The ‘I Am Enough’ documentary will be screened in Geelong next week, showcasing the impacts of lived experience in the justice, addiction and mental health space. Jena Carr speaks with filmmaker Abi Richardson and Kane Nuttall about his experience with drug addiction.
Kane Nuttall spent nearly half his life fighting a war that no one could see, beginning when he was just a teenager.
The Geelong man became addicted to drugs following challenges with mental health and bullying in his early teenage years.
“It was those formative years where you’re trying to find your place in the world and start to do things that are outside of your character looking for validation,” Kane said.
“I was bullied pretty harshly for my appearance in those early days. When I was bullied, I would be sitting around laughing, even though when I was by myself, I was in tears because I felt hollow on the inside.
“I found comfort in drugs because no one else expected anything of me other than to be stoned or high and just having a good time. So, that was my way to connect.
“My self-worth was so low, and I wanted to be somebody else, so with that addiction, I fitted in, but I knew that deep down what I was doing wasn’t great.
“Drugs just became a coping mechanism which led to the addiction which led to everything else that sort of went with that.”
After 15 years of drug addiction, Kane stopped using drugs four months before his 30th birthday and will celebrate 10 years clean on May 4, which is four months before his 40th birthday.
“I knew that I had more to offer than just being a drug addict, but I found comfort in that because my self-worth was so low,” he said.
“I feel lucky that I’m here; I don’t take that for granted. There were some very scary times, and I wouldn’t want anybody to feel the way that I felt.
“I lived in my car with my dog at the heights of my addiction, and I’ve suffered mentally, so being able to look back on how far I’ve come, and the impact, is a nice feeling.
“I always helped people, mainly the wrong people for the wrong reasons, but I knew that I had something to offer. I was always a kind and generous person.”
Kane founded the for-purpose organisation The Power In You Project (PIYP) in 2017 to help people affected by addiction, mental health and justice-related challenges.
He said that “mental health does not discriminate” and it was important to provide help for people as soon as possible as there was a “short window for people to get help” when they asked for help.
“40 per cent of my staff have lived experience, whether it’s with addiction, mental health or through the justice system,” he said.
“Within 24 hours, depending on their circumstance, they will be seen. If they can come down straight away, they will be seen straight away.
“Asking the first time is the hardest part. Making your way down here for the first time is the hardest part. Once people come here for the first time, they’ll realise this is a special community.
“This is a place where people can come and there’s no judgment. It’s all built off lived experience. Just ask for help. No one should ever be too proud to ask for help. We all need help from time to time.”
Kane recently teamed up with award-winning Geelong filmmaker Abi Richardson to create the ‘I Am Enough’ documentary that will be launched at South Geelong’s Pivotonian Cinema on February 13.
Abi said the documentary showcased the true impact of lived experience within the addiction, mental health and justice system space.
“It’s very humbling to have participants share their stories because they’ve been in some very dark places and been very vulnerable,” she said.
“One of the participants in the documentary talks about how she was a drug addict for a long time and tried to overdose several times. She’d done many programs, but only for eight or 10 weeks.
“There was an end date, and she’d get to the end date where she was supposed to be better, but she wasn’t better, and then she felt even worse. However, there is no end date for the project here.
“We want many more people to try and understand a little more about why people become addicted or in the justice system.
“You scratch the surface, most people will know someone who’s been affected by addiction, and that addiction almost always comes from some trauma.”
Abi said that if someone was “brave enough to say, ‘I need help’, they need help right now” and that the PIYP was a great place for people to start.
“When I met Kane, I was really impressed with the project. The way they were doing things seemed quite different, and I hadn’t heard of that approach before,” she said.
“I felt it would be really good to share it with a wider community because they’re working so hard doing what they’re doing; sometimes it’s hard to get that out there.
“There’s a lot of people who are affected by addiction, whether they’re addicted themselves or they have family members who are.
“It was good to be able to work with these guys for just over several months and look at different perspectives of why people become addicted and why this project is so successful in helping people.”
Help is available by contacting the Power In You Project on 5292 3000 or visiting in-person at 44 Little Fyans Street South Geelong or through the National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline on 1800 250 015.
Lifeline Australia also provides 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention on 13 11 14.
