Share your story
Change the conversation, one story at a time
It’s time for a new conversation about drugs in Australia, and it starts with telling your story.
Do you have a story from your life that can show the benefits of a more open and honest approach to drugs? Can you speak to how punishment gets in the way of managing drug use well? Does your life experience show how all sorts of people use drugs and live normal lives? Do you have another important story to tell?
Personal stories that are engaging and that other people can relate to are the best ways to get rid of the stigma and secrecy around drug use. Your story will help change the conversation and encourage other people to share their own.
It starts with telling your story
How to share your story safely and effectively
Use vivid anecdotes
Your story should draw on personal experiences throughout and ideally open with a vivid anecdote. Use these experiences to explain your point of view.
Disclosing drug use
We worked with legal firm Dowson Turco to develop this guide to disclosing drug use as safely as possible. If your story includes your own experiences with drugs, here are some key tips.
1. Provide vivid detail about your experiences without revealing specifics about quantities, locations, dates or other people involved.
2. Write in past tense and avoid making disclosures about future intentions to use drugs.
3. Consider who you are speaking with and ensure you are comfortable with the situation before disclosing drug use (both online and in person).
Activate your support network
When you begin to tell your story, take the time to develop a support network. This will help make sure that sharing your story is a positive experience. Identify three people you can turn to for support, who share your values and understand why you are sharing your story. Make time to connect with these people, and talk to them about why you are sharing your story. This doesn’t have to be a formal conversation, it could be as simple as a chat with a friend who you can call on if you need support.
In addition to talking with friends, you might want to reach out sometimes to external support services to supplement your tool kit. Click here for some places where you can go to get professional support.
Start a more open & honest conversation about drugs
How we will use your story
Stories that bring an important new perspective will be shared by Unharm with supporters, including by publishing stories on the website and sharing highlights on social media. Stories may be edited for length and clarity. When sharing your story through the Unharm page, you can choose whether to use an alias/nickname or your real name. You can also include a note about how you would like your story used.
Are you ready to help start a more open and honest conversation about drugs? Use the form to share your story.