Boats, family, opioids and overdose

July 26, 2021

Sam’s story

UN: Your heritage is Vietnamese. Do you want to tell us about that?

Sam: My mum and dad were refugees who left Vietnam in little boats. The two of them were in separate boats — they hadn’t met then. Dad used to talk about being on the sea for months. They were rescued by a large ship and taken to the Philippines. Then Mum and Dad met there and fell in love. They applied together to come to Australia. Then I was born in Australia.

UN: Did you ever feel discrimination around being Vietnamese?

Sam: I had a hard time in high school in Sydney’s southwest. Most people there were white Australians, so I stood out. But the problems were mostly because I am the type of person who sticks up for myself. I also stick up for other people, especially other people of colour, but then I would be beaten up. For me, it was worth it to keep speaking up about things that are important to me — like treating other people with respect.

I don’t feel that discrimination so much anymore. I was at high school 20 years ago. Now I feel like Australia is really a multicultural place.

UN: Do you have a good relationship with your family?

Sam: Mum and Dad aren’t together anymore. I live with my mum and my brother in Western Sydney.

After I left school, I worked with my dad as a carpenter for many years, but it was tough financially. Mum is a nurse and she is the backbone of the family. We used to give her the money and she looked after the whole family. But Dad and I both used and that was expensive. We had a mortgage and then got loans and more loans to pay for it all, until eventually everything fell apart.

UN: So, you and your dad both used. Did you start using with him?

Sam: No, I used for the first time when I was 15 with a friend. We snorted it. I didn’t like it at first, it made me sick, but I got used to it. Other friends wanted to try it, too — they started hanging around and it just got bigger. It became a social scene. These days I still use with my Vietnamese friends.

As I went on, I was just using to feel normal — that’s part of being dependant.

My dad was a user, but he was still a dad. He did discipline me physically a little bit — I think that is a generational thing in Vietnamese families — and it was just to get me into order. He was trying to be a good Vietnamese dad. My actual using was done mostly with my friends.

UN: Do you experience much discrimination about being a user?

Sam: My friends are users and my brother uses ice. So, there’s support there. But my mum hassles me so much. I’ve done so much detox, rehab, counselling — all of it. Nothing I wanted to do and none of it helped much to do what my mother wanted. At the end of it all, I just ended up the same way.

UN: Did you ever try the Opioid Treatment Program?

Sam: Yeah, I’m on methadone. That does help. It helps me control my use. I have much better control than I do without it, that’s for sure.

It is also so great not being tired and sick — I mean real sick — all the time, because that’s what having a dependency has meant for me.

Now when I use it is more of a fun holiday, without the worry.   

UN: Here at NUAA, we make resources about safer using. Do you think we should make some in the Vietnamese language?   

Sam: I have developmental issues and I don’t read easily in either language. So personally, it doesn’t matter to me. But I know the info. I listen to what I’m told. I am very careful to get new needles.

UN: Do you have any trouble getting equipment?

Sam: It’s mostly ok, but it can be tricky. I use the machines— except they are usually empty on the weekend, especially long weekends. Chemists are ok though. But you need money for both of those.

UN: Did you know you can get equipment posted to you for free from NUAA? (see below*)   

Sam: That’s really fantastic. Thank you so much. That’s really great.   

UN: Do you have much experience with overdose?   

Sam: I saved someone the other day! He had just got out of jail, so his tolerance was down, then he had some fentanyl, which is a strong drug. It was a clear case of overdose, so I called the ambulance on 000 straight away then while they came, I kept him alive by keeping his airways clear, giving him rescue breaths and some CPR. When I got given naloxone, I learnt about how to save someone from overdose and that you needed to call the ambos fast — and stay and tell them what you know.

I didn’t have any naloxone on me, because I wasn’t home. I don’t carry it on me because I worry about getting searched. But the ambos had some. I do get naloxone from the health centre near my methadone clinic, and I know it is the best thing for saving someone who has overdosed on heroin, fentanyl, methadone and other opioids. It’s worth having it around when you use with friends.

UN: What do you think about your own drug use these days?

Sam: I really enjoy an ice / heroin combo. It makes me happy and relaxed. I think of it as a real treat. Drugs are the best part of life. But they’re expensive, and the COVID prices are making life even harder than usual.

UN: If you could tell the Prime Minister or someone else in power one thing about drugs, what would it be?

Sam: I’d tell them everyone does drugs. It’s a big part of society. They need to just get used to that and stop treating drugs like they’re something unusual or wrong. Politicians need to stop treating drug users like they aren’t part of the mainstream community.  

* Give us a call on 1800 644 413 and we can help you order. Or you can go to our website and head to the Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) shop. It’s like any other internet shop — you just put fits, water, filters and so on in your ‘basket’ then take it to the ‘checkout’ — only most of it is free. Then we fill your order and post it to your door in a plain box so no-one can tell what’s inside.