Please take a moment to read through *all* the information we've carefully put together here for you - and you'll find our suggested resources at the bottom.

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Contemplating a life of being sober in the country is pretty overwhelming if your entire life has been built around socialising and doing business with booze, as we know, is the 'way' in the bush. So it's really hard to know where to begin, especially in a booze-worshipping culture as we have in rural and remote Australia, where an esky or a cold one is the central theme to our lives and has been since most of us could remember. 

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Do you relate to any of the points below?

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• Using alcohol to cope with uncomfortable situations, life events, feelings or emotions

• Hiding your alcohol use or drinking alone

• Alcohol is coming before your other responsibilities (e.g. work, school, etc.)

• Experiencing guilt and anxiety over drinking all the time

• Your alcohol use is impacting your friends, family, work, and your finances

• Strained relationships due to your behaviour under the influence of alcohol

• You're switching drinks, watering down drinks, or trying to avoid getting drunk

• But you keep ending up drunk, no matter what you try doing

• Participating in risky behaviour as a result of drinking (e.g. drink-driving, unprotected sex)

• Dependence and withdrawal symptoms (e.g. needing more alcohol to experience the same effects)

• Losing control of your drinking – not being able to stop even if you want to 

• You're experiencing blackouts and lost time when you drink 

• Drinking and the after-effects (e.g. recovering from a hangover) start to take over your life.

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If you relate to these points then it's probably time to look at the role of alcohol in your life and consider moderation or quitting. The good news is that the first half of the battle is often just recognising that you need to investigate where you're at. 

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From here, what we suggest you consider doing next is:

 

• speak to your GP and be honest

• speak to your closest family/friends and be honest

• reach out and find some peer support (our online Bush Tribe is amazing)

• get to work on building yourself a comprehensive toolkit

• investigate some kind of strategy, plan, programme and/or structured support (see below)

• look into clinical support if necessary

• read sobriety books, and listen to sobriety podcasts 

• just Google 'sobriety' - the information available online now is endless

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​Remember this: the path to cutting back or quitting alcohol for good isn't linear or black and white, and there is no one-size that fits all - so you really need to make a commitment to invest your time, energy, and effort into reading and researching the options we have listed below and to build your OWN toolkit from the bits and pieces that resonate for you that encompasses peer support and professional support. 

 

Only you can make the choice to take the next steps - but there are many of us (in the Bush Tribe) ready and waiting to cheer you on and support you. We've been there.

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We cannot tell you exactly 'what next' - because we don't know you or your own life and health history like you do. It's going to be a puzzle for you to work out. But with peer support, clinical support (if necessary) and willingness to work hard to make a change - we know there is a way forward.

 

What we can do is connect you immediately with our own private and closed rural network online (the Bush Tribe), which has the option for anonymity for those who need it and encourage you as you find your way.

 

We can also share a selection of amazing Australian resources, supports, programmes, and places that will be useful and remind you that a good, thorough, holistic approach to your sobriety is needed. See below.

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So please have a really thorough read through what we've put together here for you below. These are all good credible Australian organisations that work together and share the exact same passion to help. As a bare minimum we recommend you sign up to join our SITC Bush Tribe peer group, where you'll find hundreds of like-minded rural and remote men and women doing this sober life together.