HOLDING HOPE
Every generation likes to believe it is facing unique challenges, but I think it is fair to say that the addiction landscape in Aotearoa is changing in ways we can no longer afford to ignore.
We are seeing
- Increasing complexity
- Growing demand
- New forms of addictive behaviour
- A system that is working incredibly hard simply to keep pace.
The people working in our sector remain deeply committed, but commitment alone is not enough. If we want better outcomes in the years ahead, we need to start making different decisions now.
Different decisions now
I have spent more than three decades working in addiction services. I currently lead Mirror Services and co-chair the National Committee for Addiction Treatment. Before that, I came into this work through lived experience. At the age of 25 I found myself standing at a crossroads. I could continue a life dominated by addiction, desperation and despair, or I could enter treatment and learn how to begin again.
Treatment gave me that opportunity. Recovery allowed me to rebuild my life from the ground up. I never intended to build a career in this sector, but I kept finding myself drawn back to it. People asked me to support others, and I realised that if I was going to do that well, I needed to train properly. That decision shaped the rest of my working life.
System under strain.
One of the realities we face is that our system is under significant strain. Workforce shortages continue to affect services across the country. Organisations have vacancies they cannot fill while demand continues to grow. At the same time, many New Zealanders are living under considerable financial and social pressure. Housing, the cost of living and wider uncertainty all influence people's wellbeing long before they arrive at an addiction service.
Back to basics
That means we often have to begin with the basics. Before people can focus on recovery, they may need stability, safety and practical support.
More the AOD
Another change we need to recognise is that addiction is no longer defined solely by alcohol and other drugs. Those remain critical issues, but they are no longer the whole picture.
Digital technology has fundamentally altered the environment in which we live. Children and young people are growing up immersed in online spaces, and with that comes increasing exposure to gaming, gambling, pornography, social media, online shopping and other behaviours that can become excessive, obsessive and compulsive. These patterns can have profound impacts on brain development, relationships, education and wellbeing.
If we fail to evolve our understanding, we risk solving yesterday's problems while tomorrow's challenges continue to grow.
For me, this is why systemic change matters. We have excellent people delivering excellent services, but unless we improve the system around them we will continue responding to the same problems year after year.
So where should our attention be focused?
- The first priority is building workforce capacity and capability. We need enough skilled people, supported properly, with opportunities to develop throughout their careers. Without that foundation, every other ambition becomes harder to achieve.
- Secondly, we must continue tackling stigma. Addiction is still too often viewed through judgement rather than understanding. People experiencing addiction are too easily 'othered'. Stigma delays people seeking help, affects families and influences public attitudes. If we genuinely believe change and/or recovery is possible, then our language, policies and behaviour need to reflect that belief.
- Finally, our commissioning systems must move faster. The environment is changing rapidly, yet funding and commissioning processes often struggle to keep pace. We need systems that are responsive to emerging evidence, changing patterns of addiction and the realities faced by frontline services.
None of these priorities can be addressed overnight. They require leadership, collaboration and a willingness to think beyond immediate pressures. They also require optimism.
Holding hope
One lesson recovery teaches us is that hope often arrives before confidence. Many people entering treatment cannot yet believe change is possible. Sometimes our role is simply to hold hope until they are able to hold it for themselves.
That remains the greatest privilege of this work. Every day we see people rebuild relationships, reconnect with family, rediscover purpose and create lives they once thought impossible.
The challenges facing our sector are significant, but they are not insurmountable. *
- Treatment and recovery works
- Compassion works
- Evidence works.
If we invest in our workforce, reduce stigma and build systems capable of meeting today's realities, we can create an addiction sector that is stronger, more responsive and better equipped for the future.
Above all, we must never lose sight of the simple truth that has guided my entire career: change is possible, and every person deserves the opportunity to find it.
