Governmental bullying of unemployed and addicts

Three of the most disliked groups just may be banks, dole bludgers and addicts. Worth noting the governments hit list with this latest budget

All the conversation I have heard so far this week seems to be about finger-pointing and demonizing drug users who may or may not be addicts or mental health dual diagnosis patients. We need to clear our thinking here – we are talking about the unemployed not “known drug users avoiding work and breaking rules”. Firstly we must spare a thought for these many thousands of guinea pig Australians who have found themselves in financial crisis after loosing their jobs. As an Australian, when this happens we have the right to support through Centrelink – now that is packaged with the instant assumption that you are a drug addict and you are subjected to the indignity of urinating in front of a stranger to prove otherwise... what happened to our rights here?

For those few individuals who will record positive drug tests (expensive process - who's paying for that in the budget Mr Turn-dill) there are more subgroups – casual users and those with mental health issues related to addiction and/or other mental health issues. Those of us working in the substance abuse and mental health areas understand that treatment of substance abuse and mental health disorders is complicated by the fact that alcohol or drugs are often used by mental health consumers to alleviate the stresses of their mental illness, history of trauma and abuse, social dislocation and distress.  The government itself has noted that dual diagnosis is the 'expectation not the exception' yet here we go again going for the soft target – trawling through the unemployed looking for the bludgers. Statistical evidence confirms that substance abuse among those with mental health problems is pervasive (2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing).

It is doubtful that being tough on drugs users without the existence of a robust well integrated service network to support this vulnerable group will improve anything and I am sure things will unravel for the government rapidly. People with substance abuse and mental health issues (a dual diagnosis) have a higher level of need than other mentally ill cohorts and a poorer prognosis due to the complex interrelationship of these disorders.

The co-occurrence of drug dependence and mental health disorders is widespread and is associated with higher levels of hospitalisation, incarceration, suicide, homicide, housing instability and homelessness, unemployment and financial difficulties, and lower treatment compliance People with co-morbid conditions experience high levels of unemployment. At the same time, they are least able to meet Centrelinks newstart and even disability payment requirements, because these services do not comprehensively assess or take into account the extent of the debilitation caused by these behavioural and mental disorders.

Very frequently these unemployed and other marginalised people are depressed, have great difficulty in personal contact, and lack confidence in their own capacity to relate to other people or indeed to initiate contact with them. To implement these new proposed income support arrangements will not encouraging people back to work and I have no doubt they will increase mental health issues, crime, homelessness and a host of other “unexpected consequences” for both the individual, services and community.  Who in Centerlink will be trained to the standard necessary in order to identify these hard to diagnose, hard to treat people - the diagnostic profile of AOD and dual diagnosis cohorts are known to be difficult and unreliable patients by definition. 

PS This has been proven to NOT WORK in many other countries including US.

It will not save money - IT WILL COST MONEY 

It will humiliate even further the 98% of Centrelink applicants who DO NOT USE DRUGS.

Aly Birmingham Geats

http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Former_Committees/mentalhealth/report/c14

Dealing with shame when you can't seem to quit

        Alcohol and drugs take the edge off.  There's no doubt about that but when your need to block out the negatives in your life start to put you in the danger zone with your consumption you soon realize that quitting is just not that easy. The obsessions and compulsions that drive this lack of control travel on a continuum that can be seen  as a journey from light use to addiction - no one starts off with a drinking/drug/technology problem it just develops; sometimes frighteningly fast and sometimes over a lifetime.  The end result is the same and the feelings of powerlessness and shame often rise as a result.
     
The habit of judging our weakness is enough to send us straight to the bottle - shame is a great driver of substance abuse.  Know that your brain undergoes significant changes when you have dependence or addictions in areas that control both drive and executive thinking so the voice that will normally get you to put the breaks on is on a "break" while the part of your brain that drives things such as emotion, hunger and fear is supercharged.  You can get things back to normal but it needs time without psychoactive drugs and behaviours to achieve this.
         Finding your most powerful motivations will start your neuro-detox - could be your children or it could be your sport!  Find someone to guide you through the process of gaining control through this time because it really is so very hard just to get a start.  I know because I've see people do this journey every week for nearly 20 years.  Doing it alone is even harder and doing it without a plan is almost impossible.
        Always remember every attempt is not a failure - just use it as a learning opportunity so you can see what triggered you to use/drink today and find a solution for tomorrow.    
 

As you take those first steps, let the shame go and feel the power return!

                                     Aly Birmingham Geats 

Its about to get a lot harder to access prescription drugs on the Northern Beaches!

National real-time medicine monitoring will save lives

Our calls for the urgent  implementation of a national real-time recording and reporting system to decrease the inappropriate use of prescription  medicines seems to be very slowly actioned by the Federal and State Governments (although I find the speed of this "urgent" intervention to be a national disgrace).

As we loose countless wonderful people in this country each and every year from legally prescribed drugs I cannot fathom the attitude of our political leaders and the lack of interest they continue to show.  Be that as it may, this system will finally become a reality in the near future and I have further concerns as to how we are going to deal with the many thousands of individuals who are currently experiencing heavy dependence on these prescription medicines when they are not able to access their normal quantities.... 

Northern Beaches women are our clients and I can tell you that I personally see more women experiencing problems with alcohol and prescription medications such as Valium and Xanax than other illicit drugs combined.

The expected reporting  system ( Electronic Recording and Reporting of Controlled Drugs)  will include all drugs with potential for dependence meaning that all doctors will be able to access a patients record in the consultation - no more "doctor shopping"

This is great news but if we don't support these individuals they will experience dangerous health, social and psychological distress and/or probably substitute with alcohol or illicit drugs. 

We need to have some serious conversations and get ready!

Aly 

Aly Birmingham Geats

www.counsellingnorthside.com.au

A WOMANS STORY IS NOT HER EXCUSE

             Hearing it is an opportunity 
             for insight and compassion.

Addiction is not a matter of morals.
It is not a matter of weakness.
Addiction is not a choice, recovery is a choice but it is rarely achievable without help.
A woman does not decide to become an addict.
A woman has a right to make bad decisions without being judged and shamed.
We all need support when things go wrong.

When things go wrong for a child
and theres no one there to show the way
how can they create a good life?
How do they grow up and know how to be safe?
They just try their best.

counsellingnorthside.com.au
sydneyrecoverysupport.com.au
familytree.org.au

       Acceptance not Judgement