Maz Compton says quitting alcohol changed her life: ‘I was drinking too much and too often’
RADIO host-turned-author Maz Compton reveals how quitting drinking has changed her life for the better as she talks about the release of her new book, which details her alcohol-free journey.
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RADIO host-turned-author Maz Compton tells how quitting drinking has changed her life for the better.
Q Tell me about your new book The Social Rebellion?
I stopped drinking three-and-a-half years ago. I took a month off at first because I needed to change my relationship with alcohol. Everything in my life was intertwined with it — work drinks, catching up with friends, regular Wednesday afternoons … I figured I had to change something.
During this I had a pretty incredible epiphany and I haven’t had a drink since then. The book details my journey and why I believe everyone can be free from that cycle of drinking.
There’s a 31-day guide in there, which is pretty much what I did. It’s not about control or willpower or any of those words people associate with alcohol. It’s about being empowered to make better choices. And to understand why you made that choice in the first place.
Q Do you think many of us are in denial about our relationship with alcohol?
The statistics on Australian women aged 35-69 and drinking are quite alarming. They’re one of the most at risk heavy drinkers in Australia. These are our mums, sisters and co-workers, wives … that’s all the more reason why the Social Rebellion was created.
It’s a place people can go who don’t know where to look. That was my biggest dilemma. I don’t think I’m an alcoholic and AA didn’t resonate with me.
I told myself things weren’t that bad, because that was the perception in my head about what alcohol dependency looks like.
I wasn’t hitting rock bottom, but there was a disconnect. I knew I was drinking too much and too often but I didn’t know what to do about that. This is a safe place where people can learn about themselves and tools to make better decisions.
Q Was there one moment that made you decide to give up alcohol?
I only probably figured this out about a year into my journey of not drinking. I realised the main reason I drank was a coping mechanism. I wasn’t given the right tools to deal with the high levels of stress I’d welcomed into my life. Instead of dealing with that stress, I drank to take the edge off and get through.
I think a lot of women do. We have all this pressure to have it all — the balance, to achieve perfection, be flawless. We’re under that much pressure sometimes. And rather than deal with it, we’re all given access to this vice that allows you to numb your feelings and not deal with anything.
Once I stopped drinking, I was able to deal with past traumas in life. I was dealing with life instead of just coping.
Q Were there unexpected benefits when you quit drinking?
So many benefits! There are the obvious — weight loss, better skin, hair and nails. I sleep better, wake up earlier, I’m fitter and that’s just the physical stuff. I feel like because I did the work and redefined my relationship with alcohol, so many doors opened in my life and led to incredible experiences.
That wouldn’t have happened if I’d been too busy drinking at a bar with friends. Whether it’s having more time to be creative or whether it’s a combination of that and being more open to things.
Drinking literally stops your brain functioning properly. I really truly believe I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing today if hadn’t decided to stop drinking. It’s obviously easier for me to talk about it now, but the benefits just keep manifesting.
It gets better and better. I was able to understand how my brain works and why I made those choices. I hear so many people say to me they’d never be able to stop drinking. That’s not living a life of freedom, that’s being beholden to something that’s not your best self.
Q You’ve interviewed a lot of people in your career. Who is the celebrity you most connected with?
I had a really cool interview with Pharrell Williams. He said something really profound in the middle of it and I welled up, it really hit me. I asked him what it was like to write a number one song and he goes ‘I don’t write number one songs, I just write songs. The fans make it go to number one.’
I said it was such a great way to look at what you do and he said to me, ‘I have a gift, just like you do and all you want to do is give it’. Someone acknowledging in me that I do have a gift really struck a chord.
Q How many years have you been an ambassador for Dry July and why do you think it’s so important?
This is my ninth year. When I used to drink, I’d look forward to July because I could stop and had a really great reason to do so, to help support people affected by cancer.
I’d think at least I can have a break now, take a month off and do something great. It’s something that’s affected my family. I’ve lost friends and have friends who have survived it. That’s how I initially got involved.
It’s progressed since my journey has progressed. People ask why I’m involved when I don’t drink. I say if I have another drink it will be in July. If I decided to have a drink again I’d be OK with that because I can manage my relationship with alcohol now.
Q Any advice for people who want to use it as a trial to ease off drinking but are nervous?
The great thing with the Dry July Foundation is you can do it for right reason. I’d say do it because you want to and for a cause. Do something uncomfortable, like socialising without alcohol in order to make someone else more comfortable.
At the end of the month, Dry July gets great results from people who take a month off to raise money and at the end of the experience say they’re now going to drink less.
Q What else have you been up to outside of the book?
Writing the book has been a really huge achievement and I’m really happy with that. Now it’s about building a community and making sure the book gets in as many hands as possible. That’s my focus.