This episode deals with mental ill health and addiction. If this brings anything up for you, you can speak with someone right now at Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Alcohol is considered by many the social lubricant of rural life. We knock off with a beer, celebrate and commiserate with a bevvy and mix a drink with every event, from the footy final to the country races. We often think of alcoholism as swigging out of a brown paper in broad daylight. But there’s an insidious reality that is far more common than we realise – that of a high functioning, professional who looks and sounds like us, but reaches for the bottle behind closed doors.

Shanna Whan was one of these people. The CEO and founder of registered charity, Sober in the Country, Shan is now a national face for advocacy. She’s fit, healthy and happy but six-years ago, life looked a lot different.

Living in Narrabri with her husband Tim and her blue heeler, Fleabag, she moved to Australia from Zimbabwe when she was just six-years old, her family fleeing from civil unrest. Hear her story on Life On The Land today.

You can find Shanna here at Sober in the Country or here on Instagram @sober_in_the_country

Thank you to the sponsor for this episode Blundstone Australia, celebrating 150 Years in 2020.

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This is a Graziher podcast, produced by Manson + Company.