Sarah Rusbatch – ABC Everyday
“Grey Area Drinking” Coach, Speaker and Founder of Free Spirit Drink Co.
How Sarah escaped the reality of daily drinking.
“A cheeky wine”, a “quick pint”, a “catch-up over a glass of bubbly”.
Such words roll off our tongue with familiar ease, but less familiar is the idea they can be indicative of alcohol dependency.
“I had definitely fallen into the mummy wine culture set where there was champagne at every playdate and wine at 5pm every day, because ‘I deserved it’,” says Perth mother-of-two Sarah Rusbatch.
“As I entered my 40s, my hangovers got worse, my sleep got worse, my anxiety got worse, and my relationship with myself got worse.”
After taking a short break from alcohol in 2017 that “changed” her life, Sarah tried cutting back or moderating her alcohol consumption for two years before deciding to quit altogether.
“I slowly realised that at 42 years old I didn’t have any hobbies, I didn’t spend my time doing anything much outside of work, kids, and drinking,” she says.
“My life felt so empty and unfulfilling, and I wanted to change that.”