Health researchers at the University of Otago's Wellington
campus have developed a free online educational resource
covering addiction issues.
It also aims to help people learn directly from those who
have experienced addiction.
The website shows a series of video clips from interviews
with seven New Zealanders who have had alcohol and other drug
problems, but now live full, happy and productive lives.
''Demystifying Addiction through Personal Stories: An Online
Educational Resource'' was mainly intended to help medical
students and health professionals ''understand the
psychological, social and cultural drivers of addiction,''
researcher Rachel Tester said. Health professionals would
then feel better equipped to help those in need. The
researchers hoped the resource would destigmatise addiction
and be useful for ''understanding recovery from addiction''.
The resource was developed by Ms Tester, Dr Helen Moriarty
and Dr Maria Stubbe. The seven people interviewed for the
pilot study talked about what motivated them to change their
behaviour, and what had helped or hindered them.
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