Addictions 101 with Blueprint for Learning

The root causes of addiction is due to biological, psychological, and social factors. Addiction is defined as an inability to stop consuming a substance or activity even though the substance or activity is causing them psychological or physical harm. Often people who have substance addictions are dealing with various traumas in their lives.

On the 15th of June we had the team from Blueprint for Learning run an all-day training for 12 of our Tāmaki whānau. It was an intense day of learning where we used the Te Whare Tapa Whā model as an indicator of wellness, but also as a tool to serve whānau suffering from addiction issues. Not only did we cover various substances, but also activities like gambling and gaming addictions were covered too. Co-existing problems, trauma, the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study among others were also covered, and now serve as extra tools in our kete of knowledge.

Identifying patterns of addiction is the first step on the path to recovery. Helping whānau break free of the various vices they’ve utilized to deal with a lifetime of trauma makes for stronger whānau, and therefore stronger communities. This is exactly The HEART Movement’s Kaupapa, and we look forward to partnering up with Blueprint for Learning in the future to help better enable our Tāmaki whānau.