22-23 years of age, 6 years of playing semi-professional football, to stopping all of a sudden with a loss of love for the sport.
After excessively binge drinking every weekend for 6 years at every event, function and game, alcohol slowly found its way into my everyday life.
It was used as a switch-off device by myself and a treat if I had finished one small task.
This quickly led to a couple of beers after work because I deserved it, to drinking alone every night. Watching myself slowly become addicted.
After trying to stop multiple times, I set myself some goals with the help of my partner.
I slowly moved past my addiction with exercise, soda water, alcohol free drinks and a supportive partner and family.
I definitely experienced the stigma when I first stopped drinking. There were a lot of questions like, “why?” and “how come?” and a lot of comments like, “oh that’s no fun”, or “you used to be fun”. This came from all aspects of my life.
I had to avoid a few people who I thought were good mates. They didn’t quite understand where I was at with it all and pressured me and kept buying alcoholic drinks for me.
I just kept my ground and drank non-alcoholic beers.
A quick way I dealt with this problem was to buy my own drinks, and even get 2 non-alcoholic cans and pour them into a pint glass to get the feel of holding a beer in my hand and to stop questions of “what’s that?” and “why aren’t you drinking?”.
At the football club, it’s a social normality to drink after a game.
When I was asked why I wasn’t drinking, I explained my situation to a fellow mate behind the bar he asked how the club could support me. They then ordered in non-alcoholic beers and had them readily available for me. From then on, at functions and after games, most of the boys wouldn’t even know I wasn’t drinking alcohol with them, and it just became the new normal for me.
Since overcoming my addiction to alcohol, I’m enjoying playing footy again and being around a supportive club, and I’m even coaching a team. I have gone back to TAFE to study, and I found myself a good job which I love. I am thriving.
I have since dabbled back into drinking some alcohol. But before I did, I had some serious talks with my partner about it and even set myself some ground rules. (Like no week-day beers, and never ever drink alone). This is working well for me and my situation.
Throughout my journey I have seen and experienced a lot of stigma around alcohol.
It got me thinking that our society is largely built around alcohol and drinking culture. I have seen this in the sporting world and even everyday life like going out for lunch with friends.
I was at my most vulnerable state during the pandemic and as soon as covid lock down restrictions were lifted, we were urged to get back into pubs and settings where alcohol was at the forefront. But was there any consideration for how much of an impact that would have on people like me at the time?