Thu 1 May 2008 In: Worth Checking Out View at Wayback View at NDHA
The next episode of Maori Television's LGBT documentary programme Takataapui will be broadcast at 9:30pm on Monday 5 May: The gay population in Aotearoa is amongst the highest users of alcohol and drugs, as revealed by Massey University researchers who sought answers from over 15,000 New Zealanders between 2003 and 2004. This documentary looks for reasons why there's a connection between being takataapui and forming these addictions. We also tell the moving personal stories of James Kalose and Ben Crowley: how their addiction begins and escalates, how they experience desperate lows, and their path to recovery. Expert opinion is provided by CADS community worker and trainer, Diana Rands and Sociologist, Michael Stevens. Excerpts from the documentary: JAMES KALOSE – "I just thought oh my god I'm a homo to on top of everything else I couldn't hold down a job that type of thing I'm a drug addict an alcoholic and now I'm a homo… that's the last thing! It was a great excuse to go back to using, great excuse to not face that part of me." BEN CROWLEY – "I was ashamed at who I am, at who I was. I had tremendous guilt and I was frightened and I was filled with fear and those two drivers' shame and fear kind of were the gears and the accelerator on my active addiction. Shame based fear based put those together and it was an absolute disaster." DIANA RANDS - Alcohol and Drug Trainer for gay communities and Communications Project Focus for CADS: "The main reason why people take drugs is because they make you feel good. They work on the neuron transmitter dopamine. Dopamine is the feel good drug dopamine is the natural thing where we produce in our brain that is released when we have sex and when we eat and when we do very brave things." MICHAEL STEVENS – Sociologist and Researcher, Auckland University. "I think queer people are often drawn to alcohol and drugs because of our social position and that's the position of isolation socially rejected often by whanau and family and a position of great marginalisation and social discomfort and so we look for comfort where we can find it and often that is the area of drugs and alcohol." Takataapui is broadcast on Maori Television each Monday night at 9:30pm, then repeats on Freeview's Stratos channel at 10pm. The programme will also be made available on demand via Gay Gogglebox TV on the link below. Takataapui TV - 1st May 2008