There are many myths & prejudices surrounding people who inject or use drugs
Who we serve
There are many myths and prejudices surrounding people who inject or use drugs.
The stereotypical vision is limited, incorrect and harmful & often assumes addiction and involvement in crime.
Whaiora personas
At DISC we have created whaiora personas in hope to bust some myths, introduce people to our clients and cultivate understanding for the world we work in.
Personas are simply tools for storytelling and expressing characteristics of a client group. They are based on aspects of real people; their stories, their journeys, their needs and wants. They are meant to resonate, but not be perfectly representative of every person – that just isn’t feasible. They are combinations of client characteristics, put together in a way to help people understand what the clients are like and what they are experiencing.
People use drugs or come to us for…
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Occasional or frequent
Experimental/curiosity
Subculture
Using a variety of substances or just one now and again
Spiritual discovery
Chemsex
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Being dependent on one or more drugs
Could be daily or weekly drug use
Could also be injecting methadone
Reasons for pathways into dependencies are complex
Often with treated/untreated mental health conditions
Complex situations such as homelessness, incarceration, disconnected from support
Trauma(s)
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May or may not have current dependencies
Pain may have been a pathway into dependence
Emotional or physical pain relief
Have untreated pain so seeking own solutions or have been rejected/judged by mainstream medical system
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Steroids or peptides used to grow muscle
Enhance performance
DIY Botox injectors
Weight loss
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Hormones purchased online due to lack of availability via mainstream medical system or wanting to choose their own dose or type of hormone
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Friends and family coming in for advice or Naloxone
People engaging in needle play/medical play
Ex-drug takers injecting saline just for the ritual aspect
Meet our whaiora personas….
A’s story
A is a 34-year-old Indian male
Owns a home in Ōtautahi Christchurch
He has decided to start injecting steroids
Body Enhancing
A is married with three young children and he owns and runs a successful small business. He plays Kabaddi with his friends, and he recently joined a gym to get stronger and bulk up. Some guys he spoke with at the gym said steroids make them feel great and they gain muscle easier; but A doesn’t want to just buy steroids from them – he doesn’t know them that well.
But after doing his own research, A eventually decided to try steroids – he really likes the idea of looking more muscular. He’s not going to tell his wife and he’s worried about compromising his health and maybe hurting his business reputation if people find out. He’s not keen to talk to his family GP either.
Being safe is of the utmost importance to him. He found out about the local harm reduction service while doing online research about steroid injecting. He doesn’t like the idea of being a “drug user” or having to use a harm reduction service to get what he needs, but he’s also conscious of keeping himself safe while he experiments with steroids.
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Frank and non-judgmental advice
A professional, knowledgeable, discreet advocate who can safely guide him through his decisions
Stigma-free support and a place to speak freely about what he’s doing
He’ll need new equipment, including wheel filters, when the time comes
Trusted healthcare staff to turn to if things go wrong
Access to blood testing to monitor how steroids affect his body
The offer of hep C screening
V’s story
V is a 61-year-old Pākehā male
Owns a home in Fendalton
Sources and injects his own testosterone
Body Enhancing
V has been married to his wife for 35 years. He has four children ranging in ages from 19 to 32. He is the long-standing CEO of a local commercial enterprise.
About nine years ago he had some blood tests and discovered he had low testosterone levels. His GP didn’t feel they were low enough to be put on a testosterone script. V was talking to a friend at the gym about how he was feeling about all that, and his friend said he could fix this by buying testosterone on the black market and injecting himself.
So, for nine years now he’s been sourcing his own testosterone and injecting himself. Lately he said he feels 35 years old again. On his last visit to get needles, he was offered a free hep C screening and found out that he was negative and has never had it. He was reassured by that news.
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Frank and non-judgmental advice
Clean injecting equipment and a place to safely dispose
Maintaining his confidentiality
Informing him that he can see the harm reduction nurses if he needs to
Making things discreet and easy
Hep C screening and treatment
Provision of a steroid clinic
T&L’s story
T is a 33-year-old Pākehā male, L is a Pākehā female aged 29
Homeowners in Motueka
Recreational cannabis, MDMA, morphine, methamphetamine and Ritalin
Recreation
T & L met when they were young, and they were into a partying and experimental scene. Both T & L have always been curious about drugs and over time, they have tried just about everything.
They have two young children. They are homeowners, and they own and operate a small renovations company. T is a builder and L is studying part time to become a social worker while also doing office work for their business.
They are really busy – they get breaks during the school holidays when the kids go to L’s parent’s farm. T & L take that time to party with their friends, but they know they need to be careful. They sometimes drive to Christchurch to have their drugs checked – they initially learned about drug checking at a festival and they really wish they could have their drugs checked locally when they need it.
They don’t inject anymore but they do their best to clean the pipes they use with their friends. Last time they went to the harm reduction service for drug checking, they got hep C screening because one of their friends tested positive for it, and they learned from the harm reduction nurse that you can pass it via pipes and snorting straws.
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Giving them assurance that they know the content of their drugs
A local drug checking service could mean they do this more regularly
Free, frank and confidential advice
Safer smoking and snorting kits*
Advice about safe drug combinations
Hep C screening and treatment
*Not currently allowed to provide this
M’s story
M is a 64-year-old Pākehā male
Lives in social housing in Mosgiel
Injects morphine, smokes cannabis
Complex | Pain relief
M is currently unemployed and hasn’t been able to work due to his chronic pain and serious How might we reduce harm for M? depression.
He has no children and has a stable, supportive relationship with his partner. He began using morphine just over 10 years ago after struggling with ineffective prescription medications. He was in a bad car crash in his early 30s and the pain built up over time, becoming worse with age. His GP and specialists told him he was on the right medication, but it never really helped his pain and the physiotherapy they prescribed just made it worse. As time went on, he developed worsening anxiety and depression. He lost his job because he couldn’t get out of bed some days.
To help, his mate injected him from some of his own morphine supply and equipment, which immediately put him out of his pain. So, he continued to source it illegally through him. He also smoked cannabis to cope and relax. After being offered a hep C screening by a peer worker he discovered he was positive. At first, he declined to take the treatment because he was worried about the medication, but he learned from the nurse that the new treatment has a high cure rate with lower side effects. The treatment actually made him feel so much better; he hadn’t realised how fatigued he was.
He would like to cut down and get on an opioid substitute so he can have a legal script and hopefully adequate pain relief. But he now has a serious distrust of doctors and the healthcare system after being refused opioids, despite explaining it was the only thing that worked for his pain. He knows that he’s been labelled a drug seeker, so he feels he doesn’t get taken seriously when he’s asked for help.
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New needles and other equipment
Advice to keep injecting sites healthy and free of infections
A place to dispose of equipment
Opioid substitution treatment
Proper pain management
Access to health professionals that understand and don’t judge
Mental health support for depression and anxiety
Naloxone kit
Hep C screening and treatment
Advocacy and peer support