27–28 May 2026
RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, QLD
Addiction Treatment in a Changing World: Whole Person, Whole System, From Hope to Action
Covering the A to Z of addiction, AddictionZ 2026 returns with a bold and inclusive program designed to unite the sector, challenge current models, and explore new pathways forward.
What to Expect
Insight-driven keynotes from thought leaders in addiction treatment
Sector-wide collaboration across the AOD and behavioural health space
Innovative strategies for trauma-informed care, prevention and recovery
Lived experience perspectives woven throughout the program
A supportive, energising environment to learn, connect, and grow
About the Conference
A whole-person, whole-system response to addiction
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 for 2026 — Addiction Treatment in a Changing World: Whole Person, Whole System, From Hope to Action — 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.
A New Program Structure for 2026
For the first time, AddictionZ 2026 will feature a new six-stream structure, allowing delegates to dive deeper into key areas of addiction. From AOD and gambling harm through to emerging substances, behavioural addictions, and lived experience, the program is designed to deliver both breadth and specialised focus.
This new approach means that while you will still benefit from the A–Z of expertise under one roof, you will also have the chance to engage with specialised content tailored to your professional needs.
The full program will be released on 19 January 2025, once presenter applications have closed and sessions are finalised.
Who Should Attend
AddictionZ is designed for professionals, researchers, advocates, and support workers dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by addiction.
You’ll be in good company if you are:
- AOD and mental health sector worker
- Psychologist, psychiatrist or counsellor
- Rehab or treatment provider
- Peer or lived experience worker
- Support worker or case manager
- Policy maker, academic or researcher
- Cultural advisor or First Nations advocate
- Allied health or medical practitioner
- NGO or community services representative
What to Expect at AddictionZ 2026
- Groundbreaking keynotes and expert panels
- Sector-led concurrent presentations
- Honest, courageous discussions
- Social and networking events to connect
- Culturally responsive and inclusive content
- New insights into digital treatment models, whole-system approaches, and trauma-informed care
What’s Included in Your Registration
Your conference ticket includes access to:
- All keynotes, sessions and panel discussions
- Premium catering across both days
- Networking functions and social events
- Chillout and wellbeing spaces
- 28 CPD hours per registration
- On-demand replay for 30 days post-event
- Certificate of attendance
- Conference app and digital resources
- Exclusive delegate giveaways and prizes
2026 Theme & Topics
Addiction Treatment in a Changing World: Whole Person, Whole System, From Hope to Action
(Click to Expand)
-
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
-
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
-
From Brain to Body: Advancing Addiction Science and Pharmacological Therapies
- Neurobiology, psychoneuroimmunology, and the role of inflammation in addiction and relapse
- Precision psychiatry and pharmacogenomics: tailoring treatment to genetics and environment
- Psychedelics, ketamine, cannabis and novel therapies: emerging science and clinical applications
- Next-generation medication-assisted treatments and long-acting injectables
- Balancing pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for holistic recovery
- Equity and ethics: access, consent, and culturally responsive approaches for diverse communities
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Addiction in the Workplace: Risk, Responsibility and Response
- High-risk industries: FIFO, healthcare, transport and hospitality
- Substance use and burnout: organisational accountability and support
- Building psychologically safe and inclusive workplaces
- Return-to-work and post-recovery workforce reintegration
- Peer champions and workplace wellbeing strategies
-
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
-
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 Māori 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
Committee
Tony Clarkson
Principal Clinical Advisor, Gambling Harm Prevention Response, Mental Health Division, Victorian Department of Health
Lt Colonel Lynette Hutson
Assistant Territorial Secretary for Mission, The Salvation Army
Emily Stocking
Associate Professor/NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow, Program Lead ‘Smoking, Vaping & Mental Health’
Dr Inez Fainga'a-Manu Sione
Community Research Fellow Village Connect & Griffith University
Grant Gaston
Regional Manager, Central Region (Hamilton through to Wellington) - Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF Services)
Registration Options
$ 449 + GST
Virtual
Save $100 with Early Bird. Ends 15/04/2026.
- Live streaming of all keynote presenters
- Live streaming of all sessions in the plenary room over two-day conference period
- Virtual presentations
- Complete online access to audio and visual presentations for 30 days*
- Over 10 hours towards CPD points
- Your personalised certificate of attendance
$ 1,099 + GST
In-Person
Save $300 with Early Bird. Ends 15/04/2026.
- All keynote presentations
- All concurrent presentations
- Discounted accommodation rates
- Access to conference app
- 5-star conference catering package
- Access to exclusive networking functions
- Complete online access to audio and visual presentations for 30 days post-event
- Printed conference materials
- Over 10 hours towards CPD points
- Your personalised certificate of attendance
- Exposure for your organisation
- Plus, chances to win great prizes!
$ 3,147 + GST
In-Person Group of Three (3 pax)
Save $450 with Early Bird. Ends 15/04/2026.
- All keynote presentations
- All concurrent presentations
- Discounted accommodation rates
- Access to conference app
- 5-star conference catering package
- Access to exclusive networking functions
- Complete online access to audio and visual presentations for 30 days post-event
- Printed conference materials
- Over 10 hours towards CPD points
- Your personalised certificate of attendance
- Exposure for your organisation
- Plus, chances to win great prizes!
HAVE A TEAM OF 4 OR MORE?
Venue
AddictionZ takes place at one of Queensland’s most iconic venues, offering delegates a premium experience surrounded by natural beauty, comfort, and convenience. Discounted accommodation is available for conference attendees.
Accommodation
Accommodation Rates (GST inclusive)
| Room Only | $270 |
| Room + Breakfast for One | $300 |
| Room + Breakfast for Two | $330 |
Supporters
Contact Us