Mental health advocate and I Am Hope and Gumboot Friday campaigner Mike King is defending his claims that “alcohol is the solution for people with mental health issues.
“It’s actually the solution to our problem until you come up with a better solution,” he said, considering the links between alcohol and suicide on Newstalk ZB on Wednesday. “I would suggest to you that alcohol has prevented more young people from taking their own lives than it actually takes their own lives.”
He immediately defended these statements by saying that he had used drugs and alcohol to “stop that little voice inside my head” and that drugs and alcohol use was a “release” and a “lifejacket” up until he went into counselling.
“I’m really worried about this message and the harm it might do, particularly for young people. Those of us who have a voice in the community and a role like this, our voices are very important and can have really significant consequences,” Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm told RNZ.
“These statements, in particular, go against the hard work of many people over successive decades to try and build awareness around mental health and suicide prevention, so yeah, really concerned and also feeling for those many New Zealanders who have lost loved ones to alcohol-related suicide today.”
Mike King posted a video on Facebook reflecting on his statements after the media about them. “First and foremost, I did not say that drugs and alcohol are a cure for mental health problems, but by the same token, for a lot of us, they are not the cause of mental health problems either,” he said.
“I am not advocating or saying that alcohol and drugs should be administered as a means to cure people of a mental health issue. By the same standard, I am also saying that drugs and alcohol are not always the cause of mental health issues.
“There are no happy drug addicts and alcoholics out there. We use drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism until something better comes along.”
Labour Calls for Funding Pause
The Labour Party is calling on the government to pause its funding of I Am Hope and Gumboot Friday following Mike King’s comments.
“The comments made by Mike King promoting alcohol use to treat mental health issues are a sad indictment of the Government’s poor funding decision relating to Gumboot Friday,” Labour mental health spokesperson Ingrid Leary said.
“The comments are deeply problematic and fly in the face of a well-established body of literature that links alcohol use both directly and indirectly with mental ill health, including with suicide risk.
“To continue to fund Gumboot Friday sends a message to young people that alcohol use is a recognised treatment for mental health issues.
“It must be galling for the many wonderful non-governmental organisations with safe and evidence-based approaches to providing mental health support and services to hear these comments and know that they weren’t able to contest for these funds and help these young people.
“The Auditor General has already criticised the process that saw funding given to Gumboot Friday — today’s comments vindicate his concerns and add fuel to the fire.”
In May, the government announced that the I Am Hope Foundation would receive $6 million for four years to provide counselling services to five- to 25-year-olds.
The government was widely criticised for this move as it lacked a contestable procurement process, shutting out community mental health groups from applying for government funding.
Luxon Disagrees but Supports Charity
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told media that while he disagrees with Mike King’s comments, Gumboot Friday does “very important work”. Mental health minister Matt Doocey also distanced himself from Mike King’s statements, saying that he respects him but disagrees with the comments about alcohol he said on Newstalk.
“There’s no doubt about it: alcohol harm’s a major issue here in New Zealand, but we are very supportive of the work of Gumboot Friday. The fact that 15,000 young people are getting their free counselling is actually really special,” Luxon told media in Auckland.
“I appreciate the opposition want to make it a political issue. I would just say I wouldn’t play politics with youth mental health.”
In April 2024, the Mental Health Foundation proposed cutting ten staff positions due to government contracts not keeping pace with rising costs, highlighting funding challenges in the sector.
Further, the government’s Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund, designed to support community organisations, has faced criticism for its stringent criteria.
The requirement for organisations to match government funding up to $1 million per year has been deemed prohibitive, particularly for smaller groups, potentially limiting access to essential services.