Te Mate nei, te Kai Waipiro Alcoholism

Te Ao Hou, June 1968, Page 13

Te Mate nei, te Kai Waipiro Alcoholism by Ani Bosch I ngā rā o Pepuere, mai i te ahiahi o te 6 tae noa ki te 9 o ngā rā, i haere au ki tētahi kura i Massey College ki te ako ki te mate kino nei, te mate nā te kai pia, ā, waipiro rānei. Tini atu ngā kōrero i puta mai i ngā tohunga o tēnei whenua, ēngari āku nei pitopito he pēnei: 1. Tēnei mate he mea kino; rite tonu ki te mate kohi. I ngā rā o mua, te mate kohi nei e kore rawa e ora i ngā rata. Iāianei, kua kitea he rongoā hei patu i tēnei mate. I From the 6th to the 9th of February I was privileged to attend the National School of Alcoholism's third School of Alcoholic Studies at Massey College. Many things were said by different lecturers; however, the following are what I thought you would be interested in: 1. Alcoholism is a disease, comparable to tuberculosis. Not so long ago, tuberculosis was incurable. Nowadays there are ways and means of fighting this disease. In the past people died because of it; today, they very

mua rā, mate ana te tangata; iāianei, ora ana tātau. Pēnei tonu te āhua o te mate i haere nei au ki te ako. E mate ana nōki te tangata i te waipiro. Mā tō kaha anō ka ora ai koe. 2. I kī a Dr. Blake-Palmer, he tohunga ki te taha o ngā mate ehara ki te tinana, he pēnei: (a) Tenei mate ehara nō te Māori. He tokomaha ngā Māori e pāngia ana e tēnei mate. Tēnā pea he tika tāna. ēngari taihoa. (b) Ngā ngarungaru he kino. Mena koe e haurangi ana i te wā i a koe e taraiwa ana i tō motokā, nā ka aituā, ka kino. Tirohia ō pepa. Ngā tāngata e hinga ana i te taha o te rori, ngā pahihi o roto o te motokā, ngā tamariki, e hoa mā. Me aroha tātau ki ngā tamariki. (c) Ngā whāmere o ngā tāngata e mate nei i te waipiro. 3. Ki tā Father McFerran, nō te City Mission Family Guidance Centre i ākarana, te aroha ki ēnei tāngata! E mōhio pāhi ana ia ki a rātou. Ki a ia, aroha atu ngā mātua ki ā rātou tamariki i te wā i a rātou e ora ana, ēngari haurangi kau anō, kua huri ki te patu i ngā tamariki, i ngā wāhine rānei. ēngari hoki ehara tēnei i te haurangi koretake, ēngari te mate tino haurangi rawa, he mate nā te waipiro. 4. I roto i ēnei mea katoa, me āta haere. āta kai i tēnei kai, te waipiro. I ēnei mea katoa mena koe e pāngia ana e tēnei mate, me pēnei koe; me whakaae koe (i) Ae, he mate tino kino tōu. (ii) E kore koe e ora i a koe anake. ēngari, ina kaha tō hiahia kia ora koe, KA ORA KOE. (iii) Haere, rapua tō oranga. He kōrero tēnei nā Pāpu, he tangata i ora mai i tēnei mate: ‘Hore kau au i mōhio ki aku nei mātua. Tōku nei kāinga, mai i a au e tamariki ana, he whare-tiaki-tamariki. Tino koretake au, mataku noa iho. Ka kōrerotia mai au, ka wiriwiri kē aku turi—tino mataku au. Tekau mā whitu aku tau i te wā i kai pia rarely do. This is how it is with alcoholism. It can be a killer too, if you let it get a hold. 2. Dr Blake-Palmer, Deputy Director-General of the Health Department, made the following statements: (a) The statistics available for alcoholics show that only about half of those affected are Maori. The facts appear to prove his statement. (b) However, the effects are far-reaching. Drinking drivers who have accidents are responsible for much suffering. Just pick up your newspaper and you can read about the people who are killed on the roads, the passengers and, worst of all, the children involved. (c) The families of these people, the children, parents, wife or husband are all affected in some way or other. 3. Father McFerran of the City Mission Family Guidance Centre in Auckland said that the problem of alcoholics and their families was a most distressing one, and one which he had been concerned with for some years now. When the alcoholic parent comes home sober the children are made a fuss of, but if he has been drinking, then the children and the wife may suffer physically. In many such cases it is alcoholism that causes the person to behave in a manner contrary to his nature. 4. From all these people I got the impression that moderation is the key-word. They also stated that a person suffering from this disease should acknowledge: (i) that he is an alcoholic and needs help; (ii) that he cannot be cured by his own efforts. However, if he really has the desire to be cured, HE CAN BE CURED; (iii) that he should go and seek the help that is available. A statement from an A.A. member, whom we shall call Bob: ‘I never knew my parents. I was brought up in an orphanage, then in a Boys’ Home. I was a weakling, always scared, and I kept out of the way. I was 17 years old when I first had alcohol. I felt great after this first “binge”. No longer was I afraid, I was brave enough to tackle anything and anyone.

ai au. Ka pai ki a au tēnei kai; ka māia au. Koia tēnei te take i huri ai au ki tēnei kai. Ehara nā te reka, ēngari nā te mea i te wā i a au e haurangi ana, tino māia au, kaha, koa. Kīhai i roa ka mōhio ahau kua mate au i tēnei mea. Ka haere au ki hea noa atu. I taku hokinga mai, he wahine tāku. Kīhai au i kai waipiro mō tētahi wā roa. Nō te hanga nuinga a ngā tamariki, ka nui haere aku raruraru. Ka hoki anō au ki taku pou, ki a pia. ēngari hoki nā, kua kino. ‘E hia rā, wiki, marama, tau, i pau i a au. Ara rawa ake au, kua pau kē ngā moni i a au te kai, kua mahue kē au i taku wahine, nā, te mea kino rawa ko tēnei: kua mate kē taku tamaiti. Ae, nā, ināianei he tangata ora au. E ono tau iāianei, ahau he tangata ora. Taku wahine, i hoki mai anō ki a au. ēngari koia tēnei taku oranga. E kore anō au e pā ki tēnei mea ki te pia me ērā atu waipiro, ā, mate noa au.’ ētahi atu nei kōrero he pēnei: Nā ngā minita, ngā tāngata o ngā hāhi—tino aroha rātou ki ngā tāngata e pāngia ana e tēnei mate. E kore rātou e mea atu, ‘Haere atu, he haurangi koe!’ Ka mea kē atu, ‘Haere mai, māku koe e ārahi ki te Atua.’ Nā, e hoa mā, e aku whanaunga, hore kē au e mea atu ana kaua e kai pia. Ko taku tangi kē, me āta kai, kei hinga koe, a tātou, te iwi Māori. I didn't drink because I liked the taste, but because of the great feeling it gave me, and later I realised that it had a hold on me. I went wandering and spent my time drinking. I met and married a girl, bringing her home here with me. For quite a while after this I didn't drink. When the children grew older, our problems grew larger. I found it easier to return to my “crutch”, the bottle. And now, I was really sick. ‘Days, weeks, months and years rolled into one terrible nightmare. When I finally came to my senses, I had spent all my money, my wife had left me, and worst of all, my child had died. Today, well, I am a sober man. For six years I have been “dry”. My wife came back to me. She is my stabilising influence. I know I will never touch beer or other alcohol as long as I live.’ Other statements were made as follows: By the Ministers and representatives of the various churches present: they are greatly concerned with the people suffering with this disease. They will never say, ‘Go away, you are a drunkard’. Rather, they will say, ‘Come, and I will lead you to God’. So, friends and relatives, I am not telling you that you should not drink at all. My plea is, drink in moderation, lest you and I and all our Maori people be affected by this disease.