Jacoby Poulain: Personal battle cuts through barriers

Jacoby Poulain is a Hastings District Council Flaxmere Ward councillor and a Hawke's Bay District Health Board member.

It's pretty rare that I come across someone so remarkably open and honest in public about an otherwise usually extremely private affair as that which I witnessed on the TV programme Sunday where Lotta Dann, wife of TVNZ's political reporter Corin Dann, spoke candidly of her battle with the booze.

On the outside, she seemed like a normal, middle-class, high-functioning housewife of three children. On the inside though, she was enduring an internal battle of her mind, will and emotions. Daily she was gnawed at by the part of her that would tell her that her drinking, which originally began with a regular 5pm glass of wine but could no longer be satisfied after a bottle each night, was dysfunctional and abnormal, versus the other voice in her head which told her that it was OK and seemingly coaxed her to forget about it by having another drink.

Lotta knew she had a problem. From online writing, she has now also released a book that documents her sobriety journey and new found positive direction in life. These are the things that strike me about her story.

Number one: We all know ourselves better than anyone else (if we're observant and honest with ourselves that is). Only Lotta knew how sick and twisted her thinking about wine had become.

Everyone around could see her drinking, but no one realised it was a serious problem. Even her husband had to be convinced. Lotta knew something was off.

Number two: Debilitating addiction to substances and a negative thought life can affect people from all echelons and spheres of society. Lotta was high-functioning, fun-loving and well presented, not some stereotypical messy, homeless and hopeless drunk on the street. Lotta still suffered.

Number three: We all need outlets in our lives - if we don't find the positive ones, the negative ones will find us. Lotta was bored, she says it herself. She said alcohol was the perfect solution to a housewife's dilemma which is "you're really busy but you're sort of strangely bored". Lotta was a TV reporter, producer and director. I'm no psychologist but I believe that though Lotta loved taking care of her household and children very much, she was also somewhat starved of an additional needed positive outlet for the expression of all the creative energy and drive she had within in her. Wine filled that void in the meantime.

Number four: We each have a calling in life. Some may not believe this but I do. I believe we each have a calling and have been put on this Earth for a specific reason or purpose. This purpose can be multi-faceted, involve multiple layers and seasons but, nevertheless, I believe each and every one of us has a set of gifts, talents, abilities and circumstances that when fulfilled provides us with a unique outlook, essence and influence to give to the world.

We can choose for this influence to be negative or positive. Lotta could have let the negative circumstances of her situation keep her down and mess up her life, instead she has chosen to bring light out of the situation and influence other lives positively. Perhaps this is Lotta's calling in life, or at least an aspect of it.

Lotta's blog receives about 1000 views per day and, since the public release of her story on Sunday, she has received many responses from people who have either lived similar lives and recovered or wish to.

Effectively, Lotta is opening up a new support system or network for those who otherwise are likely not to access treatment in the traditional sense. It takes a brave woman and family to publicly make a stand on this issue and I have no doubt she will help many along the way.