Scout| Ōtara
“Last time I felt stressed would be when I lost my old man, earlier this year, it’s pretty sad, because when he died I was in a bad habit of addiction.
Didn’t feel any emotion, kind of isolated myself from the family and stuff, when they came for the funeral.
He was a good fella. He was hard out into church. Always gave me advice, good advice. He taught me well, but I made my own choices in life. I grew up in a strong Christian family.
The day he died, my crack addiction was just getting worse. I kind of just started flipping out on family, started picking fights with aunties, uncles and things like that over little things. Although they were wrong, but it was still rude for me to put them in that kind of position, where they feel like I’m picking on them for no reason.
I grew up in Ōtara, and being in that environment kind of, not blaming the environment, except pretty much the people around me were a big influence, my friends, and I’ve got two brothers. Didn’t grow up with them, so I grew up with my friends, and most of them were influenced by gangs and things. I’m not in a gang or anything, but I still kicked it with them.
I’m still a baby addict. I’m a baby addict. I just started a few years ago. I was around it from my cousin’s, they introduced it to me. They were selling it, and so I was always around them. I wasn’t interested at first, but then the one puff led to another puff, and it led to being addicted to it, and now I’m at where I’m at, and having issues with the Police. It’s not a good thing to have.
I’m currently in the rehabilitation program now at the Bridge with Salvation Army, and it’s kind of opening my mind up to bigger things, seeing that there’s more important stuff to worry about, rather than little petty things. Nowadays I just sit or I write, or just think about music. Yeah, just listen to a lot of music, gospel songs, anything that suits the mood.
It’s (stress) causing a lot of families to be torn apart, separation. A lot of people in our community, they will stress in ways that they shouldn’t, and it kind of effects the kids and their upbringing.
Final message would be keep, keep the faith, and there’s help out there. Don’t got to bottle it up, or anything. If you’re going through hard times, it’s only temporary.”
**NEED HELP WITH ADDICTION?**
Alcohol Drug Helpline, call – 0800 787 797
**FEELING STRESSED?**
Check out these resources from the Mental Health Foundation: Stress and how to Handle it and the Five ways to Wellbeing. Need to talk to someone? Free text or call 1737 anytime.
