A fitness model and mum-of-two who was once struggled with a near-fatal alcohol addiction has posted a stark warning about drinking too much during lockdown.
Justine Whitchurch, from the Gold Coast, Australia, posted on Instagram about the dangers of mothers using alcohol as a coping mechanism during the pandemic.
The 47-year-old revealed that she had a dangerous addiction that saw her ‘medicate with alcohol 24/7’ – so it worries her when she sees posts about alcohol being the ‘one thing’ saving mothers from the ‘misery of isolation’.
‘This is an epidemic that will long surpass the pandemic,’ wrote Justine in an Instagram post.
‘I saw a post from someone on Mother’s Day that referred to her children as being her reasons for “being” and her reasons for “drinking”.
‘I can’t help but feel the most immense sense of anger every single time I see this kind of notion,’ Justine continued.
The 47-year-old said messages like this teach children that ‘alcohol is the only answer to frustration and overwhelm’.
‘You can laugh it off, put it in a meme, throw it away as a tagline in conversation and downplay its validity all you like, but the end result is simply a disastrous educational tool for the people that we love the most,’ Justine added.
‘I preach about this because this was my path.’
Up until seven years ago, Justine was using alcohol to cope with everyday situations – she says her children saw every day, and it was teaching them that it was normal behaviour.
‘My habits would have turned into their habits and I still feel sick to the stomach that this may have been their fate,’ she added in her post.
‘What you are teaching your children is that alcohol is the ONLY answer to frustration and overwhelm. It is as simple as that.
‘And this is the dangerous introduction to chemically relieved coping mechanisms brought to them by YOU!’
Justine said she realises not everyone who posts on Facebook about alcohol has a problem, but she says she has been receiving messages every day from men and women who are privately struggling to get their alcohol intake under control during lockdown.
‘The more people who have underlying problems feel “normalised” and “accepted” through social means with what they are doing, the longer they will partake and not address the true issue,’ Justine said.
‘Stop the cycle now by creating healthy habits you are PROUD to pass on.’
Justine said the people who are messaging her about their drinking all say that they want to show a better example to their kids.
‘They have slowly recognised that what they believed was once a well-hidden little habit, was now being questioned by little eyes and ears that are now being affected by their actions,’ she said.
‘What we need to create is a safe space and a sense of belonging for those that no longer want to cope with life with alcohol by ensuring that these kind of memes and messages are not pushing them into further isolation.’
The post has amassed hundreds of likes and comments, with many people agreeing and questioning their own habits.
‘Very well written,’ wrote one woman. ‘I have definitely been struggling and I have been thinking a lot of late how my kids see me drinking. Day 3 sober and focused on going one day at a time.’
‘I’m so glad I gave up drinking,’ commented another. ‘It has given me so much appreciation for life. And awakened me to a lot of bullshit I believed for too many years.’
Lots of people of drinking more in lockdown, and doctors have issued warnings about the health consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.
If you are worried about your drinking, talk to someone. Speak to your GP via a video appointment, or call one of the official helplines.
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