NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

What it’s like to be a recovering alcoholic in your 20s: Kiwi play tells all

By Elizabeth Cracoft
NZ Herald·
2 Nov, 2023 07:18 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Elizabeth Cracroft's show REHAB debuted at Covert Theatre in 2021, drawing on her recovery from addiction. Photo / Alex Burton

Elizabeth Cracroft's show REHAB debuted at Covert Theatre in 2021, drawing on her recovery from addiction. Photo / Alex Burton

Opinion by Elizabeth Cracoft

OPINION

Elizabeth Cracroft, law school graduate and creator of the theatre show REHAB, discusses “recovering loudly” to break down the stigma of addiction.

My drinking story was pretty lock, stock and two smoking barrels – the full buffet of all alcoholism’s idiosyncrasies in eight short years, before getting desperate enough at the age of 24 to find my way out, with the lifesaving help of rehabs and other recovery members.

This was preceded, however, by years of resistance. I still remember being mortified when well-meaning friends encouraged me to try a recovery meeting when I was 20. I was so insulted and thought I was way too young and smart to be an actual alcoholic. I’d also never met anyone in recovery before.

Of course, they were completely right — and were long-suffering patrons who’d been unwillingly granted a front-row seat in witnessing their promising, all-rounder school friend being obliterated by alcoholism. The blackouts, the alcohol in my drink bottle at university lectures, the extraordinary rearrangement of my external life in an attempt to “fix” my drinking. I moved 10 times in years, always hoping a new flat would be the solution to my drinking.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

My sobriety date is July 22, 2009. I still vividly remember being at social events in early recovery and telling people the reason I didn’t drink was because I was pregnant or on a cycle of antibiotics for a urine infection. Much more socially acceptable than admitting I was a recovering alcoholic.

The problem is, if we all keep our recovery a secret (which we should all have the discretion to do), those suffering with this disease will continue to do so in isolation, with little idea of what recovery can look like. That’s why it’s been said that we recover loudly so others don’t suffer silently. The stigma that surrounds addiction (substance use disorder) means people need real-life examples of recovery to be able to conceive a way out for themselves.

Two and half years ago, I recovered very loudly and shared my story publicly for a piece in Canvas magazine about the theatre show REHAB I’d created at the Covert Theatre for the 2021 Auckland Fringe Festival. One of my main motivations was to address the stigma attached to addiction.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Although the article received very positive feedback (including from a prominent politician who identified with my story), I feel like a bit of a guinea pig for being so open – but l remind myself: “You got into recovery young”. “You’re 14 years sober now.” “The desire to drink is honestly gone.” It still makes me anxious telling some people about REHAB for fear that they’ll read about my past and judge me. In a recent local committee meeting, I mumbled my reply when someone asked what the show was called and now they may think it’s about a kebab.

I’ve also just finished a law degree and am about to enter a reasonably conservative profession. If I was still a publicist — my pre-law school career — maybe it wouldn’t matter as much, but I worry (the wake-up at 3am and panic type of worry) that a potential legal employer may hold prejudice against me for sharing my story. Although, like a good law student, I could also argue that my journey and long-term recovery have armoured me with a wealth of life and coping skills that will help me be an effective lawyer. My law degree has also taught me to critically analyse and challenge the status quo, giving me the courage to create REHAB in the first place.

Set in a residential treatment centre, REHAB is an improvised, devised dark comedy/drama. As its eclectic ensemble of characters demonstrates, addiction doesn’t discriminate. My own time in rehab and at recovery meetings showed me that people from every single community, profession and industry you can think of have been affected by this cunning, baffling and powerful disease. Smart, capable, talented people.

The cast of REHAB for its new Basement Theatre season, including the show's creator Elizabeth Cracroft, sitting third from left in the front row.
The cast of REHAB for its new Basement Theatre season, including the show's creator Elizabeth Cracroft, sitting third from left in the front row.

Since its opening in 2021, there have been three more seasons at Covert Theatre. Next Tuesday, the latest version opens at Auckland’s Basement Theatre with a cast of 16, including me. One of my favourite parts has been the audience feedback, including from many in rehab at the time who were rapt to see their experience reflected on stage. I’ve spoken to CEOs who were moved by the show and said it made them reconsider how they would respond to an employee with substance abuse disorder. One elderly man who came along clutching a notepad and pen thanked one of our cast members, with tears in his eyes. I’ve heard others have been inspired to attend recovery meetings because they identified so strongly with it.

REHAB is also very funny. Yes, there are vulnerable, deeper moments, but the humour is what makes it real - and the message more palatable. We spend a lot of time in early recovery laughing at ourselves, as a way to contrast and acknowledge how vastly different our life in addiction was. So many people have asked me whether our counsellor character, played by Mark Scott, is a real counsellor. Nope, he’s just a really good actor and had the guidance of very capable drug and alcohol clinicians.

All the characters have been individually devised using insights from the actor’s own life (including other ways they may have experienced marginalisation) and inspiration from people in recovery who have shared their stories. You’ll see, among others, a musician, an equity partner at a leading law firm, a VIP hotel host, a primary school teacher and a film director, plus a cohort of young actors. As I know from my own life story, recovery in your teens or 20s is possible, with willingness and the right help.

Following strong industry interest, a small group of us with lived experience (and a few others) are working to develop REHAB into a TV series as we continue to recover loudly and help others still suffering to find a way out. Rehab and recovery isn’t a stroll in the park – it requires willingness, diligence and maintenance; but compared to addiction, it is the easier option. Friends and whānau of the addicted person need just as much support. And of course, life still happens. I’ve dealt with two pregnancy losses, infidelity and raising my young child as a single parent (while studying law), but recovery gives me the tools to deal with anything and no matter what, I know I never need to pick up a drink.

  • REHAB is on at Auckland’s Basement Theatre, November 7-11 (tickets: choose what you pay, from $8).
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Lifestyle

Yes, you can chill red wine - these are the best varieties to try

09 Jun 06:00 AM
Lifestyle

Expert discusses TikTok's viral migraine remedy claims

09 Jun 01:53 AM
Premium
Opinion

Living forever: Inside the booming anti-ageing industry

09 Jun 01:44 AM

Why wallpaper works wonders

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Yes, you can chill red wine - these are the best varieties to try

Yes, you can chill red wine - these are the best varieties to try

09 Jun 06:00 AM

Quality chillable red wines are easy to find, fun to drink and feel unfussy.

Expert discusses TikTok's viral migraine remedy claims

Expert discusses TikTok's viral migraine remedy claims

09 Jun 01:53 AM
Premium
Living forever: Inside the booming anti-ageing industry

Living forever: Inside the booming anti-ageing industry

09 Jun 01:44 AM
How gut-friendly diets can boost your mental and physical health

How gut-friendly diets can boost your mental and physical health

09 Jun 01:33 AM
BV or thrush? Know the difference
sponsored

BV or thrush? Know the difference

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP