Reducing harm from alcohol and drug use

In 2023, 17% of adults in Yarra Ranges drank alcohol at levels that put them at increased risk of harm, during the past 12 months (compared to 13% for Victoria).
14% of adults in Yarra Ranges did not drink alcohol in the past 12 months, compared to 21% across Victoria.
In 2022/23, 17.6% of people in Victoria used an illicit drug in the past year. This is similar to 2019 figures. However, the use of hallucinogens increased from 2.0% in 2019 to 3.2% in 2022–2023. Information on drug use (illicit drugs and use of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes) is not available for Yarra Ranges.

Collaborate with partners and communities to encourage safer alcohol consumption.
Help reduce alcohol-related harm through advocacy.
Build partnerships with sports clubs, business groups, industry networks, and Victoria Police.
Gain a better understanding of the needs of communities affected by alcohol-related harm

Sunday Sessions is a program run in partnership across five local government areas in the East, encouraging participants to push back against boozy weekends by getting involved in free exercise and wellbeing activities on Sunday mornings, in conjunction with providing participants with information and resources for alcohol and other drug support.
Yarra Ranges is a member of the Eastern Metropolitan Region Action on Alcohol Flagship Group bringing together Councils and organisations from the Eastern Metropolitan Region to collaborate on campaigns and events, as well as sharing knowledge to reduce harm from alcohol use.
The Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) program works collaboratively to reduce harms from alcohol and other drugs (AOD) in the local area. The LDAT develops and delivers evidence-based activities at community level.

Shaping Yarra Ranges