Shanna Whan wants people to start talking about alcohol addiction.
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For the past four years, Ms Whan – who describes herself as an accidental ambassador – has been pushing for more conversations, better resources and a change in attitude about the impact of alcohol in rural and regional Australia.
She wants to raise awareness of the “invisible rural Australians”, who have an unhealthy relationship, or chronic addition, to alcohol.
Ms Whan said she was a high-functioning alcoholic who was overlooked by medical professionals because she acted and looked okay.
“It wasn’t until I woke up with a hole in my head and told everyone ‘I’m suicidal’, that they realised I really was in trouble. We don’t take it seriously until someone is nearly at the end of it all,” Ms Whan said.
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According to the Bureau of Statistics’ 2017/18 National Health Survey, one in six adults consume more than two standard drinks on average every day.
Ms Whan knows her story of addiction and recovery is not unique.
She wants to see action for those who are geographically isolated, including Dubbo residents, and has urged candidates in the NSW and federal election to make alcohol addition a priority.
“Currently we are told to operate under city based models such as an anonymous recovery support group, my problem there that I discovered myself is that that doesn't work in the country because we are not anonymous. Our vehicles parked outside of a little building in a little town is not anonymous,” she said.
Through her website, Sober in the Country, Ms Whan receives daily messages of those sharing their own stories. However, she said most people were concerned about speaking up because of the stigma.
“When someone gets the disease of cancer, the community responds with extraordinary ways to lift that family and that person to life them in their time of need, when someone gets diagnosed with the disease of alcoholism, we push them away into isolation, we tell them to be anonymous and we judge them,” Ms Whan said.
“The problem is we have also been the people standing alongside that person in the pub shouting them and encouraging them.”
But it’s not all bad news.
The ABS data shows those consuming more than two standard drinks per day has dropped. It declined from 19.5 per cent in 2011/12 to 16 per cent in 2017/18.
Ms Whan said she’s seeing changes within the younger generations, who are hearing the message about the dangers of alcohol.
“There is a growing trend globally and in Australia towards sobriety. The problem is in older Australians who are 30 years and older because when they were growing up alcohol was still being very heavily worshipped,” she said.
The advocate has been volunteering full-time for the least for years to push for more change.
“I’ve been giving everything I’ve got to this cause and this situation because it’s saving lives. I can’t walk away from it,” Ms Whan said.