About Paul
Paul Dillon has been working in the area of drug education for almost 30 years. Through his own business, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) he continues to be contracted by agencies and organisations across the country to provide updates on current drug trends.
He continues to work with many school communities to ensure they have access to quality information and best practice drug education. An ex-school teacher, Paul has an interest in working with young people, and regularly provides drug information sessions and workshops to students across the country. His best-selling book for parents titled ‘Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs‘ was published in 2009 and has since been released internationally, being translated into a number of languages.
Paul has worked internationally, presenting workshops and training seminars in countries as diverse as the UK, the Philippines and Indonesia. In the lead up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics Paul worked with the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) to develop training programs for coaches around athletes and responsible partying. Since that time he been contracted by a range of sporting organisations including the Australian Cricketers Association, the Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) and Football Federation Australia (FFA) to deliver training to players around alcohol and other drug (AOD) safety, as well as to assist in the development of alcohol policies for the respective sports.
Paul was also the Project Officer for the “SpeedWise SpeedSafe” campaign, an initiative by the NSW Drug and Alcohol Directorate.
Whilst employed as a Community Programs Officer at the Centre for Education and Information on Drugs and Alcohol (CEIDA), Paul was seconded to write the draft of a manual for the NSW Police on alcohol and violence and was also the Project Officer for ‘Stay in Control’, a campaign targeting teenage binge drinking. He has also written content for a number of the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse’s projects designed specifically for primary school children.
Paul has also been involved in the interviewing of key informants for the World Health Organisation (WHO) Cocaine Study as well as the National Survey of Ecstasy and Other Party Drugs. He has also acted as a consultant for the United Nations, developing and trialling a UNODC Global Youth Training Workshop preventing amphetamine type stimulants (ATS) among young people.
Due to the research he has conducted in the ecstasy and related drugs area, in 2002 he was invited to be a member of the International Steering Group for the Club Health International Conference and continues in this position today.With a broad knowledge of a range of content areas, Paul regularly provides media comment and is regarded as a key social commentator in Australia, appearing on a wide range of television programs including Sunrise, TODAY and The Project discussing topical issues. Paul also had a regular spot on a national radio program for seven years where he dealt with current youth drug issues. Paul writes a blog for parents and caregivers, as well as another for young people, and these have recently been released in a podcast format.
Should Paul be delivering presentations at your school or agency, a range of downloadable images, as well as verbal and written introductions, are provided below that can be used in promotional material.