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I'm not altogether surprised that Mike King’s comments on this show yesterday have sparked a debate.

The reason I'm not surprised is because some of what he said is factually wrong.

King claimed alcohol wasn't a problem for people with mental health issues - but rather, a solution.

Remember, we are talking about suicide. For people with suicidal ideation, alcohol is a problem because it lowers inhibitions, meaning people are more likely to act on their feelings. And it’s a depressant, it lowers your mood, it makes you more unhappy.

But some of what he said - to be fair to him - is also his own lived experience in trying to cope with his mental health issues.

He said he's a drug addict and alcoholic and his whole life, he used drugs and alcohol to stop that little voice inside his head.

You can’t argue with that as much, because that is his experience. And there is actually evidence that alcohol does provide a mental escape in the moment.

What I'm a little surprised by is the strength of the reaction to Mike King today. I was expecting the anti-alcohol people to get wound up - but I wasn't expecting the Labour Party to go quite as far as they have.

Labour have today called for Government funding of Gumboot Friday to be reconsidered. Let's be clear about what’s going on here, this is political.

There was a time when everyone loved Mike King and thought he was a good guy doing good work for mental health.

• 'Classic overreach': Mike King responds to proposed alcohol ban at Dunedin event
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• 'Deeply problematic': Labour calls for review of Mike King’s charity funding after alcohol claims
• 'Our life jacket': Mike King defends claims 'alcohol is the solution' for mental health

But then he became a political figure, because he took on Jacinda Ardern and had a public scrap with her, because her Government pulled funding from his charity and handed back his Order of Merit medal

The Nats then adopted him and funded his charity in a way that the Auditor-General isn't totally happy with, and now people are split on whether they love Mike King or not - probably, in some cases, depending on how they vote.

Now, I'm not saying Mike King is above criticism or scrutiny or that this isn’t a debate worth having.

I'm just saying, bear in mind that when we do have it, that this isn’t just about mental health and alcohol - it’s also about politics.

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