While methamphetamine often makes the headlines, alcohol addiction is the number one drug people seek help for at Tauranga addiction treatment centre Hanmer Clinic.

Alcohol harm in New Zealand costs an estimated $7.86 billion per year, according to a June 2024 report from the Public Health Agency within the Ministry of Health.

“Consistently, we’ve always seen that alcohol, by far, has the biggest number of people referring to our service,” Hanmer Clinic director Sue Hancock said.

Alcohol is followed by methamphetamine and cannabis as three primary addictions that people seek help for at the clinic in Greerton.

“Out of 515 clients who come here, 340 had alcohol as a first problem. And then it was meth at 116, and then it was cannabis at 59.”

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, job losses and shifts in people’s lives, there was a surge in requests for help, but Hancock could not say if this trend had continued.

“We’ll have to do the stats in the next year and see how it’s shifted.”

Hanmer Clinic only sees people over 18, with the average age accessing their services being 43 years old.

“I can give you an example of the young ones tending not to necessarily be coming into a service like ours,” Hancock said.

“We do have a couple of 18-year-olds. I would say, they’re probably far more progressive and wanting to sort things out.”

The council takes action

In 2021, a Local Alcohol Policy Background Report was released by Tauranga City Council, where the area was shown to have higher rates of chronic alcohol use than the New Zealand average.

The city council implemented the Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) on July 8 of this year.

“A LAP is a set of decisions made by a local authority, in consultation with its community, about the sale and supply of alcohol locally,” said Sarah Omundsen, general manager of regulatory and compliance, in an emailed statement.

“Many people consume alcohol responsibly. The harm caused by the excessive or inappropriate consumption of alcohol impacts our communities. A LAP is one way of helping to reduce alcohol harm in our community.”

The changes that came into effect are:

No new bottle stores will be opened in areas where the deprivation index is 9 or 10.

The closing time for on-licensed premises in the city centre will be 2am instead of 3am

A range of discretionary conditions can be applied to off-licensed premises.

Alcohol harm a complex subject

“The problem is the addiction starts to develop over time, and people’s purpose for drinking shifts,” said Hancock.

A person wanting help for alcohol can often face incredible stigma when asking for help, and simply admitting a problem can lead to a real and perceived fear of losing the support of friends and family, Hancock said.

“There’s a lack of understanding about what an addiction is, but there’s also a resistance on an individual level, that somebody’s got an issue until they may be at a point where they’re losing so much.”

Quitting long-term alcohol addiction is not just a simple matter of going cold turkey and quitting drinking on the spot – as the consequences of this can be fatal.

“Coming off alcohol, one has to be careful,” said Hancock. “We’ve got to assess people. It’s not just a case of, well, stop.

The risk of detoxing alone

Withdrawing from alcohol addiction can be dangerous, especially for people with severe dependence, co-owner of Mount Medical Centre and addiction specialist Dr Tony Farrell said, due to the risk of severe symptoms like seizures, delirium tremens and even death.

The first 24-72 hours are the most dangerous for those withdrawing with symptoms including mild anxiety, shaking, sweating, and nausea, and can escalate to hallucinations and seizures, Farrell said.

People seeking detox should seek professional help to manage withdrawal symptoms and receive psychological support for long-term recovery.

He said the first step is asking for help. People could approach their healthcare provider or go directly to some services such as the Salvation Army, Hanmer Clinic, Alcohol and Drug Helpline. Local addiction services such as those available through Te Whatu Ora also offer support, he said.

Reaching out to supportive, non-judgemental friends will help those facing alcohol addiction with more support and motivation through the challenges of withdrawal.

People who are battling addiction are often facing battles with co-existing illnesses, including depression, anxiety or post-traumatic street, he said.

“Many people with addiction have also suffered life events, such as sexual abuse, which also are surrounded by stigma and taboo. Women are also more harshly judged than men, so there are many layers of stigma.”

The recommendations from Alcohol Action NZ are steps Farrell would like to implement: