A new podcast, The Daily Dose, is the creation of Mandy Nolan and Dr George Catsi, where they chat with nine people about their lives as people who currently or previously injected drugs.
Mandy says, ‘One of the most stigmatised and misunderstood groups in the community are people who inject drugs. Very often, the prejudice from community and the health sector has adverse affects on their wellbeing’.
‘Fear of judgement can actually be a barrier to people seeking treatment or services they might need to improve their situation.
‘There is a saying about walking a mile in someone’s shoes. Understanding someone’s circumstance helps develop compassion and connection. That’s where the power of story intervenes with positive health outcomes’.
Mandy says the podcast features stories from contributors in our region – from a woman living with chronic pain, to a young man with trauma and mental health issues, to a successful journalist.
‘In the interest of safety, their identity is confidential, but they have gifted their deeply moving, at times gruelling and confronting stories to the public record. The end result is a gripping eight part podcast that gives a profound insight into the lives of people who use drugs’.
‘Most of what we hear around drug use, and particularly about people who inject drugs comes from the mainstream media, and it’s deeply etched with stereotypes and impacts on people’s lives and their access to employment, family and personal relationships’.
Mandy and George say they wanted to share these remarkable and raw stories that really provide the best pathway to understanding, which is listening.
Promoting compassion
‘We aren’t promoting drug use’ says Mandy. ‘We are promoting compassion and understanding.’
‘It’s important to tell real stories that don’t rely on stereotypes and prejudice,’ says Dr Catsi.
Both Mandy and Dr Catsi previously collaberated through their Authentic You workshops.
‘Real stories are powerful, and capable of changing how people see the world. And that was the intention for The Daily Dose’.
‘Daily Dose is an Authentic You Media production, in collaboration with North Coast HIV, and Related Programs, also known as North Coast HARP. It was jointly funded by North Coast HARP & NSW Ministry of Health in Australia’.
A free public launch event will be held at the Brunswick Picture House on Thursday August 4 from 11am. RSVP to [email protected]. The Daily Dose is available on Google Podcast, Podbean, Spotify, Amazon, iHeartRadio & PlayerFM and downloadable at authenticyoumedia.podbean.com.
