The presenter shared her feelings live on air; saying Gower glossed over the real problem. Photo / Instagram
The presenter shared her feelings live on air; saying Gower glossed over the real problem. Photo / Instagram
In an incredibly powerful and heartfelt statement made on air last night, radio personality Jay-Jay Feeney has shared her anger at Patrick Gower's latest documentary, On P.
The documentary aired on Three on Tuesday night and was watched by 486,442 people across the country. The documentary was well received andlauded by some as a much needed and overdue discussion, but not everyone was impressed.
Feeney, half of More FM's Jay-Jay and Flynny, was not so impressed. The 47-year-old went on air yesterday afternoon to share her criticisms of the documentary and also opened up about her personal experience.
"After watching it I felt really frustrated," she said. "I felt like he almost glamorised P, making people realise how profitable it is and how many people get away with importing it or selling it."
Feeney stated that Gower's documentary did not touch on the ugly "truth" of P. "From my personal experience... I have seen it and felt the wrath of it. P destroys people."
"First it destroys the addict," continued Feeney with her passionate plea, describing how the drug "changes people", stealing their sense of human and turning them into someone uncaring, violent and angry.
"They need the drugs so badly they will do anything to get it, including stealing from those closest to them."
She said this was just one of the ways an addiction impacts the friends and family of the addict.
"My personal experience, my life was threatened by an extremely unhinged addict," she said, expressing her frustration that the police seemed powerless to assist, until she was actually attacked, threats were not enough.
With his documentary Gower: On P, Gower hopes to spark Government reform in regards to health-based services for addicts. Photo / supplied
On his film and its reception, Gower says that he hopes it sparks change in Government policy: "we have to do something different, we need the Government to help set up health-based support for methamphetamine users around the country,"
He dedicated the documentary to a mum he knew who "never gave up on her son with an addiction".
Whilst an improvement in treatment programmes is a positive step, Feeney makes it clear that based on her first-hand experience, it is not always the silver bullet everyone hopes it will be.
"I disagree with the conclusion of Paddy's documentary, because yes we need to treat addicts as mental health patients and have the services to help them.
"But it's not always going to be a fairytale ending where the addict is sober and everyone loves each other again."
Radio personality Jay-Jay Feeney voiced her very personal criticisms of David Gower's P documentary in a passionate and personal statment. Photo / supplied
"The only way an addict will actually get better is if they want to, not if you want them to," Feeney said.
