What's the difference between a party girl and an alcoholic? For today's guest, it was about 20 years, a series of traumas, and a large dose of denial.

Shanna Whan finally realised she was in serious trouble when she 'came to' in the Emergency Department after being found crumpled and bleeding at the bottom of a flight of stairs. 

You see for a long time, like many ''high-functioning'' alcoholics, Shan convinced herself it wasn't a serious problem because she was a successful business woman by day, and didn't drink until ''after five'' .... 

Growing up in rural Australia, heavy drinking was a culturally ingrained and glorified rite of passage she embraced wholeheartedly .. to try and fit in.

But it wasn’t until her rock bottom in early 2015 that she knew she had to reach out and ask for help and take action, or die young.

Fast forward six years, 15,000 volunteer hours, starting over from scratch, endless failures, knockbacks, and opposition - and now Shanna is the founder and CEO of a national charity called Sober In The Country. 

This is her story...

THE END BITS:

Check out Sober In The Country here - https://www.soberinthecountry.org/.

You can watch Shanna's episode of Australian Story here - https://www.abc.net.au/austory/last-drinks/11705194. 

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CREDITS:

Host: Mia Freedman. You can find Mia on Instagram here and get her newsletter here.

With thanks to our guest: Shanna Whan

Producer: Leah Porges

Executive Producer: Elissa Ratliff

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