Tiktok creator Sam Haira is opening up about his life of struggle and drug addiction in a bid to spread awareness and shine a light on whānau who may be on a similar journey.
The 36-year old is sharing his journey through social media and says he wants to show struggling whānau a life they may have never thought of for themselves.
He is a social media influencer but, behind the face, a separate person and lifestyle has been laid to rest.
“I was a meth addict and a drug dealer for many years, 15 plus I think. And that’s been my biggest struggle in life, addiction.”
He is a descendant of Tūhourangi, Ngāti Wāhiao, who grew up in Christchurch. He says his family had nothing to do with him leading a life of crime, rather following his friends and elder ‘idols’.
He says his morality was the price he had to pay.
“There were some nights where I would go to some people’s houses seeing their kids. I’d be looking at the kids and they’d be looking at me like ‘Uncle we’re hungry’, while I was taking their mum’s money. I would slowly give them some money so they could get a kai and that sort of stuff. Then I’d go home and think I feel guilty for selling it you know,” he says.
Haira has been on the rehabilitation path for the past four years. He admits there have been slipups during his journey but there have been deep mortality thoughts there to ground him.
“When I die and people come to my tangi, are they going to be addicts and talk about how much money I made or how much I smoked or these bad ripple effects? That was another thing that I thought about a lot.”
Over his journey he has been posting on social media but this year he began posting on Tiktok, sharing his own experiences throughout the years.
He says it’s a forum for those facing similar struggles to open up and find the light.
“They don’t know it but they help me because I’m in the positive circle. So, if people are reaching out to me on another level, it might bring me back down. But they don’t know that they’re in this ripple effect of change as well. So I really appreciate the messages.”
His ultimate goal with his posts is to spread awareness of the damage addiction can cause and encourage those in that world to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
