Team of 5 tackle the pain of people living with addiction

New Zealanders love the sun, the sea, BBQ’s and rugby.... and drugs! Along with Australia we have the highest rates of Cannabis and Meth use in the world. Half of all New Zealand adults have used drugs for recreation at some point in their life (and that excludes tobacco or party pills). Behind the statistics, in real New Zealand families, there is a world of pain. Drug and alcohol agencies work intensively with the addict, but often the hurt and confused families, have access to fewer recovery resources.

Then there are the addictions that don’t involve a needle or a pipe, but they can still wreak havoc in our lives. These include overworking, overspending, too much time online, over exercising, gambling to name a few.

North Shore Acupuncturist and Naturopath Lynda Wharton knows first hand the challenges of loving an addict, with a daughter who has battled addictions for over a decade. “Someone else’s addiction can rob you of your own sanity and happiness. Saving your addict can become YOUR addiction... and the truth is nobody wins. You lose your own wellbeing, and it does nothing to “fix” the addict you love. Only they can do that!”

Having learned the hard way, Lynda is passionate about sharing her story with other families struggling with addiction. Along with four others, she is a speaker at the upcoming Rising and Thriving Above Addiction conference in Albany, on March 18th.

Unlike most addiction conferences, this one is designed for families and friends of addicts, along with health professionals and counsellors working with addicts and their families. The focus is on reclaiming your health and happiness; resolving grief; understanding Co-dependency and the part that plays in perpetuating addiction; the role that “inherited” trauma may play in our struggles; and how to live as the best version of yourself, while loving an addict.

Rising and Thriving Above Addiction is on March 18th at Kawai Purapura, Albany. For more information and ticket sales, go to http://tbpsg.com/lll/lwh/lwseminars/

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