Lisa Greenberg’s sobriety story: ‘I didn’t want to be the shameful wife’

After going public with her addiction to alcohol last week, the wife of former NRL CEO Todd Greenberg reveals she has been inundated with support.

“I’ve had so many people reach out to me and say thank you.” (Picture: Damian Bennett)

From NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to local mums, the outpouring of support for Lisa Greenberg since she shared her sobriety story has been overwhelming.

Greenberg, the wife of former NRL boss Todd Greenberg, revealed exclusively in Body+Soullast Sunday how a years-long alcohol dependency caused her family to walk out on her.

“Only a few NRL people knew because I didn’t want to be the shameful wife.” (Picture: Supplied)

But after hitting rock bottom, she’s now been sober for more than two-and-a-half years and is inspiring others with her strength and achievement.

“I’ve had so many people reach out to me and say thank you for telling your story. I don’t feel as alone,” Greenberg tells Stellar On Friday.

“All the messages I’ve received have said, ‘You don’t look like an alcoholic.’ So, if I’m helping to break the stigma about what an alcoholic looks like or if sharing my story leads someone to get help, I’m happy. I’m not a psychologist but if I can help, I will.”

Greenberg says she was nervous about the public reaction to her story, particularly considering her husband’s public profile and the fact they have adult children.

“I’ve had so many people reach out to me and say thank you.” (Picture: Damian Bennett)

“Only a few NRL people knew because I didn’t want to be the shameful wife. And I was also afraid he would be judged as a failure because he’s trying to control players and here is his wife who is an alcoholic,” says Greenberg, a fitness consultant.

“But both Todd and I have been approached by people in the organisation saying they’re sorry we’ve been battling this.”

After the story was printed, Hello Sunday Morning – a charity that encourages Australians to change their relationship with alcohol – noted a significant increase in enquiries.

“Following a mention in Body+Soul’s front-cover story, [we] saw a surge in website traffic, with registrations for our Daybreak app running at nearly three times greater than usual,” says Hello Sunday Morning’s head of marketing Roger Falconer-Flint.

Now Greenberg, 51, is hoping to use this new platform to work with students at high schools. “I want to shine a light on the solution, not the problem. Addiction is so often linked to self-esteem, so if we can [help] young people upstream, maybe that will help,” she says, adding that she’s already been approached to share her story at recovery facilities.

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“I’m a better mother, a better friend, a better wife, a better person now because of what I’ve been through. But maybe not all people have to get to rock bottom for that to happen.”

She’s also passionate about advocating for hospitality venues to provide better options for people who aren’t drinking alcohol, for whatever reason. “There are more and more [drink] options out there for people who don’t want to have alcohol. They’re just not regularly stocked in bars and restaurants.”