APBAM Conference

22/10/2026

How do you avoid burnout when life never seems to slow down? 👇

21/10/2026

Behind every gift is a story, and the tokens of appreciation we presented at carry a beautiful message of recovery and community support. 🎨✨

During our conference in September, our Organising Committee Chairman, Dr Munidasa Winslow, took to the main stage to thank our star keynote speakers: Dr Anna Lembke, Dr Robert Rhoton, and Distinguished Professor James Ogloff. Their sessions brought world-class insights on addiction and behavioural medicine to our delegates here in Singapore. 🙌🙌🙌

To honour their contributions, each speaker received a specially commissioned, hand-drawn artwork of local Singaporean birds.

The artist behind these vibrant pieces is Ms Sabrina Chin, a brilliant self-taught artist and dedicated volunteer. For over 10 years, Sabrina has supported the mental health charity PSALT Care, running art workshops that focus on creative expression, empowerment, and wellbeing.

Her artwork brings life to the walls at PSALT Care’s centre, Betsy’s PLACE (Peer Life Activity Centre for Empowerment), and has even been presented to two of Singapore’s presidents - former President Halimah Yacob and current President Tharman Shanmugaratnam!

We are so proud to partner with PSALT Care to share Sabrina’s talent and the spirit of our local recovery community with the world. 💜❤️🧡

Follow our APBAM Conference page to stay connected with our community, catch up on conference highlights, and get the latest updates on our upcoming Symposium 2027 and APBAM 2028 programmes!

20/10/2026

Is it just a bad habit, or has the phone taken control? 📱🤯🧠

If you have ever felt like you, or your children; cannot put the phone down, you are not alone. Compulsive digital behaviours around gaming, social media, and online shopping are becoming increasingly common.

We are honored to be featured in today's Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报 article, "Don't let dopamine hijack your life: Recognise digital addiction and regain control" (别被多巴胺绑架生活 :认清数码成瘾重拾掌控), features expert advice from our Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Guo Song, and Stanford University Addiction Psychiatrist, Dr Anna Lembke. ✨✨✨

How do you know if it is a real addiction? 🤔
👉 Dr Guo Song explains that a heavy user can still stop when necessary. A true addiction means losing control, where screen time starts ruining sleep, school, work, or family relationships despite the known harm.

How can we fix it?
1️⃣ Introduce clear limits, like keeping the phone out of the bedroom.

2️⃣ Try a structured break of 4 to 6 weeks from the problematic app or game to reset the brain's reward system.

3️⃣ Seek professional help if attempts to cut down result in severe distress, anger, or aggression.

Understanding the neurobiology of addiction is the first step to regaining control of our time and mental wellbeing. 💜

19/10/2026

19/10/2026

True mental health recovery is rarely a solitary journey. It requires a village, lived experiences, and deep, empathetic support. 💎🙌🌟

The APBAM Conference 2026 is supported by PSALT Care.

As a pioneering IPC Charity in Singapore, PSALT Care champions peer-facilitated support groups, and services built "for peers, by peers."

Their dedication to providing safe community spaces, life skills training, and personalized recovery plans perfectly mirrors the holistic conversations we drove during our clinical gathering earlier this September. ✨✨✨

📣 Learn more about about their peer support programs: https://psaltcare.com.sg/

Thank you to PSALT Care for standing with us to advocate for mental resilience, reduce stigma, and champion evidence-based community recovery. ❤️🧡💙

16/10/2026

Treating the behaviour is essential, but healing the brain is transformative ❤️‍🩹🧠✨

On 3rd September at APBAM Conference 2026, we had the privilege of hearing from Dr Terry Spokes in his transformative keynote, "How We Heal the Brain in Addiction Recovery".

A key takeaway from his session was a powerful reminder: 👉 addiction physically changes how the brain functions, particularly in areas controlling memory, attention, and decision-making.

🔥🔥🔥 Traditional treatments often focus solely on stopping the addictive behaviour, but they sometimes miss the vital step of addressing these underlying cognitive challenges.

Dr Spokes unpacked how integrating neurorehabilitation - using practical strategies to retrain and restore cognitive health; can be a game-changer for long-term, sustainable recovery.

(Check out some of our favourite moments of Dr Spokes on stage in the photos!)

Make sure to follow our APBAM Conference page for more expert reflections from APBAM 2026, and to be the first to hear about our next major events: Symposium 2027 and ! 📲

15/10/2026

Elevating the standard of clinical care means ensuring our professionals have access to continuous, rigorous training 🎓💯

The APBAM Conference 2026 is supported by MindWealth 360.

As the specialised wellness and training division of Promises Healthcare, MindWealth 360 is dedicated to equipping clinicians, counselors, and corporate teams with certified, evidence-based addiction and mental health training. ✨✨✨

Their flagship 40-hour "Window on Addictions" course and robust Employee Assistance Programs perfectly align with the vital workforce development conversations we championed during our gathering earlier this September.

📣 Learn more about the programs and courses available: https://mindwealth360.promises.com.sg/

Thank you to the MindWealth 360 team for supporting our mission to build a stronger, more capable behavioural healthcare workforce across the region. 🌏🙌

14/10/2026

Nurses are consistently at the forefront of addiction treatment, navigating complex clinical realities and providing vital, compassionate care to those living with dependency. 🥇🥇🥇

We are deeply honored that the Asia Pacific Behavioural and Addictions Medicine Conference (APBAM) 2026 is supported by the Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia (DANA).

As the peak nursing organisation for alcohol, to***co, and other drug issues across Australasia, DANA champions better care practices, vital clinical research, and the nurses who work tirelessly to support individuals in recovery.

✨ Learn more about DANA: https://www.danaonline.org/

Thank you to DANA for your unwavering commitment to professionalising the behavioural health workforce. ✨✨✨

13/10/2026

Are you scrolling just to feel normal? 📱🧠

Flashing back to 3rd September at APBAM Conference 2026, where Stanford University’s Dr Anna Lembke delivered a phenomenal keynote on "Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence".

Here is the core neuroscience breakdown:
⚖️ The Pleasure-Pain Balance: Your brain processes pleasure and pain in the exact same place

📉 The Deficit State: Constant exposure to instant digital rewards forces your brain to lower its baseline dopamine to compensate

🚧 Self-Binding: Willpower is not enough; we need to build literal barriers between ourselves and our devices

🧊 Hormesis: Seek out hard things! Ice baths, exercise, and unplugged hobbies trigger a natural, sustainable dopamine release

🗣️ Radical Honesty: Swap out digital "likes" for genuine human connection

Make sure to follow APBAM Conference for more expert insights from APBAM 2026 and the latest news on our upcoming programmes. 📲