“Drugs – The Real Deal”
“Drugs – The Real Deal”
Designed to
specifically address drug and alcohol-related issues the
event
“Drugs – The Real Deal” will
take place on the 8th of November at the Emerald
Hotel.
Gisborne (15 October 2012) – “Drugs – The Real Deal” is a community-based initiative led by Amberley Meredith, health psychologist and founder of TheBeingWellProcess.com. The event aims at addressing regional drug and alcohol-related issues and providing solutions to the challenges faced by the Gisborne-Tairawhiti community to help residents live a better, healthier and longer life.
Facts
Drugs (i.e. alcohol,
caffeine, sugar, meth/’P’, etc.) intake is continuously
increasing in most of New Zealand, and it is especially true
and obvious in Gisborne where children here are starting
using drugs as young as 9, and where many people spend
upwards of $300 a week on drugs and alcohol.
The United
Nations’ drug reports consistently rank Kiwis among the
highest cannabis users in the World, at 13-14% of the adult
population. The 2009 report found New Zealand teenagers to
be the highest drug users among their peers around the
world, with about 80% of students having tried drugs at some
point throughout their adolescence.
“The kiwi
drinking and drug culture is embedded, generational and not
going away.”
Brian Hunt, Psychotherapist, AOD
Practitioner
Consequences
Drug
use leads to many tragic social (e.g. crime and violence),
physical, mental, financial, and health problems. For
example, the biggest killer in Tairawhiti is the cancer of
the digestive organs, which can be caused by alcohol,
obesity (from eating too much sugar) and
smoking.
The underlying objectives of
“Drugs – The Real Deal” are to:
- Bring
together drug and alcohol services across Tairawhiti to
facilitate access of services and information for the
public;
- Raise awareness of impact and risks drugs have
on people’s daily life;
- Help people understand the
process that leads them to taking drugs and becoming
addicted;
- Provide strategies to manage drugs better and
deal with issues related to drug intake; and
- Promote
the real benefits of avoiding drug consumption across the
region.
What will you learn at “Drugs – The Real
Deal”?
In response to the worrying statistics and
social trends recorded in the Gisborne region over the
years, TheBeingWellProcess.com has designed “Drugs – The
Real Deal” http://drugstherealdeal.weebly.com to
specifically address drug and alcohol-related issues, and
answer the following questions.
- What are
drugs?
- How do they work?
- What impact do they
have?
- How can you deal positively with them?
- What
barriers exist?
- Where can you get help?
Conference Programme
The evening will be
kicked-off with a special introduction by Honorable Mayor
Meng Foon who holds the wellbeing of his community at heart,
and will feature three keynote speakers - Amberley Meredith,
Health psychologist; Brian Hunt, psychotherapist, AOD
practitioner; and Bev Thomas, CAYAD Project Co-ordinator,
Turanga Health.
Speakers
- Amberley Meredith,
Health Psychologist (www.thebeingwellprocess.com): Amberley
Meredith will empower people by helping them know how to
make better choices about their lifestyle through taking
better care of their physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual wellbeing.
- Brian Hunt, Psychotherapist, AOD
Practitioner (www.brianhunt.co.nz): Brian Hunt will be
talking about drugs across the ages, how they have
historically been part of our society, and how we can deal
with them better.
- Bev Thomas, CAYAD Project
Co-ordinator, Turanga Health (www.turangahealth.co.nz): Bev
Thomas will be talking about synthetic drugs, focusing on
products being sold in New Zealand, the new government
regulations, and how they affect these drugs, as well as the
impact they have on the community.
Where to
attend ‘Drugs – The Real Deal”?
The conference
will take place at the Quality Hotel Emerald Gisborne,
Turanganui Room, which is also supporting the event by
generously offering the room for the evening.
When is
it?
Thursday, 8 November 2012, from 5:00PM to
8:00PM
Who should attend?
- Health & wellbeing
staff
- Community organizations
- School/college staff
and students
- Government representatives
- Media
experts with a focus on or interest in health and wellbeing
issues
- Drug users & supporting families
Entrance
fee
- $10 per person for advance booking
- $15
per person, at the door, the day of the event
Advance
booking is strongly recommended, as there is a limited
number of seats available.
“Drugs: The Real Deal”
backstage
Several community organisation
representatives will also be there to engage with the
public, share their expertise and provide on-location
information for those who wish to obtain further in-depth
immediate
support.
ends