Nathan’s story
The first time Nathan Akoka was in a drug and alcohol withdrawal unit, he wasn’t a worker. He was a client. When he was 13 years old, he moved to Melbourne following some big life changes. He was feeling lost, so he started using substances to help cope. Eventually, he was referred to a YSAS Withdrawal unit in Fitzroy, where young people can stay for up to 14 days and access support while withdrawing from drugs and alcohol. What he remembers most was how non-judgemental and supportive the workers were.
“They weren’t telling me what to do, they wanted to know my story,” he says.
Flash forward to now, and Nathan is giving that same support to other young people at the Fitzroy Withdrawal unit. Nathan says many of the young people who come into the unit live chaotic and challenging lives, and they’ve turned to drugs to cope. At the unit, they can get proper sleep, eat good food, exercise in the gym, and socialise with other young people. There’s also a music recording studio and a basketball hoop. “It’s not a hostile environment – it’s really warm and caring and friendly,” Nathan says.
Nathan says some people think drug and alcohol work is complex, but for him, the essence of it is simple. It’s about listening without judgment. “Instead of saying ‘what’s wrong with you?’, we say ‘what’s going on for you, tell us you’re story’,” he says. “I think these young people just want a person to connect with, someone to be on their level.” Nathan’s focus is always on helping young people with their own goals – whether that’s reducing the use of a substance, or quitting altogether.
Nathan knows firsthand that addiction doesn’t stop overnight. “Some people can get frustrated when they see a young person coming back over and over and over again,” he says. Nathan says his role is to plant seeds of ideas that the young person can use if and when they are ready. He’s seen young people come back into the detox four or five times before they’re able to start reducing their use, but slowly over time big changes can happen. A number of his former clients have gone on to study and work in the drug and alcohol sector, just like him. Nathan says he learns a lot from their resilience and perseverance. “They are survivors, and I feel really privileged to hear about all those really difficult adversities,” he says.
Alongside working at the Fitzroy unit, Nathan also conducts research as part of his Doctor of Psychology. His study is looking at personality functioning with young people aged 18-25, and the relationship between antisocial behaviour and substance use. He also works for YSAS as a Research Assistant, looking at whether a non-stimulant ADHD medication can help reduce cannabis withdrawal symptoms in young people at YSAS. He hopes the outcomes can help inform the work he does at the residence. “We can always reflect on and improve our practice”, he says.
“We’re all in this for the same reasons – we want to empower our clients so they can have good outcomes.”