Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
My Heart podcasts here more mixed one or two point
three podcasts, playlists and listen live on the free iHeart app.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to our little family meeting.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
I want to talk about something that's very important to
me and my family and a lot of South Australians.
Yesterday was World Addiction Day and my heart's racing right
now talking about this. But I'm doing this because I
made a promise to my brother that I would. If
you don't know, I lost my brother thirteen years ago, now,
(00:39):
my older brother.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
He was thirty four to alcohol.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Addiction, and tomorrow in the Essay Weekend in the Advertiser,
I'm sharing his story. I've spoken about his story before
many times, but never in as much depth and.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
As real as I probably have been in this article
that's coming out tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
And you're doing it because, as you said, World Addiction
Day was yesterday and I'm not knowing many people to
know that they are not alone as possible.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Yeah, I'm doing it because before he passed away, he
said to me, if something happens to me, will you
promise that you'll talk about it.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Because at the time I was.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
In radio and I do work in this job that
we have a platform to hopefully help people, So every year.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
I block it out a lot of the time.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
The only times I talk about it March twenty one,
on his birthday, and November ten, on the anniversaries of
his death. So I wanted to talk about this Max
and be real about it and say how he passed away.
And you'll find out if you read this article that
was beautifully written by a beautiful journalist who was so
respectful of my story. Because I want people to know
(01:55):
that young people can die from addiction and alcohol addiction.
I want to break that stigma that's attached to this disease,
and it is a disease. I want people to know
that you have an addiction, it doesn't discriminate. You can
grow up like I did in the most loving, beautiful family.
You can grow up with money, you can grow up
(02:16):
in a great suburb, you can grow up with beautiful parents.
It doesn't matter. Addiction does not discriminate. And I guess
from my point of view as the sibling of someone
who lost her brother and he died a week after
my son was born and two days before my thirtieth birthday,
I want.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
People to feel like they're not alone.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
And know that if you are related to someone who
has an addiction, that you actually can't save them. You
can do everything you want to make you feel better,
to help them and to love them, and to hate them.
You hate them on days because you do because you
don't understand why they can't just stop. But the only
people that can save themselves are them and they have
(03:02):
to choose that they actually want to live over their vice.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Is there anything now that when you look back you
say that they can only say themselves? Could you've done
anything differently? Or like what we're saying that if you're
in the same position again now, like what would you
do knowing everything that you know for people out there
that are in that position.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
It's a funny question because I do get asked this
like from when people are asking me to help them
if they're in the similar position. There's nothing else we
could have done. Unfortunately in South Australia there's not enough happening.
One day, I promise I will create the most amazing
rehab center that people can actually go to because there's
not enough in South Australia. You have to go into
(03:42):
state or overseas to go to these really good rehab
centers that are so expensive that only the rich people
can afford. That's the hardest thing. There were glimmers with Ryan.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
He had vodka. That was his vice. He would drink
so much vodka, to the point that.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
He had at the liver of a sixty six year
old alcoholic at thirty four years old.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Right, So.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
I'll you can't say don't drink, can you?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Of course you can't. You can say don't drink.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
They lie, they lie, they steal, they do, they will,
they put Unfortunately, they put that whatever it is, if
it's drugs or alcohol, whatever, they put that before everything.
I thought that me having. All he wanted to be
was Uncle Ryan. That was his dream. He was gay,
so he never he was never going to have children.
So all he wanted to be was an uncle, and
he was going to be an uncle and that's all.
(04:33):
I thought that was enough, But it wasn't. And I
don't hate him for that because he couldn't help it.
It had taken over his life. And that's the sad
thing about if you love someone, if you'd love someone
deeply that's an addict, they.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Don't try not to hate them for it. For it,
they actually can't help it and maybe you do.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
You feel helpless and that like Mum and Dad would
go to alcoholics like groups for parents of addicts, and
I would talk to people about it and how I
how I try and help him, but you you just can't.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
So you can just love them.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
That's all you can do is is love them and
try everything you can so you don't feel guilty if
it does happen and you do lose someone. But I
really would love I would love everybody to read this
article tomorrow just to show that I don't know it's
it's something that means a lot to me, and it's
(05:26):
happening so much in South Australia and more people need
to talk about it to break that stigma that addicts
aren't bad people.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
No, they are people that are deeply loved by everyone.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
And if there is a statistic that they do pass away,
behind every addict is a family that loves them. So
I'd love you to read my story and to read
about Ryan because it's exactly what he would have wanted,
is to hopefully help other people who.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Are going through addiction.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Hailey's story will be an essay weekend tomorrow, beautifully written. Also,
if this is sparking anything for you, you can call
the National Alcohol and Drug Information Hotline one eight hundred
two five zero one five.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Thank you for sharing awe. Thanks
My Heart podcasts here more mixed one or two point
three podcasts, playlists and listen live on the free iHeart app.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome to our little family meeting.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
I want to talk about something that's very important to
me and my family and a lot of South Australians.
Yesterday was World Addiction Day and my heart's racing right
now talking about this. But I'm doing this because I
made a promise to my brother that I would. If
you don't know, I lost my brother thirteen years ago, now,
(00:39):
my older brother.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
He was thirty four to alcohol.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Addiction, and tomorrow in the Essay Weekend in the Advertiser,
I'm sharing his story. I've spoken about his story before
many times, but never in as much depth and.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
As real as I probably have been in this article
that's coming out tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
And you're doing it because, as you said, World Addiction
Day was yesterday and I'm not knowing many people to
know that they are not alone as possible.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Yeah, I'm doing it because before he passed away, he
said to me, if something happens to me, will you
promise that you'll talk about it.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Because at the time I was.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
In radio and I do work in this job that
we have a platform to hopefully help people, So every year.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
I block it out a lot of the time.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
The only times I talk about it March twenty one,
on his birthday, and November ten, on the anniversaries of
his death. So I wanted to talk about this Max
and be real about it and say how he passed away.
And you'll find out if you read this article that
was beautifully written by a beautiful journalist who was so
respectful of my story. Because I want people to know
(01:55):
that young people can die from addiction and alcohol addiction.
I want to break that stigma that's attached to this disease,
and it is a disease. I want people to know
that you have an addiction, it doesn't discriminate. You can
grow up like I did in the most loving, beautiful family.
You can grow up with money, you can grow up
(02:16):
in a great suburb, you can grow up with beautiful parents.
It doesn't matter. Addiction does not discriminate. And I guess
from my point of view as the sibling of someone
who lost her brother and he died a week after
my son was born and two days before my thirtieth birthday,
I want.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
People to feel like they're not alone.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
And know that if you are related to someone who
has an addiction, that you actually can't save them. You
can do everything you want to make you feel better,
to help them and to love them, and to hate them.
You hate them on days because you do because you
don't understand why they can't just stop. But the only
people that can save themselves are them and they have
(03:02):
to choose that they actually want to live over their vice.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Is there anything now that when you look back you
say that they can only say themselves? Could you've done
anything differently? Or like what we're saying that if you're
in the same position again now, like what would you
do knowing everything that you know for people out there
that are in that position.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
It's a funny question because I do get asked this
like from when people are asking me to help them
if they're in the similar position. There's nothing else we
could have done. Unfortunately in South Australia there's not enough happening.
One day, I promise I will create the most amazing
rehab center that people can actually go to because there's
not enough in South Australia. You have to go into
(03:42):
state or overseas to go to these really good rehab
centers that are so expensive that only the rich people
can afford. That's the hardest thing. There were glimmers with Ryan.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
He had vodka. That was his vice. He would drink
so much vodka, to the point that.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
He had at the liver of a sixty six year
old alcoholic at thirty four years old.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Right, So.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
I'll you can't say don't drink, can you?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Of course you can't. You can say don't drink.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
They lie, they lie, they steal, they do, they will,
they put Unfortunately, they put that whatever it is, if
it's drugs or alcohol, whatever, they put that before everything.
I thought that me having. All he wanted to be
was Uncle Ryan. That was his dream. He was gay,
so he never he was never going to have children.
So all he wanted to be was an uncle, and
he was going to be an uncle and that's all.
(04:33):
I thought that was enough, But it wasn't. And I
don't hate him for that because he couldn't help it.
It had taken over his life. And that's the sad
thing about if you love someone, if you'd love someone
deeply that's an addict, they.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Don't try not to hate them for it. For it,
they actually can't help it and maybe you do.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
You feel helpless and that like Mum and Dad would
go to alcoholics like groups for parents of addicts, and
I would talk to people about it and how I
how I try and help him, but you you just can't.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
So you can just love them.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
That's all you can do is is love them and
try everything you can so you don't feel guilty if
it does happen and you do lose someone. But I
really would love I would love everybody to read this
article tomorrow just to show that I don't know it's
it's something that means a lot to me, and it's
(05:26):
happening so much in South Australia and more people need
to talk about it to break that stigma that addicts
aren't bad people.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
No, they are people that are deeply loved by everyone.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
And if there is a statistic that they do pass away,
behind every addict is a family that loves them. So
I'd love you to read my story and to read
about Ryan because it's exactly what he would have wanted,
is to hopefully help other people who.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Are going through addiction.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Hailey's story will be an essay weekend tomorrow, beautifully written. Also,
if this is sparking anything for you, you can call
the National Alcohol and Drug Information Hotline one eight hundred
two five zero one five.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Thank you for sharing awe. Thanks
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