For anyone dealing with addiction — their own or someone else’s. Honest talk about alcohol, drugs, gambling and recovery, without judgment or lectures.
Addiction is one of the hardest things to talk about honestly, because the shame around it is often heavier than the behaviour itself. People minimise, hide it, and put off asking for help until things get much worse than they needed to.
This category exists so that asking is easier. You don’t have to have decided anything. “I’m not sure whether this is a problem” is one of the most useful posts you can make here.
What people talk about here
Wondering whether your drinking, using or gambling has crossed a line. Where to start when you’ve decided to do something about it. Staying sober in a culture built around drinking. What a first support meeting is actually like. Relapse — and getting back up without treating it as proof of failure. Supporting a partner, parent or child through their addiction. Where the line sits between helping and enabling. Debt, damaged relationships, and repairing what’s been broken.
Family and friends are as welcome here as people in recovery. Living alongside someone else’s addiction is its own exhausting thing.
Start here
Support beyond the forum
- National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline — free confidential advice and referral, 24/7. Call 1800 250 015.
- Gambling Help Online — free 24/7 counselling and support for gambling harm. Call 1800 858 858.
- Lifeline — 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention counselling. Call 13 11 14.
- healthdirect — Australian Government information and support.
If someone is unresponsive or you suspect an overdose, call 000 immediately.
How to use this category
Nobody here will tell you what you have to do, and nobody is keeping score. Please don’t post about specific substances, quantities or methods — describe the effect on your life instead.
Recovery isn’t linear and this isn’t a place where you have to perform progress. Come back after a bad week. That’s what it’s for.