For many people, the fear of withdrawal is not about whether they want to change - it’s the uncertainty around what their body will feel like when alcohol is no longer there, and that fear is valid. If alcohol has been part of your coping system for years, the idea of stopping can feel like stepping off a cliff. But it doesn’t have to.

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With a medically supported home detox, the process isn’t sudden or chaotic. It’s planned, paced, and monitored, with changes beginning long before your first alcohol-free day.

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Phase one: the preparation stage

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This part is often misunderstood as a waiting period. Lasting for approximately two to three weeks, this important phase is all about preparing your mind and body so that the transition is safer, calmer and more predictable.

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During this time, you will be allocated your dedicated Clean Slate clinician who will be alongside you for the full programme. Your first two clincian appointments will involve:

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• Reviewing your medical history and drinking patterns
• Clarifying your goals and what you want this change to mean in your life
• Completing a risk assessment together, so you understand the safety plan
• Having home blood tests with Clean Slate's provider and later reviewing the results together
• Educating your support person on what to expect and how best to support you
• Confirming your detox start date and beginning to shape your recovery plan

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You’ll also start using our daily drinks diaries to both record your alcohol use, and begin reflecting on your triggers, associations and the reasons behind your drinking. These are used for understanding what your nervous system has been relying on, so your medication, monitoring and recovery plan can be personalised.

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Alongside this, you’ll have access to our digital resources that explore the neuroscience of addiction, the role of shame, goal setting and self-management strategies. These help your mind prepare for change in a way that feels grounded rather than abrupt.

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You’ll also receive a care package that includes the essential Vitamin B1 (thiamine), our welcome letter, essential information and a breathalyser.

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Before detox begins, you’ll have a review with your Clean Slate Doctor or Clinician. Together, you’ll talk through your test results, confirm readiness and if clinically appropriate, medication for your detox week will be prescribed. Craving reduction medication such as naltrexone or acamprosate may also be discussed for post-detox, depending on your goals.

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By the end of these three weeks, you know what will happen and when, and the plan behind every step.

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Phase two: detox week (the week without alcohol)

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This is where your body makes the shift. Alcohol is suddenly no longer “holding the system together”, so the nervous system has to rebalance. While this can feel uncomfortable, it’s important to remember that it is temporary and you’ll be supported throughout the entire process.

During detox week, you will have daily appointments with your dedicated Clean Slate clinician where you will:

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• Review your withdrawal symptoms
• Discuss medication adjustments (if needed)
• Check breathalyser readings
• Review your heart rate
• Receive psychological support and reassurance
  

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You will also collect your medication from your local pharmacy on a daily basis and continue accessing our digital tools to support sleep, sensory regulation and early recovery.

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What withdrawal usually feels like

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Most people begin feeling symptoms within 12 to 48 hours. Common sensations include:

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• Shakiness
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Anxiety or restlessness
• “Wired but exhausted” sleep

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Symptoms usually peak around day 3 or 4, and gradually settle between days 5 and 7. Many people describe a moment towards the end of the week where things begin to clear - when they feel less foggy, less on edge, and more like themselves than they have in a long time.

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At the end of this week, you will meet with your Clean Slate Doctor or Clinician again to reflect, review, and discuss whether craving-reduction medication may be useful in the weeks ahead.

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Phase three: why aftercare matters

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Your body and nervous system continues to adjust in the days and weeks after detox - from sleep improvements to more regulated emotions, and of course, your mind starts to experience calm without alcohol being the gateway to it.

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Having support in this stage makes a real difference, because maintaining recovery isn’t just about removing alcohol - it’s about understanding why alcohol has played such a dominant role, and building a life that feels easier to remain present for.

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Importantly, phase 3 - the recovery and support phase - lasts for a full 12 months post-detox. This includes regular check ups with your dedicated clincian, online masterclasses each month and at least one recovery support group available to you every single day of the year. These evidence based SMART recovery groups have been proven to increase your chance of sticking to your goals in the longer term.

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Final thoughts

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If you’re reading this because you’re considering a detox, it likely means a part of you is ready for a different relationship with alcohol - or even a different relationship with yourself. You don’t have to do this alone, and you don’t have to push through uncertainty without support.

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There is a safer, calmer, medically supervised pathway through this transition - and you can take your next step at a pace that feels right for you.

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If you’d like to explore whether this pathway is right for you, simply check your suitability today.

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FAQ's

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Is home detox safe?

Absolutely, home detoxes are safe when they are medically supervised by experienced clinicians with screening, pathology, medication if needed, and daily monitoring.

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How long does withdrawal last?

‍‍Symptoms usually begin within 12-48 hours, peak around day 3 or 4, and settle around day 5-7. Sleep can take longer to stabilise for some people.

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Do I need time off work?

‍This will depend on your individual circumstances and initial assessment. Most people choose to take time off during detox week because symptoms and medication (if needed) can impact focus, decision-making and energy levels.

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Can I detox without medication?

Yes - not everyone needs medication depending on their risk. Decisions are based on your individual clinical assessment, goals and safety.

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Clean Slate Clinic's Dr Chris Davis has been featured in The Australian's How to Live Longer health series, exploring whether alcohol is the single worst thing you can do for your health.

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The piece draws on Chris's own experience with wearable health tracking. After giving up alcohol for three months and then reintroducing it, he found that even two or three drinks significantly disrupted his sleep quality, raised his resting heart rate, and reduced his heart rate variability. The data confirmed what the science has long shown, but seeing it in real time was striking, even for an addiction specialist.

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The article covers the cancer risk associated with as few as three standard drinks per week, the physical changes people can expect when they cut back, and practical advice for anyone thinking about reducing their intake. It also highlights the importance of medical support for heavier drinkers.

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The full article and podcast is behind a paywall, and you can access it here: Read in The Australian

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If anything in the piece resonates and you'd like to talk about your own drinking, we're here to help. No commitment, no pressure.

Pia grew up in Guernsey and, like many of us, was introduced to alcohol at a young age. By the time she entered the corporate world, drinking wasn’t just normal - it was expected.

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“Corporate culture celebrated burning the candle at both ends - work hard, play hard - but no one talked about the personal cost. The access to free alcohol was out-of-control. I could attend a booze-laden client or internal event every night - and was often expected to. Add to this the frequent travel, with airport lounges opening their bars up at lunchtime - next time you’re in an airport lounge mid-afternoon, look around - you’ll see dozens of men and women in corporate wear making repeated trips to the bar.”

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On paper, Pia’s life looked perfect. A thriving career in healthcare consulting. Leadership roles. The kind of CV that sparkles. But inside, it was a different story.

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“I was excelling professionally, ticking all the boxes, but internally I was struggling. Despite working in the healthcare industry for 20 years, I had no clue how or where to look for help.”

By late 2019, she was drinking 1-2 bottles of wine a night. Sometimes she hid it by pre-loading before events. Other times she poured white wine into a mug during Zoom calls so it looked like tea.

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“I distinctly remember sitting in an afternoon Zoom meeting, drinking white wine from a mug and realising that this really wasn’t normal.” The shame was crushing. “There’s still so much stigma for professionals struggling with alcohol. It’s terrifying to think that being honest about it could cost you your career.”

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For Pia, there was no dramatic rock bottom. No single incident that forced her hand. Instead, it was a series of quiet realisations - small moments that added up to a truth she couldn't ignore for any longer.

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In 2020, after years of pushing herself to breaking point, Pia walked away from her corporate career. She and her fiancé packed up their lives, grabbed their dog, and set off in a caravan to explore Australia. At the same time, a piece of fate landed in her lap. Her best friend, Dr Chris Davis, asked if she’d help him get his virtual dependence treatment model off the ground. He had no idea that she was struggling with the exact same issue herself.

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Testing the program was a wake-up call, particularly when Pia discovered that she met the criteria for a medicated detox. “That shocked even me,” she admits, now understanding the extent of her alcohol dependence. She then became “patient zero” in what would later become Clean Slate Clinic.

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Pia went through detox and a full 12 months of aftercare. It wasn’t easy - recovery rarely is - but what surprised her most was how quickly the benefits began to appear.

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“I knew I needed to stop, but I had this deficit mindset, which was ‘I need to stop because I’m tired of being tired, I’m scared of my increased cancer risk, I’m scared of my increased dementia risk, I’m getting older.’ I really hadn’t thought about the good stuff that would come. And there’s just so much good stuff, quite quickly as well. My anxiety, which was one of my main causes for picking up the bottle of wine every night, just disappeared. You feel this sense of control over your life. Life isn’t rainbows and unicorns all the time, but you can cope with everything so much better when you have clarity and good quality sleep.”

One of her favourite quotes sums it up with humour and truth: “I’ve never met a person who says they wish they’d stayed up later and drank more the night before.”

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Today, Pia’s life feels grounded in purpose. She’s grateful for the unexpected chain of events that gave her the support she needed - support she didn’t know how to find, even after two decades in healthcare.

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“I’m incredibly grateful for the serendipitous events that led to me getting the support I needed - I really don’t know where I’d be today had I not had that opportunity. I’m happy in the purpose I’ve found at Clean Slate Clinic - helping others in a similar situation brings me a lot of joy. Addressing my alcohol use has taken me on a journey of self-discovery that has brought me clarity, purpose and peace.”

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She’s honest that life isn’t perfect. She still struggles with overcommitting and setting high expectations for herself - but now she has healthier ways to cope. Recovery didn’t erase life’s pressures, but it gave her the tools to face them head-on.

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If you see yourself in Pia’s story, know this: recovery isn’t about what you lose - it’s about what you gain. Better sleep. Less anxiety. More peace. A sense of control you might not even remember having.

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“There’s so much good stuff on the other side. I never expected that. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

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“Why does that glass of wine feel like it helps... but then makes things worse?”

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Picture this: It’s the end of a long day and you just want to relax - quiet the nerves, calm the mind, and slow the racing thoughts - so you have a drink (or a few). And in that moment, it works. Alcohol can bring a temporary sense of ease as the tension softens, the body relaxes, and everything feels a little more manageable.

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But then comes the flip side. That wired-but-tired feeling in the middle of the night. The vague sense of dread in the morning. The sharp rise in anxiety a day or two later, often without a clear cause. Over time, many people start to notice that the thing they’re using to manage their anxiety might actually be making it worse.

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If that sounds familiar, this post is for you.

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Why alcohol feels like a friend (briefly)

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Alcohol has a sedating effect on the brain. It increases the activity of a neurotransmitter called GABA - your brain’s natural “calming” chemical - this dampens the activity of excitatory chemicals like adrenaline, cortisol and glutamate. That’s why a drink can make you feel relaxed, sleepy, or even euphoric in the moment. It’s your nervous system temporarily slowing down.

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But here’s the catch: your brain is always trying to maintain balance. When alcohol is regularly introduced, your brain starts to adapt by turning down GABA’s calming effect and ramping up excitatory activity to compensate. So while alcohol might feel like it’s “helping” in the short term, it’s actually setting the stage for more stress, more reactivity, and more anxiety once it wears off.

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One way to think of it is this: alcohol lets you borrow calm from your future self - but with interest. And that interest gets steeper the more frequently you borrow.

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When the hangover is more than physical: the anxiety rebound

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This is where things start to feel more confusing for people. Because the anxiety doesn’t always show up right away.

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In the hours and days after drinking - especially after heavier use - your brain chemistry swings back in the other direction. GABA activity drops further. Glutamate spikes. Your nervous system enters a state of high alert, often without warning. This can look like:

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• Restlessness or agitation
• Feeling like you can’t catch your breath
• Trouble sleeping (especially waking in the early hours of the morning)
• Racing thoughts, irritability, or panic for no clear reason

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A 2020 study found that people often experience peak anxiety symptoms 12-48 hours after drinking - even in the absence of a hangover. This is sometimes referred to as “hangxiety,” and it’s more than just a catchy term. It’s a sign that your brain is in recovery mode, trying to reset its balance after being artificially altered by alcohol.

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If this sounds like a loop you’re stuck in - relief, rebound, repeat - you’re not broken. You’re human. And your brain is doing exactly what it was designed to do.

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So, how can you manage anxiety without alcohol?

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There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but here’s the good news: it’s absolutely possible to feel calm, grounded, and in control without using alcohol to get there. Here are a few strategies we’ve seen make a real difference for our clients:

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• Support your nervous system: Simple practices like deep belly, or ‘diaphragmatic’ breathing, gentle movement, warm showers, or grounding techniques (like holding ice or standing barefoot outside) can help calm your system when anxiety flares.

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• Sleep, food and hydration matter more than you think: Disrupted sleep, low blood sugar and dehydration can all mimic or worsen anxiety. Try to stabilise your sleep routine, eat regularly, and keep your water intake up - especially if you’re cutting back on alcohol.

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• Reduce other stimulants: Caffeine, high-sugar snacks, and even scrolling TikTok before bed can overstimulate your system. Pulling back a little can give your nervous system a break.

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• Talk to someone: Whether it’s your GP, a therapist, or a service like ours - having someone who can help you build a personalised plan is incredibly valuable.

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• Give your brain time: Research shows that even after just 2-4 weeks without alcohol, many people report reduced anxiety and improved emotional regulation. The longer the break, the more time your brain has to re-balance itself.

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You don’t have to do all of this at once. Start where you are, with what you have. Small steps matter.

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Final thoughts: The loop can be broken

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Alcohol might feel like the quickest fix for anxiety, but over time, it often creates the very thing it promises to relieve. The good news? You can absolutely interrupt that pattern. And you don’t have to do it alone.

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At Clean Slate, we can help you understand what’s going on in your body and brain - and build a plan that feels realistic, safe, and supported. If you’re feeling caught in the cycle, you’re not failing - you’re just ready for a new way through.

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Check your suitability today.

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Sources

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Brousse, G., Arnaud, B., Vorspan, F., Richard, D., Dissard, A., Dubois, M., Pic, D., Geneste, J., Xavier, L., Authier, N., Sapin, V., Llorca, P-M., De Chazeron, I., Minet-Quinard, R. & Schmidt, J., 2012. Alteration of glutamate/GABA balance during acute alcohol withdrawal in emergency department: a prospective analysis. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 47(5), pp.501–508. [online] Available at: https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article-abstract/47/5/501/99762?redirectedFrom=fulltext

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Nutt, D.J. & Nestor, L.J., 2018. The GABA system and addiction. Addiction. 2nd ed. Oxford Psychiatry Library Series. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [online] Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780198797746.003.0008 

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Kushner, M.G., Abrams, K. & Borchardt, C., 2000. The relationship between anxiety disorders and alcohol use disorders: a review of major perspectives and findings. Clinical Psychology Review, 20(2), pp.149–171. [online] Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735899000276

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Women's Agenda recently published a powerful piece on why so many women are drinking at levels that concern them but never feel it's "bad enough" to ask for help. The article challenges Australia's crisis-calibrated health system and makes the case for earlier, kinder intervention, before things reach breaking point.

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It's a conversation we believe more people need to hear, and one that reflects why Clean Slate was built the way it was: accessible, private, and designed for people who are ready to make a change on their own terms.

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Read the full article in Women's Agenda, by Clean Slate's Fiona Faulkner

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SBS News recently explored the barriers facing LGBTIQ+ communities when it comes to seeking help for alcohol and substance use. The feature includes the story of Andrew Addie, who lived with alcohol use disorder for more than a decade before finding the right support, and a conversation with our own Dr Chris Davis about why culturally safe, accessible care matters and why the current system isn't meeting demand.

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It's an important listen, and one that reflects why we built Clean Slate the way we did: remote, private, and designed to meet people where they are. Read the full story in the SBS News.

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Clean Slate Clinic has been named Impact Enterprise of the Year at the 2026 Australian Impact Investment Awards.

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At Clean Slate, we believe that people shouldn't have to wait until they hit rock bottom to access support for alcohol and other drug dependence. Winning this award affirms that a different approach - one built on early intervention, compassionate care, and accessible technology - can make a real difference at scale. We're so proud of every single member of our team who shows up every day to make that a reality.

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We also want to take a moment to celebrate two of our key partners whose achievements were also recognised last night.

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Our supporters and investors, the Snow Foundation, and their CEO Georgina Byron AM, received the Individual Outstanding Achievement Award, celebrating Georgina's remarkable vision in championing impact investment as a force for lasting social good. Congratulations to the whole Snow team.

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Our funding partner Sefa, and their CEO Hanna Ebeling, CFA also received the Individual Outstanding Achievement Award - a recognition of Hanna's leadership in driving meaningful change across Australia's impact investment landscape and her belief in funding approaches that truly move the needle.

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Thank you to the Impact Investing Hub, Social Impact Hub, and the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS) for hosting and sponsoring these awards, and for championing the role of impact investment in building a healthier, more equitable Australia.

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“I’ll quit tomorrow”
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For ten years, Rod told himself the same lie every single night.

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“I’d go to bed every night thinking, ‘I’m gonna give it up tomorrow,’” he says. “But it never happened.”

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Tomorrow became the next day, which became the next week, which became another year. The promise was always there sitting just out of reach, waiting for some perfect moment that never arrived.

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“You just think you can, but you can’t,” Rod reflects now.

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By the time Rod reached out for help, he’d been drinking heavily for 50 years. An entire adult life built around alcohol. But then one morning in late January, something shifted.

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Fifty years of normal

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Rod started drinking at 17. It was just part of the culture in the building industry, surrounded by “tradies” who were all drinkers.

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“It didn’t matter what day it was,” he remembers. “You’d go anywhere and there were always a few beers. It just went together.”

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It wasn’t questioned and it wasn’t a problem - it was just how you lived. Then that pattern became an automatic, daily routine.

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“The first thing I did in the morning was get up, walk to the fridge and see how many drinks I had for that day,” he explains. “If I didn’t have enough by 10 o’clock, I’d get more.”

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Work wasn’t a problem either - Rod could do his job just fine. But by 4 o’clock knockoff, he had to have a drink. If there wasn’t one in the fridge at the workshop, he’d immediately jump in the car and grab one.

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“I lived seven minutes away from a bottle shop, and I couldn’t wait till I got home,” he says.

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By eight o’clock, Rod would be asleep on the lounge and his wife Sandra would tell him to get to bed. Then they’d argue, almost every time. It was like clockwork.

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His three daughters had left home, and Rod hardly ever drove out to see them in the afternoon because he’d already been drinking. If the family went out for dinner, Sandra would have to drive because Rod had already drunk too much.

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Racing greyhounds was another part of his life for 40 years, where there were drinks waiting every week at the track. Again, it was just a part of the culture. 

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His parents would tell him he drank too much, but he didn’t take any notice.

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“I kept thinking, ‘I can stop tomorrow,’” he says. “But I didn’t.”

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And seeing his friends always revolved around drinking. If someone came over, they always brought a carton. The same people, the same pattern, year after year.

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The morning everything changed

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Around Christmas, Rod started seeing an ad for Clean Slate pop up on his Facebook feed. He kept looking at it and scrolling past, but he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it.

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Then one morning in late January, Rod got up and looked in the mirror.

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“I thought, ‘What are you doing to yourself?’” Rod remembers. “I went straight out and got on the phone.”

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He called the number and filled out the suitability test. Within a fortnight, he was having his first appointment with his nurse, Fiona. Rod was nervous going into that first appointment, but his worries were quickly settled.

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“Fiona was just so easy to talk to,” Rod says. “She comforted me and explained things. No judgment of me or anything like that - she just treated me like a human.”

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The detox itself was easier than Rod expected. He started on a Monday, picking up medication from the chemist daily, checking in with his nurse each morning and using the breathalyser that had been mailed to him. 

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But Rod made a decision early on that would shape everything: he was going to be honest and tell people the truth. No hiding or making excuses. 

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“I spoke to probably 20 people,” Rod says. “Told them I had a problem, that I was struggling with my drinking, and that I was going through Clean Slate.”

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“They all accepted it except one person,” he remembers. “He told me to grow up and pull my head in, ‘don’t be so stupid’.”

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Rod lost contact with that friend for three months. But everyone else? They congratulated and encouraged him. His wife Sandra, his children, his mates - they all supported him.

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And then there was his local bottle shop.

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Rod had been going to the same bottle shop for years. So much so, that they even knew his order by heart. One day, Rod walked in and the worker started his usual greeting: “Carton of VB and a bottle of port?”

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“No,” Rod said. “I want a bag of ice.”

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There was a pause.

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“Why?” the worker asked.

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“I’ve given it up,” Rod said. “I’m off it.”

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The response was immediate: “Good on you. You’re having a crack at it. Good on you.”

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“That really lifted my spirits,” Rod says now. “He wasn’t just selling me the beer. He genuinely wanted to be a friend of mine. I still speak to him every week.”

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Three months later, the friend who’d told Rod to “grow up” came back with a different request: “Can you help my nephew? He has a drinking problem.” Rod was happy to help.

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Finding community

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From day one, Fiona encouraged Rod to attend the peer-support group meetings, and what he found in those meetings was something he didn’t realise he’d been missing: real connection with people who understood.

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“You meet different people and we’re all in the same boat - different story, but we all understand what’s going on,” he explains. “There’s some really good people in the meetings.”

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There was Dave who shared paintings and terrible dad jokes, and Donna, who Rod misses terribly now that she’s finished the program. Ultimately, these meetings became a cornerstone of Rod’s recovery - particularly after the three-month mark when he had to rebuild his lifestyle without alcohol, which Rod describes as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

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But perhaps most importantly, the peer support helped Rod embrace the honesty that became his foundation.

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“I found the biggest thing with me - once I admitted that I had a problem, I was halfway there,” Rod says.

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The learning curve

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For the first three months, Rod avoided situations where alcohol would be front and centre. He didn’t go to a single race meeting after 40 years of going every single week. When his sister-in-law had her 60th birthday lunch at a winery just three weeks into the program, Rod didn’t attend.

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“I didn’t think I could take that step yet,” he explains. “It took me three months to take those steps.”

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But when he finally went back to the racing track, Rod was met by a wave of support from the people he’d known for decades.

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There were other adjustments too. Rod hadn’t driven at night in 20 years because Sandra had always driven if they were going anywhere in the evening. One afternoon, Rod decided to visit his daughter who only lived 10 minutes away. They talked until it got dark and Rod drove home... except he got completely lost.

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“I had no idea where I was,” he laughs now. “Instead of turning right, I turned left and ended up 10 miles away from the corner I was supposed to be at. I had to backtrack and find my way home.”

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It had been twenty years since Rod drove in the dark. It was a small thing, maybe. But it illustrated just how much alcohol had shaped his life.

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What’s different now

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Rod has lost 15 kilos and is in what he calls “a pretty good space at the moment.” He can drive at night now, he visits his daughters regularly, and he even goes to his grandson’s soccer games on Saturday afternoons.

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“Before, I wouldn’t have been able to, because I would’ve already been drunk before 12 o’clock,” he explains.

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His relationship with Sandra has only become stronger, and the nightly arguments at eight o’clock are a thing of the past. But perhaps most significant, is how Rod now handles stress.

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“If something goes wrong now, I generally don’t worry about it. I know I can fix it. And I know these things happen,” he says. “Before, I would’ve blown up - I would’ve thought to myself: ‘Jesus Christ, what have you done?’”

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There was a moment that illustrated this shift perfectly. A good mate of Rod’s came over and they had a disagreement where the friend accused Rod of lying.

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“We went back and forth,” Rod remembers. “It went on for five, ten minutes. But I used Fiona’s technique of deep breathing and I sort of called a halt to it. I said, ‘Come on, this is stupid.’ We shook hands and that was the end of it.”

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Before? “I would’ve just said, ‘Piss off. Don’t come back. Get out of my life.’”

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The friendship survived, the situation was resolved and Rod didn’t blow up his life over a disagreement.

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Now Rod can go out and have two beers socially and stop. He’s in control of it, not the other way around.

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“Before, I’d have one on the way and two at the place, and then if I had to drive seven minutes to the shop to get milk, I’d have one and take one with me,” he says. “Now I know if I’ve got to go somewhere and drive, that’s how it is and I don’t do it.”

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What Rod wants others to know

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When Rod talks to people considering getting help, his message is clear: don’t let fear hold you back.

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“Don’t be frightened of it,” he says. “You’ve never been there, but you’ll find a different world there - more freedom, more things you can do, more motivation.”

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His advice? Think about what you really want - to stop drinking completely, or to go back to social drinking where you can stop after a couple of drinks - and commit to it. Go to meetings every week if you can and be honest about the struggle.

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“There’s nothing to be ashamed about,” Rod says firmly. “Once you admit to it, does it really matter what anyone else thinks about you? Once you get it out there, it’s off your chest. I think you’ll feel better.”

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For Rod, the honesty wasn’t just about telling other people. It was about telling himself the truth.

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And most of the time, that truth was met with support, encouragement and genuine care. A bottle shop worker who genuinely wanted him to succeed. A nurse who treated him with dignity. Wednesday meetings that felt like home. Friends who called to check in.

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“It’s a bit like going into surgery,” Rod reflects. “It’s the fear of the unknown.”

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But once you step into that unknown - once you look in the mirror and decide “today’s the day” - you find you’re not alone.

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Fifty years is a long time. But it’s never too late to find that different world Rod talks about. The one with more freedom, more presence and more connection. The one where you don’t promise yourself “tomorrow” anymore, because you’re already living it today.

"It's all about me"

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When Wayne is asked what advice he'd give to someone thinking about changing their relationship with alcohol, his answer is characteristically direct.

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"It's all about me," he says without hesitation. "Don't worry about anyone else, as long as you're feeling good with yourself."

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It's not the answer you might expect. There's no talk of doing it for loved ones, no promises about mending relationships, no gentle encouragement about small steps.

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Just pure, unapologetic self-focus.

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And for Wayne, now 14 months into his journey and fitter than he's been in decades, that philosophy is exactly what worked.

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"Just reach out for yourself, that's all," he explains. "Be selfish for a change."

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For someone who spent his whole life putting everyone else first, this shift in thinking wasn't just helpful - it was essential.

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Decades of knowing, decades of not changing

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Wayne's relationship with alcohol wasn't a secret, not even to himself.

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"I always knew it was a problem," he says plainly. "But I always thought that I had the willpower to give it up."

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And he'd proven he could - at least temporarily. Years earlier, he'd quit cold turkey for three months. No support, no medication, just sheer determination.

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"I didn't find that difficult," he remembers.

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But then he went back to it. Because when he stopped for those three months, nothing changed - his relationships stayed the same and his life looked the same, so why bother?

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For decades, Wayne drank almost every night. If he didn't drink, it was an exception. He'd fall asleep while drinking - a pattern that caused tension at home but one he convinced himself wasn't that serious.

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"Typically you don't think you're that bad," Wayne reflects.

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He wasn't falling apart - he was functional, he maintained a level of fitness, work was fine and life carried on. Except the years kept passing and Wayne kept drinking.

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"I wanted to be there for my grandchildren"

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At 67, Wayne started thinking differently about time because he wanted to be there for his grandchildren. He wanted to actually be present, healthy and active.

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"I wanted to get some health back," Wayne says. "I used to be really quite fit."

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So that became his focus. Not fixing relationships. Not meeting anyone else's expectations. Just reclaiming what he'd lost - and making sure he'd be around to see what came next.

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"I decided I was going to do this for me," he explains. "Forget everyone else, I was going to do it for me."

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Finding the right support

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Wayne found Clean Slate through a Google search. When he started talking to the team, he says it felt like a good fit - professional, positive, straightforward.

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"But that didn't make much of a difference because I'm a positive person," he clarifies. "I knew that I could stand up to the challenge."

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What did make a difference was that his health fund covered the program.

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"That was a turning point, I think. Even though I now believe I've saved thousands of dollars in only 14 months, I would've paid for it anyway. But it helped."

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From the very first session, his nurse Catherine had made a lasting impression.

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"While you can sound empathetic to somebody's issues, you can tell by somebody's body language whether they're involved in your story," Wayne explains. "It wasn't just putting words to statements. I could feel that every time I spoke to Catherine, she was genuinely proud of what I was achieving."

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"That was the biggest thing for me - for Catherine to be genuinely proud of what I'd done."

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The challenge, not the hiding place

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Wayne stopped drinking on October 16th, 2024, and he described his detox as surprisingly easy with the support of his Clean Slate nurse.

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But Wayne's approach to his environment might surprise people.

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He had always been surrounded by alcohol at family gatherings and social events - and rather than removing this temptation, he chose to keep it front and centre.

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"I chose not to lock up my liquor cabinet," Wayne says. "I wanted to use it as a challenge."

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There's a bottle of red wine - the kind he used to drink all the time - sitting on his bar right now, untouched for 14 months.

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"It's just good to see it's there unopened," he reflects. "I just wonder if other people have seen it on my bar and thought, 'Oh, it's still there.'"

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For Wayne, this approach worked. Previously, he would wake up in the middle of the night and take a small sip of alcohol - just enough to get back to sleep - and breaking that habit meant confronting it directly, instead of avoiding it.

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But he's clear: this is what worked for him and it certainly won’t be for everyone.

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The fitness religion

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When Wayne talks about exercise, he doesn't call it a habit or a routine. "It's a religion," he says.

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"I'm 68 years old and I'm in the gym for an hour every day, plus walking," Wayne says with unmistakable pride. "I want to live longer."

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He can look back at his activity watch and count the days he's missed since the start of the year. There’s about five days - and a couple of those were because of a medical procedure.

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Wayne isn't just fit for his age - he's reclaimed the fitness levels he had when he was younger.

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"When I was in my twenties and thirties, I was pretty damn fit," he remembers. "And now I'm pretty damn fit again."

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His health markers tell the same story, with a recent blood test coming back entirely clear..

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And the money he's saved in that time? It amounts to thousands of dollars that used to disappear into bottles and late-night drinking.

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Wayne jokingly reflects on becoming more direct, saying "I tend to say what I think instead of keeping it in. I just get annoyed with people. I don't know if that's a result of no longer drinking."

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Maybe it's seeing things through a clearer lens, or maybe it's having less tolerance for things that don't matter - either way, it's different in the best way.

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Watching from the other side

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One of the strangest parts of Wayne's journey has been watching other people drink.

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He's surrounded by drinkers, from family gatherings to social events and celebrations - drinking has always been part of the culture. 

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"Now I look at them and think, 'Oh God, I hope I wasn't like that,'" he says.

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It's given Wayne perspective on what he used to be like - the falling asleep, the loss of control, the nights that blurred together. Things that he minimised when he was in it.

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"Being in a family of drinkers and putting yourself in that environment - that can really test you," he admits. "But I found it a lot simpler than I thought I would."

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His advice? Focus on yourself. Not on changing others, not on avoiding situations, just on your own path forward.

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The stage of life that mattered

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Wayne is clear about one thing: he couldn't have done this 30 years ago.

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"I mean, I played sport and drinking is part of the culture. I always played sport. But now I'm older and wiser and I want to live longer. I took the bull by the horns."

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Being 68 changed the equation. The prospect of grandchildren changed it. Wanting to reclaim his health before it was too late - that changed it.

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This isn't a story about hitting rock bottom or dramatic consequences forcing change. It's about reaching a point in life where the motivation became crystal clear.

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Fourteen months in, Wayne is thriving. He's fitter than he's been in decades, his health is excellent, his focus is sharp, and he's saved more money than he could have expected.

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And he's doing it all for himself.

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"I've never been like that," Wayne admits. "I've always put everybody in my life first. And now I'm starting to say what I think and put myself first."

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His advice for anyone thinking about making a change is the same advice that worked for him:

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"Just reach out for yourself. Be selfish for a change. As long as you're feeling good about yourself, that's what matters."

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It's direct. It's unapologetic. And for Wayne, it's exactly what made the difference.

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At 68, he's not just surviving - he's reclaiming everything he thought he'd lost. And he's doing it entirely on his own terms.

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Greg Stegman's relationship with alcohol changed after the 2011 Brisbane floods destroyed his home, with an extra glass of wine during the rebuild gradually becoming a two-bottle-a-night habit. Chris Gimpel's path was different but familiar, a high-pressure banking career in London normalising heavy daily drinking from his early twenties until COVID revealed the extent to his family. Neither found the right fit in traditional support options, but both found their way through Clean Slate Clinic's GP-led home detox programme. Greg marked two years of sobriety in February 2026, and April 2026 marks three years since Chris's last drink.

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Their stories point to a systemic gap. People drinking at harmful levels often delay seeking help for years because available options feel too extreme or too stigmatising. Clean Slate Clinic's home-based model offers an alternative, with a University of Sydney evaluation finding an 82 per cent completion rate. The clinic has submitted a proposal to the Australian Government for a National Hospital Avoidance Program to broaden subsidised access to post-detox support.

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Read Greg's and Chris's story in The Age. Note that The Age operates a paywall.

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Breaking Down Barriers: How Clean Slate Clinic is Reimagining Alcohol Support

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In a recent Y01 Radio podcast, Dr. Aaron Brown, Managing Director of Clean Slate Clinic, spoke openly about why the traditional route to alcohol support is failing too many people. Between overstretched NHS services, a postcode lottery in local authority provision, and the stigma that stops people asking for help, Clean Slate was built to do things differently; a fully remote, flexible service designed to fit around real life. Aaron discusses the goal achievement rate at Clean Slate with 84% of clients meeting their alcohol goals post detox, and the reasons why it's a successful approach.

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Aaron also spoke passionately about dismantling the damaging myth that alcohol dependency is a moral failing or a lack of willpower. It's a compelling, honest, and at times moving conversation. Well worth a listen.

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Listen to the full podcast here

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The stereotype of who struggles with alcohol dependence is shifting. According to a recent survey by Alcoholics Anonymous, the typical member in Australia today is a woman over 50, university educated and in employment. Female members outnumbered men for the first time in 2025. Clean Slate Clinic's senior clinician, Fiona Faulkner, points to a generation of women who came of age in changing workplaces, often drinking to fit in, while also navigating the physical and hormonal shifts of menopause. What felt manageable for years can quietly become dependence.

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Alice Hansen's experience captures this pattern. A Tasmanian with a tennis scholarship, a degree and a career in tourism, she first entered rehabilitation in 2008 and returned to the same ward 26 times. She credits continuity of doctor-led telehealth care following detox with breaking the cycle. She is now sober, runs marathons, is learning to sail, and leads wellness retreats in Tasmania.

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Around 40,000 Australians present to emergency departments for alcohol withdrawal every year, with 70 per cent relapsing within 30 to 90 days of detox. The system manages the acute episode, then discharges people back into the same circumstances that led to their admission. As Fiona explains, this is not a personal failure but a systems failure, one that removes support at exactly the moment people are most vulnerable.

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Clean Slate Clinic has proposed a National Hospital Avoidance Program to close this gap, offering 90 days of structured post-detox support at an average cost of $3,700 per patient, compared to $12,000 to $20,000 in repeat acute care. It is a fixable problem, and the evidence shows that continuity of care changes lives.

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Read the full story in the Canberra Times

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