Results tagged “Addiction”

When it comes to illegal drugs, there's quite a divide between those who believe in a tough stance and those who advocate a 'harm minimisation' approach.  However a new report from the University of New South Wales has studied the health impacts of over 1000 needle and syringe exchange programs across the country.  The report found that since 2000, they have prevented 32,000 cases of HIV infection and almost 100,000 cases of Hepatitis C - saving state and federal governments more than $1 billion dollars. 

Associate Professor David Wilson was in charge of the team who wrote the report. He spoke to us about the benefits of the programs. But do they help people break addiction? 

I'd like to hear from you.

Have you ever been an intravenous drug user or had somebody close to you affected by drugs?  Have you ever been part of a needle exchange program?  If so, did it help you get off drugs?  Did it help you stay in better physical and mental health?

Does a tough 'law and order' approach work better?

Do you think needle and syringe exchanges attract drug users to a particular area, or do they tend to be set up in places where drugs are already a problem?

Is it better to give health professionals contact with drug users while they're using, rather than once they've overdosed?

Needle and syringe exchanges may save the government money, but is that a good enough reason to encourage their use, if they don't liberate people from addiction?

ADAM is one very honest guy who phoned to talk to us about his struggle with pornography addiction. It's something he's battled for years. He says it probably began after his first sexual experience as a teenager, then became a serious problem in more recent years when pay TV was introduced into the house he was living in, and explicit images were easily available. Then came the internet. Adam does most things online - emails, banking - so he finds it hard to switch off the computer to avoid the temptation to download pornographic material.

Adam's a shift worker so is often alone during the day when everyone else is at work and he can't contact any friends. Also he experienced a relationship breakdown a couple of years ago, and hit a really low point. So he found himself looking at pornographic images more and more to try and drown out his feelings. He finds his most vulnerable times are when he's feeling either tired or depressed. Even when he's out and about, he can't get his mind off it, with sexual images on billboards and magazines. He says it's definitely an addiction that involves a cycle of binges and guilt.

Adam is a Christian, and regularly goes to a church, but he isn't really closely accountable to friends or leaders at the moment. He's scared to talk to anyone about the problem, as he fears he'll get a condemning, moralistic response, instead of real understanding and help.

• What advice could you give Adam that might help him?

• Any tips for what he can do when feeling vulnerable?

• Is there anyone he could talk to that might be able to help?

• If you have experienced struggles with pornography and been able to overcome them, tell us your experience - what did you do to break the cycle?

• Are there any accountability or mentoring sort of strategies that might help him break his habit?

• If you're a pastor who has counselled someone through this, I'd love to hear from you. Perhaps you have thoughts that might help Adam with his fear of talking about it.

EXPERT ADVICE: 

Clinical Psychologist Dr Robi Sonderegger - head of Family Challenge Australiais writing a book on pornography addiction, something he's been dealing with more and more in the clinic, and has recently spoken about in various church settings. He said we need:

1) Four good reasons to avoid pornography

2) Four good contingency plans - plan ahead of time what will you do to escape or to stop if you are tempted

3) Four good buddies to keep you accountable

4) Do these things for four weeks - to break the cycle

Other helpful links and resources:

www.thefight.com.au

www.allanmeyer.com

Testimony of Pastor Ron Brookman;

www.livingwaters.org.au

Internet filtering software to help protect you

12-step program, Sexaholics Anonymous Australia, www.saoz.net