There is a clear path to addressing alcohol abuse

AFTER reading about deaths of people from alcohol abuse, my opinion needle started to climb.

It isn’t a normal thing to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, but they have ‘‘open’’ meetings where anyone can go. Through personal family experiences, I can say that doing so would cast light for many on New Zealand’s problem with alcohol.

AA has shown to be the most effective, but least used, way in New Zealand for an alcoholic to deal with the illness.

On attending, one would hear stories of many longtime ‘‘sober’’ alcoholics. They are sober, not cured, as the disease will be in remission and dormant.

Many of those stories are of their treatment at governmentrun centres like Hanmer Springs or Queen Mary Hospital in Christchurch. Sadly, these treatment centres no longer exist.

It seems politicians do not think treating the problem is worth spending taxpayer dollars. We have chosen the more expensive route, leading to the 8000 deaths and untold additional medical and legal expenses.

Those places led the sick and suffering patient into AA, and they remain grateful. I have met some who were celebrating over 50 years of happy and productive new lives.

To have this work, the alcoholic must be introduced to the programme, and New Zealand is distinctly lacking in ways to do that.

Unlike some other countries, the courts here do not mandate driving offenders attend some meetings as part of their sentence and reparations.

The doctors do not seem to recognise the insidiousness of the disease that causes denial and deceit in the often lying patient.

And, the average Kiwi doesn’t have a clue that Alcoholics Anonymous even exists — or they may have a distorted, illinformed attitude about it.

There are ways out of the woods on this problem. We just keep ignoring the blazes on the trail. Kevin Burke

Mosgiel

[Abridged]

Climate emergency

ACROSS the world, governments are declaring a climate and ecological emergency. Recently, the Otago Regional Council said no to such a declaration.

Governments should be respecting nature so that it can provide clean water, food, air and a stable climate.

In local government, if there is no public mandate, councillors will not act for fear of losing their seat. Lobby groups take advantage of this and stifle positive change.

Local governments are therefore slowmoving beasts unable to deal with the urgency required around climate action.

A declaration of a climate and ecological emergency gives councils the opportunity to speed up the response time to the climate emergency.

The declaration is in part an ongoing community mandate to say no to destructive lobby groups, to empower skilled staff with good resources, to gather positive community input and to allow councils to examine all their emissions.

The ORC must revisit this decision. Nathan Keen

Careys Bay