Asian Alcohol And Drug Survey Shows More Use Than Previously Thought

Asian Family Services and the New Zealand Drug Foundation
Te Puna Whakaiti Pāmamae Kai Whakapiri are calling for more
services that cater to Asian New Zealanders, following the
release of a
new report (PDF, 1.2 MB) showing higher levels of drug
use and harm than previously thought in parts of the Asian
community.

“When we think about who is affected by
harmful alcohol or drug use, we don’t usually think of
Asian New Zealanders,” says Asian Family Services CEO,
Kelly Feng. “There is a bias that Asians are the ‘model
minority’ and do not use drugs or are affected by alcohol.
This report shows this to be untrue.”

The national
survey, commissioned by Asian Family Services and the New
Zealand Drug Foundation, showed the prevalence of alcohol
and drug use in some subgroups exceeded the national
average.

Survey participants reported barriers to
accessing services, resources and information were high,
driven by social-cultural factors.

“Asian New
Zealanders are not getting the services they need, and it is
time to address that with targeted interventions designed by
or with our community,” says Feng.

73% of
respondents reported using alcohol in the last 12 months.
Participants reported harms from alcohol that included the
inability to remember the night before, unwanted sexual
activity, and injuries.

Drug Foundation Executive
Director, Sarah Helm, says the research gives valuable and
in-depth insights into Asian New Zealanders’ experiences
of drug use.

“We now understand where there may be
higher levels of use, and where additional support may be
needed. Asian New Zealanders who are younger or born in New
Zealand are more likely to use drugs than other Asian New
Zealanders.”

Cannabis was used by 7.6% of
respondents, with Indian New Zealanders (8.5%), Filipinos
(14.3%), and ‘other Asian’ New Zealanders who identify
with an ethnic group outside of the four largest ethnic
groups (15.5%), being more likely to use cannabis.

The
study also found that drug use and harms were experienced
differently by other subgroups, including LGBTQ+ Asian New
Zealanders.

Harms from drug use reported by
participants included a strong desire to use the substance
again (21.4%), memory or concentration problems (20.9%),
health, social, legal or financial problems (16.8%), and
feelings of guilt or remorse (15.3%).

“It is
important to remember that not all alcohol or drug use
causes harm, and many even reported benefits,” says Helm.
“But now we have a better understanding and opportunity to
investigate further and ideally improve services and
messages to the Asian community.”

The new survey
canvassed Asians across the motu to establish a baseline for
the perceptions and experiences of Asian New Zealanders.
This is the first survey of its kind at scale, and it is
hoped to be used as a monitoring tool going forward. A major
motivation for the partnership between Asian Family Services
and the Drug Foundation is acknowledging that Asians
continue to be left out when it comes to health and social
service design.

“We won’t understand the nuance
across the Asian diaspora without engaging with the
community in a safe space – particularly for the
vulnerable subgroups like the LGBTQ+ and disabled Asian
community. This is crucial to understanding the
socio-cultural drivers of behaviour that this report has
highlighted,” says Helm.

Feng adds that drug use,
alcohol harm, mental health, gambling and suicide are all
very stigmatised topics for Asian communities that can bring
feelings of guilt or shame.

“We need services and
resources that are targeted with these cultural factors
embedded into its design. The current mainstream services do
not and will not address poorer outcomes for our Asian
communities as it currently stands,” Feng says.

The
survey was designed, distributed and analysed by Synergia
and Trace
Research.

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