“Drugs - The Real Deal.” Let’s Talk About it!
“Drugs – The Real Deal” is a community-based initiative led by Amberley Meredith, health psychologist and founder of TheBeingWellProcess.com. The event aims at addressing regional drug and alcohol-related issues and provide solutions to the challenges faced by the Gisborne-Tairawhiti community to help residents live a better, healthier and longer life.
Facts
Drugs (i.e. alcohol, caffeine, sugar, meth/’P’, etc.) intake is continuously increasing in most of New Zealand, and it is especially true and obvious in Gisborne where children here are starting using drugs as young as 9, and where many people spend upwards of $300 a week on drugs and alcohol.
The United Nations’ drug reports consistently rank Kiwis among the highest cannabis users in the World, at 13-14% of the adult population. The 2009 report found New Zealand teenagers to be the highest drug users among their peers around the world, with about 80% of students having tried drugs at some point throughout their adolescence.
“The kiwi drinking and drug culture is embedded, generational and not going away.”
Brian Hunt, Alcohol & Drug Practitioner
Consequences
Drug use leads to many tragic social (e.g. crime and violence), physical, mental, financial, and health problems. For example, the biggest killer in Tairawhiti is the cancer of the digestive organs, which can be caused by alcohol, obesity (from eating too much sugar) and smoking.
The underlying objectives of “Drugs – The Real Deal” are to:
- Bring together drug and alcohol services across Tairawhiti to facilitate access of services and information for the public;
- Raise awareness of impact and risks drugs have on people’s daily life;
- Help people understand the process that leads them to taking drugs and becoming addicted;
- Provide strategies to manage drugs better and deal with issues related to drug intake; and
- Promote the real benefits of avoiding drug consumption across the region.
Facts
Drugs (i.e. alcohol, caffeine, sugar, meth/’P’, etc.) intake is continuously increasing in most of New Zealand, and it is especially true and obvious in Gisborne where children here are starting using drugs as young as 9, and where many people spend upwards of $300 a week on drugs and alcohol.
The United Nations’ drug reports consistently rank Kiwis among the highest cannabis users in the World, at 13-14% of the adult population. The 2009 report found New Zealand teenagers to be the highest drug users among their peers around the world, with about 80% of students having tried drugs at some point throughout their adolescence.
“The kiwi drinking and drug culture is embedded, generational and not going away.”
Brian Hunt, Alcohol & Drug Practitioner
Consequences
Drug use leads to many tragic social (e.g. crime and violence), physical, mental, financial, and health problems. For example, the biggest killer in Tairawhiti is the cancer of the digestive organs, which can be caused by alcohol, obesity (from eating too much sugar) and smoking.
The underlying objectives of “Drugs – The Real Deal” are to:
- Bring together drug and alcohol services across Tairawhiti to facilitate access of services and information for the public;
- Raise awareness of impact and risks drugs have on people’s daily life;
- Help people understand the process that leads them to taking drugs and becoming addicted;
- Provide strategies to manage drugs better and deal with issues related to drug intake; and
- Promote the real benefits of avoiding drug consumption across the region.
Who should attend?
- Health & wellbeing staff
- Community organizations
- School/college staff and students
- Government representatives
- Media experts with a focus on or interest in health and wellbeing issues
- Drug users & supporting families