As a violinist in Tasmania, Natalya found music events were environments where drinking alcohol was normalised.
Performers would sometimes be paid by venues in alcohol. Other times, free drinks would flow all night.
But as Natalya started to experience greater feelings of stress and anxiety, she realised alcohol had started to become a coping tool.
She noticed alcohol only relieved her symptoms temporarily, but actually made them worse in the long run. That’s when Natalya started to ask herself whether she truly needed alcohol when it was offered.
When the answer was consistently “no”, she decided to cut it out entirely. Since then, she’s found more authentic connections, a new sense of calm and improved sleep.
You can watch Natalya’s full Voices of Change story below, or on FARE’s YouTube channel.
