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'There's trust back in my life' - An addict's journey from alcohol and drugs to recovery

December 11, 2020

Retreat NZ’s Janet Thompson and recovered addict Dave Collins spoke to TVNZ’s Breakfast.

Dave Collins says he can’t describe in words how great his life is after his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. 

He told TVNZ1’s Breakfast he’d tried rehab multiple times. But, at first, it was only to “get people off my back”.

“I always had someone or something to blame,” Collins said.

But, after relapsing, he realised he needed to take stock and look within. 

“I didn’t want to feel the way I felt anymore … I stopped fighting. I stopped getting in the ring," Collins said. 

“I can’t even describe in human words. It’s incredible. There’s trust back in my life.”

Instead of people staying away from him, Collins said he was now trusted to take care of someone’s house while they were on holiday, or was trusted with keys to people’s cars and homes. 

“I don’t obsess about [alcohol or drugs], I don’t think about it,” he said. 

“I’m just so grateful to be living this life today.” 

He now works as a programme director at Retreat NZ, a private, non-profit 30-day rehabilitation programme for people with drug and alcohol addiction. The live-in programme costs $12,000. 

“It’s one of the things that keeps me in the game, when you see that fire of recognition in these peoples eyes.

“Often, people external to them recognise the difference before they recognise it in themselves … we’ll love them until they can love themselves.” 

But, Retreat NZ chair Janet Thompson warned there was a risk others wouldn’t be given the same opportunity as Collins because rehabilitation services were seeing “unprecedented demand”. 

In July, the Government announced an extra $32 million for drug and alcohol services over the next four years. The funding was welcomed, but with a sense that it was just a start.

Five months on, many rehabilitation facilities still have long waiting lists. 

“Once the … window of opportunity opens when people ask for help, it’s really important that we’re able to respond at the time, because the window closes really quickly. The addiction and the alcoholism wants people to stay isolated,” Thompson said. 

“Sometimes, we have to say ‘it’s great you want help, we’ll get to you in a few weeks or longer’. 

“People die during that time. It’s really serious.”

She said the problem had been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which left many people isolated at home. 

The Government is accepting almost all of the recommendations from a nationwide inquiry.

She called on the Government to invest in rehabilitation services so that when people ask for help, they are able to get it. 

Funding rehabilitation services would have flow-on effects, like decreasing spending in ACC and Corrections, Thompson said. 

“Treat it as a health issue. Alcoholism and addiction is a disease. Alcoholics and addicts are not bad people, they’re sick people, and they need help.”

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