The Daily Dose
Do you know the real stories of people who inject or use drugs? The fear and stigma around drug use often means that people who use drugs struggle to be accepted and to access the health care and social equity the rest of us take for granted.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like for them? Who they are? What life is like? One of the greatest pathways to understanding is listening.
Mandy Nolan and Dr George Catsi follow the personal and untold stories of people who inject drugs. We give a voice to their lives and circumstances, looking behind the stigma.
Most of what we hear around drug use, and particularly people who inject drugs comes from the media, and it’s deeply etched with stereotypes and impacts on people’s lives and their access to employment, family and personal relationships.
We aren’t promoting drug use. We’re promoting compassion and understanding.
We think it is important it is to tell real stories that don’t rely on stereotypes and prejudice.
This is brave stuff from these 9 storytellers because sharing these kinds of stories comes with risks. In some instances friends family and colleagues don’t know about their drug use. They could lose their job, be marginalised in their community, ostracised at school pick up and be judged.
So we won’t tell you when but we are changing names and voices along the way so that people have some sense of safety. Can you imagine sharing your most socially complex story with the world on a podcast? We’re so grateful to these 9 storytellers for having the guts to give this a go.
Daily Dose is an Authentic You Media production in collaboration with North Coast HIV and Related Programs, also known as North Coast HARP. Jointly funded by North Coast HARP & NSW Ministry of Health in Australia.
Episodes
Mar 31, 2022
Mar 31, 2022
37 min
In episode 8, our final one, we meet Shae. She challenges our perceptions of what it is to be an injecting drug user. Shae is happy, full of life and joy, has raised a family, and has has no intention of stopping her use.
It’s interesting how challenging the very honest story of someone who is happy injecting drugs and has no plans to stop can be.
Shae is charismatic, confident and has this way of lighting up a room.
This final story really challenges us to pack away those stereotypes. You just can’t ever know who anyone is or why they do what they do unless you sit on the back step and listen to who they are.
Daily Dose
Telling the stories of real people who do or have injected drugs. How they started, their fears, the stigma around their drug use, and how they struggle to be accepted and to have the health and social equity the rest of us take for granted.
Mandy Nolan and Dr George Catsi give a voice to their lives and circumstances, looking behind the stigma.
Mar 31, 2022
Mar 31, 2022
41 min
In episode 7 we meet Digby, he is a journalist. He’s educated, well travelled and someone who has been very successful in his career. Digby is in his late 60's, possibly early 70’s . It’s hard to tell because he’s a really fit and healthy man and could easily pass for early 60’s. Digby doesn't use drugs anymore having stopped being an injecting drug user over 45 years ago i nthe 1970's.
Digby talks about what is to be open about drug use, and how even though its historical, it still impacts on his life today.
Daily Dose
Telling the stories of real people who do or have injected drugs. How they started, their fears, the stigma around their drug use, and how they struggle to be accepted and to have the health and social equity the rest of us take for granted.
Mandy Nolan and Dr George Catsi give a voice to their lives and circumstances, looking behind the stigma.
Mar 31, 2022
Mar 31, 2022
42 min
In episode 6 we meet Heidi. She’s arrived with cake her Mum has made for her to bring to our interview. It’s clear Heidi is really nervous. She could be your kids’ primary school teacher. She’s a softly spoken and slightly self conscious and she’s worried that she’ll make mistakes.
Daily Dose
Telling the stories of real people who do or have injected drugs. How they started, their fears, the stigma around their drug use, and how they struggle to be accepted and to have the health and social equity the rest of us take for granted.
Mandy Nolan and Dr George Catsi give a voice to their lives and circumstances, looking behind the stigma.
Mar 31, 2022
Mar 31, 2022
49 min
In episode 5 we meet a couple, Manni and Heydon. It’s clear they’re very much in love as all through the conversation they hold hands and reach out to each other for support. They finish each other’s sentences. They have this very tangible intimacy - it’s clear they’ve been through a lot bot hindovidually and as a couple.
A warning for anyone listening. There are some tough moments in Heydon’s story. This episode does talk about suicide.
Daily Dose
Telling the stories of real people who do or have injected drugs. How they started, their fears, the stigma around their drug use, and how they struggle to be accepted and to have the health and social equity the rest of us take for granted.
Mandy Nolan and Dr George Catsi give a voice to their lives and circumstances, looking behind the stigma.
Mar 31, 2022
Mar 31, 2022
54 min
In episode 4 we meet Luke, an indigenous man, who tells us drugs were part of how he dealt with how his sexuality impacted his life within his community.
Daily Dose
Telling the stories of real people who do or have injected drugs. How they started, their fears, the stigma around their drug use, and how they struggle to be accepted and to have the health and social equity the rest of us take for granted.
Mandy Nolan and Dr George Catsi give a voice to their lives and circumstances, looking behind the stigma.
Mar 31, 2022
Mar 31, 2022
40 min
In episode 3 we meet Nicky who has had some really big emotional upheavals in her personal life that have impacted on her drug use.
Daily Dose
Telling the stories of real people who do or have injected drugs. How they started, their fears, the stigma around their drug use, and how they struggle to be accepted and to have the health and social equity the rest of us take for granted.
Mandy Nolan and Dr George Catsi give a voice to their lives and circumstances, looking behind the stigma.
Mar 31, 2022
Mar 31, 2022
44 min
In episode 2 we chat with Marco a young man. He’s nervous but he's a really personable, chatty, friendly and really open. He could be someone that you might meet at the garage when you get your car serviced. He’s very much your regular Aussie bloke. Drugs have been a big part of his life for quite some time.
We hear about the challenges of stigmatisation and how it impedes people's ability to manage their usage.
Daily Dose
Telling the stories of real people who do or have injected drugs. How they started, their fears, the stigma around their drug use, and how they struggle to be accepted and to have the health and social equity the rest of us take for granted.
Mandy Nolan and Dr George Catsi give a voice to their lives and circumstances, looking behind the stigma.
Mar 4, 2022
Mar 4, 2022
46 min
In our first episode of Daily Dose, we meet Megan. She is a bright, funny and articulate 26-year-old. The type of person you immediately warm to. We discover how she first started injecting and then how her life went from there.
Daily Dose
Telling the stories of real people who do or have injected drugs. How they started, their fears, the stigma around their drug use, and how they struggle to be accepted and to have the health and social equity the rest of us take for granted.
Mandy Nolan and Dr George Catsi give a voice to their lives and circumstances, looking behind the stigma.