is not ready for change
Use this when you feel pulled in different directions, or when a conversation about change keeps becoming an argument.
5 min readGo to the sheet
One useful change this week
Use this when you know something needs to change but your plans become hard to carry out in everyday life.
5 min readGo to the sheet
After a return to use: what matters now
Use this after a return to use, once immediate safety and medical needs have been addressed.
5 min readGo to the sheet
Make your next appointment useful
Use this before a GP, specialist or other treating-clinician appointment, including a review of ongoing care.
5 min readGo to the sheet
Supporting someone and yourself
Communication, boundaries and your own wellbeing.
Supporting someone while looking after yourself
Use this before a conversation about someone else's substance use, or when your own limits need attention.
5 min readGo to the sheet
When caring is wearing you down
Use this when caring is taking more than you can sustain, or when you need a plan for a break or an unexpected absence.
5 min readGo to the sheet
Talking about addiction with care
Use this before a conversation about substance use, treatment or its effects, when it is safe for everyone to take part.
5 min readGo to the sheet
Keep these within reach
Reusable discussion sheets.
Use a fresh sheet when circumstances change. Keep completed copies privately and decide what you want to discuss with your treating team.
Understanding addiction
Chronic, treatable
conditions.
Substance use disorders and recognised behavioural addictions, such as gambling disorder, are treatable health conditions. A chronic-disease approach means looking beyond a single episode: understanding the pattern, treating related health problems and adjusting care over time.
Recovery and sustained improvement are possible. The course differs between people, and care should match individual needs. Not every pattern of use or repeated behaviour is a disorder; assessment matters. Ongoing care does not automatically mean lifelong specialist treatment.
Changing how we talk about addiction
Destigmatisation is central to Dr Hadinata's approach. These resources use respectful language and take concerns seriously, so honest conversation is possible without shame or blame.
Compassion includes discussing harm clearly, maintaining safe boundaries and keeping a door open when someone is not ready to change. Treatment and support can begin with the next useful conversation.
Listening, reducing harm and keeping the door openFurther reading: Healthdirect on addiction and treatment; WHO on gambling harms and disorder; Dr Hadinata's comments on stigma in newsGP. Sources checked 27/09/2026.
For GPs & health professionals
Practical sheets
for clinical care.
These sheets can help structure a conversation, notice change over time or prepare a clinical question. They are original discussion aids, not validated screening instruments or clinical protocols.
The sheets are optional and can sit alongside your usual clinical assessment, records, consent and safety processes. The library also includes resources for your own wellbeing and the demands of continuing care.
An optional referral brief is also available if useful. It is not an additional referral requirement.
Considering specialist care
What a clinical
assessment adds.
A clinical assessment brings these ideas into the context of your health, history and circumstances.
Your General Practitioner remains central to ongoing care. They can help you decide what support is appropriate and whether a specialist referral would be useful.
For more detailed reading, Dr Hadinata's books and public contents cover recovery, psychological flexibility and living towards what matters. These free resources can be used on their own.
If something cannot wait
These resources are not an emergency service. Call 000 if someone is in immediate danger, difficult to wake, not breathing normally or having a seizure. For crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For alcohol and other drug support in Victoria, call DirectLine on 1800 888 236.
Stopping or sharply reducing heavy or daily alcohol use can be dangerous. Seek medical advice before making a sudden change. Do not stop or change prescribed treatment on the basis of these resources.