At 43, Scott feels fitter and healthier than he’s ever been. It’s been three-and-a-half years since the Sydneysider cut alcohol out of his life for good.
Scott started drinking in his teenage years as a way to feel more comfortable socialising, and to switch off his anxieties and insecurities.
“I never considered myself to have a problem, because I didn’t feel that I needed alcohol, I just enjoyed it. My issue was not being able to moderate. Generally, if I had one drink, it was going to be a big night,” he said.
“I never had a physical dependence on alcohol. I think it was always an emotional dependence.”
When alcohol started to affect his health, Scott went to a doctor
In 2021, when Scott was working shifts and drinking around 70 standard drinks a week, he noticed a sharp decline in his physical health. He was sleeping poorly and regularly getting flus.
Scott went to the doctor, and a blood test revealed he had dangerously high cholesterol and low liver function. He was told he needed to start taking cholesterol medication.
“I declined this, stating I felt that I knew what the issue was. I know what I needed to do. I needed to give up alcohol,” he said.
“The next bit is what startled me though: the doctor stood up, opened the door, and said ‘OK, well that’s not really something I can help with. If that’s your issue I wish you well, see how you go, come back in three months. Good luck with that.’”
I have never felt more alone after finally admitting to someone I may have had a problem with alcohol, to the one person who I thought could help me.
Scott decided he would need to make a change alone.*
He went on a diet, started jogging, and stopped drinking alcohol. Three months later, he checked his blood results again, and they were back to normal. Scott started drinking again several months later, during a COVID-19 lockdown.
“On the third night of that lockdown, I had a really bad night. I drank way too much, and I could barely string two words together… I got up the next morning and said to my wife ‘That’s it, I’m not doing this anymore. This is not good for me’,” he said.
On that day, 22 January 2022, he decided he wouldn’t touch alcohol again.
Cutting out alcohol has allowed Scott to feel healthier, start running, and reconnect with his creativity as a musician. He entered his first official running event in 2025, raising funds for FARE.
“I took up running when I began my journey and have never looked back. I’m fitter, healthier, happier. I actually became a morning person,” he said.
“I have opened up more opportunities for myself, faced some fears, had some hard conversations with people, been vulnerable and achieved more in the last three years than I did in the ten years prior.”
‘The value we put on alcohol causes problems’
The culture of drinking in Australia frustrates Scott – including the way alcohol is celebrated in communities, in media and on commercial radio.
I find those words ‘enjoy responsibly’ patronising. As if to say someone who chooses not to drink, or who may have had a bad experience with alcohol, is not ‘responsible’ enough to do it.
My story is not an unfamiliar one for many, I'm sure.
“I just find that the value we put on [alcohol] as a society is what causes a lot of these problems. I noticed after I stopped drinking how much of an Aussie culture thing it really is.
“Like, radio really got me. I think [radio hosts] have more responsibility than they realise… we shouldn’t be glorifying day drinking, excessive drinking and hangovers.”
*If you currently drink at high levels, it may be dangerous to reduce or quit alcohol without speaking to your doctor first. A doctor can review your individual situation and help advise on the best way forward. You can find a local GP at healthdirect.gov.au or by calling 1800 022 222. You can find a local psychologist by heading to psychology.org.au/find-a-psychologist.
