Hariata Kahu, Drug & Alcohol counsellor: Belonging and connection

While others watched lines grow at supermarkets as New Zealand went into its most recent Covid-19 lockdown, Hariata Kahu�s eyes were on the local bottle store. �The line at New World was fine. But our bottle store was fully out of stock.�

As drug and alcohol counsellor at Te Tai o Marokura health and social services in Kaik?ura, Hariata sees people turn to alcohol and drugs in difficult times. �After the earthquake [in 2016] there were a number of people who were previous users who were coming back because they�d slipped up. And others then who were using alcohol to chill the trauma. The hardest is people who don�t want to be seen to be vulnerable and they do their best to hide it.�

She sees it also in Kaik?ura�s periods of unemployment, especially when the town which depends on tourism has been cut off by the earthquake and Covid-19 restrictions, but also during the seasonal downturn in employment each winter.

�Jobs are scarce here anyway, and that idle time is when people will start picking up the bottle. Poverty and hardship would be the biggest thing. We�ve known since the 80s, poverty always leads to alcohol and drugs, and to violence, domestic violence and suicides. We�ve hit the top of the cycle again, we�re starting again from where we were in the �80s.�

Hariata�s mother Miriama Solomon started Te Tai o Marokura health and social services in response to the challenges of those times. Hariata herself dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but feels she was born to do her current work.

�Life sometimes chucks something at you and you go for it.� She was a youth worker with Te Tai o Marokura at a time when there were a lot of suicides among young people in Kaik?ura.

�Alcohol and drugs were influencers, not the predominant reason but they were definitely involved.� She trained in addiction rehabilitation to save lives and found she loved it. �There�s some really sad situations, but I find it really rewarding.�

Sometimes her work includes accompanying people undergoing detox from methamphetamine, which can include supporting people at their homes around the clock. �I don�t have a magic wand that�s going to save their lives, that�s definitely up to the individual. But we can support them through it.

�When people have addictions and they want to give up or make a change, everything is so hard for them. So, it�s helping them to sort it out and to focus on one issue at a time. Of course, there�s multiple issues why people use. But it�s being there to support them to make positive moves.�

Often that involves identifying who else is available to support them. �Identifying really good support within their wh?nau, and also finding good networks external to that � friends, clubs, churches. Finding good support, people they trust and that they feel comfortable with. Ultimately the key to success is having that good positive support in place.�

Working in a kaupapa M?ori service helps. �In Te Ao M?ori, when you talk about the tapu of a person and addiction, it�s like there is a kink in the chain. For M?ori, it�s about that connection to Papat??nuku, it�s about that connection to whakapapa. Everybody has a whakapapa, whether you are M?ori, English, Japanese, it�s always about wanting that sense of belonging and connection.�

Hariata�s training was in the 12-step addiction programme which recognises a higher power. �I never push my faith on to people, but I always offer, �Would you like to start with karakia?� and most people want something.�

She finds her own faith helps her get through some hard times. �It�s very emotional. People are sharing their darkest times in their lives with you and sharing their journey with you. There�s been situations I�ve been in where I�ve just asked the Lord to guide me. I think if I didn�t have my faith and my background, I probably wouldn�t be able to do the work.�

She says one of the biggest pressures on health carers is meeting the demand. �We are fortunate with Te Tai o Marokura that we are a multidisciplinary service. People may be referred to our service for alcohol and drug addictions, but you actually find that there�s multiple issues that this wh?nau might have, so we can refer them to others.�

She says the community can be supportive by providing more alcohol-free events. �Like if we could have alcohol-free sports � when the rugby game�s on, regardless of age, just don�t drink. If people want to have a drink afterwards, that�s fine. It would be a hard feat, but if we could do that, it would make huge changes. It would really show the community that we take this seriously.�