LE Lead & PS Manager – Arataki Ministries

Lived Experience Lead and Peer Support Manager at Arataki Ministries

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My Cannabis Journey

Back in the late 1990’s I was depressed, on an unemployment benefit and living from week to week (barely). I spent all my benefit on cannabis and couldn’t often afford food or cigarettes. I even rationalised and spent my cigarette money on tinnies knowing I could just look for cigarette butts.

Cannabis interfered with my depression in a bad way, and it took many years to realise or accept this. Then I met some people, staff in a psychosocial rehab service who didn’t care I smoked cannabis, didn’t judge and treated me like a person and accepted me warts and all and it was this attitude from them that led me to begin giving back. I showered, cut my hair, and started working as a representative of the service.

Focussing on the problem does not always work, but focussing on why I was smoking cannabis was the foundation for my recovery. With a change of focus and an incentive to stop my habit, I already had the answer but I then had a reason to apply it.

Paul Clements

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