Sarah Rusbatch | ABS figures show alcohol-induced deaths hit 10-year high in 2021

We've seen a huge increase in people drinking during the pandemic which has led to unexpected alcohol dependence, and many people are finding it harder than expected to cut down or stop.

Coupled with this is increased stress and financial pressure with a sky rocketing cost of living and rising interest rates over the past 12 months, which means more Australians are turning to alcohol to take the edge off without realising the long-term impacts of using alcohol in this way.

Alcohol is highly addictive, one of the most addictive (yet socially accepted) substances in our society and what's surprising is how insidiously this slow addiction is in taking hold.

We're also grappling with the outdated term alcoholic which carries a stigma that prevents many reaching out for help when they really need it - before they become physically dependent and at risk of alcohol induced illnesses and diseases.

If we don't fit the traditional stereotype of an alcoholic (who many think is homeless, drinks first thing in the morning and wakes with shaking hands) then we don't seek help, even if we have begun to notice the negative impact alcohol is having on us.

The other factor is that we quickly build tolerance for alcohol, so what starts as one or two glasses a couple of nights a week can quickly creep up to a bottle or more, but our increased tolerance means that we remain high functioning.

When my drinking was at its worst, I could easily drink two bottles of a wine a night and head to an early morning gym class the next day, before completing a full day's work.

This is the case for many of my clients too.

As a Grey Area Drinking coach, I work with individuals before they reach end stage physical dependency and before they develop fatal diseases.

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Spreading the message that you don't have to be an alcoholic to decide to stop drinking can feel like an uphill battle because alcohol is socially accepted and expected at every social event we attend from birthdays to weddings and from christenings to funerals.

Even work events can carry social pressure to drink. I have many white collar clients who work in professions such as law and finance who struggle with the corporate expectation to drink at every social event and fear being labelled boring if they don't join in.

Preventing alcohol related deaths isn't just about working with people with end-stage physical dependency, it's about helping people before they get there.

But to do that we must first change society's view of alcohol, so it's no longer the only drug we have to justify not taking.

We must also talk more openly about the addictive nature of alcohol and its links to fatal diseases before it's too late.