A collaborative research project by Brave Hearts NZ and Bethlehem Tertiary Institute has found nearly one-third of those surveyed have been threatened by violence.

Brave Hearts NZ is a support service for people with loved ones with substance use and addiction issues.

In conjunction with Bethlehem Tertiary Institute in Tauranga, Brave Heart NZ are doing a two-phase research project.

Phase one was an online survey that was sent out all over New Zealand to their membership of more than 3000 people and the survey was also put on social media and sent out to individuals like grandparents raising grandchildren.

“The online survey showed that approximately one in five people had to give up work, one in ten ended up in hospitals and a number of them went through court processes to care for their grandchildren,” says Brave Hearts founder Erin O’Neill.  

Erin says, 738 people responded to the survey.

The second phase is an interview-based research project specifically on the Bay of Plenty.

Erin is the mother of a son who struggled with a methamphetamine addiction.

“He was 15 when he first tried meth,” says Erin.

“It was a battle from age, probably, 28, now eight years clean.

“We suffered a lot.

“That’s why Brave Hearts exists, to support families who are going through that with a loved one.”

The interviews revealed the experience of 11 families living in the Bay of Plenty.

“For all of them, the story involves meth as well as other substances, but primarily it’s meth addiction.”

“The objective was to further understand the implications of “support” for families and whanau based on key findings in the first study.”

“We’ve got stories of people being shunted between mental health services and police.

“We’ve got family members under attack from another family member.

“This is someone that you love who is under the influence of meth and attacking you in your own home.

“It’s like being in a warzone.”

The results so far from the research show that “There is a need for families to get support, they can't do it on their own,” says Erin.

Brave Hearts founder Erin O’Neill.  

“There needs to be wraparound support around the whole whanau, not just the addict.

“We don't work with the addicts, there are places that will work with the addicts.

“They need professional help and peer support.

“When they're [the addicts] in a position where they are getting help and they are starting to come right then the family are in a better position to be able to support them as well.”

“Instead of having a family that may have been in hospital with heart attacks or mental health issues themselves, you've got a strong supportive family around the addict rather than everybody in the family falling over like the domino effect.”

“There is psychosis, paranoia, criminal activity, threats of violence, and in a lot of cases actual violence.”

“The destruction of property, like holes being punched in the wall is a very common one.”

This occurs whether a person is highly fueled by meth or as a result of coming down off it.

“We wrap around the family and work with them,” says Erin.

“It could be a partner, or in some cases, we’ve got children whose parents are addicted.

“This is something that I never, ever imagined would have happened to us.”

This is not something she ever imagined a child of hers being capable of, says Erin.

“There are various varying degrees as well, we are looking at the upper-end scale where it is getting intolerable for these people and they’re coming to us and say ‘What can we do?’”

“They could give us a call and we will take them through a toolkit.

“Every family is different, what’s going to work for one family may not work for another family depending on their circumstances.

It’s really important that everyone in that family that is affected, all get together on the same page, says Erin.

“Otherwise, you've got one person attempting to do one thing and another, attempting to do something else and that can trigger situations and make them more harmful and good.”

Most people say they feel shame and guilt, “You’ve raised a child who’s suddenly become a monster and is out there committing crimes,” says Erin.

“It’s not their child, or their partner, it’s meth that’s doing it, it’s like they’ve been taken over.”

Erin, who has lived experience of coping with a family member addicted to meth, says the respondents talked of living with a person who needs support and caring but who often rejects any offers of help, refuses services, seeking the only comfort they know in substances.

The full phase two research will be completed and released next year.

“You’re not alone, it’s happening to other people.

You don’t need to feel this shame and this guilt, it’s not your fault.

“Don’t give up hope because it can turn around.

“My son is now a senior management leader for a large organization working in mental health.

Even after leaving school at 15, he’s gone back and has a degree and he’s going from strength to strength,” says Erin.

For people experiencing this give Brave Heart NZ a call at 0508272834.

For more information visit the Brave Heart NZ website at https://www.bravehearts.nz/