David Campbell: my family’s alcoholism stops with me

I felt shame. I couldn’t stand by and watch this be normalised with the next generation. Many have called me a wowser but I want to do good for my family. To be the best father I can be.

On Monday, I told everyone via the Today show that I have been sober for a year. No biggie... Or so I thought. What I said really hit a nerve for a lot of people.

Now before you head straight to the comments and say “David who?” and ”Is this news??”, hear me out.

My father (musician Jimmy Barnes) has, one could say, a reputation of being the hardest partying rock star Australia has produced. So much so that one of his most iconic images is from his Cold Chisel days, sweaty, microphone in one hand, half-drunk bottle of vodka in the other. As he told me today on the phone “I should have frightened you off booze”.

Except it didn’t. It kind of had the opposite effect.

Due to a number of circumstances, he wasn’t around during my formative years and that image is what I had, as a young boy in my stubby shorts in Adelaide, as what you do. How you behave in the industry. And why wouldn’t you? He is a legend. Everyone loves Jimmy (so they should - he is one of the best men I have ever met). He was my hero. As all fathers should be.. or should try to be.

Now, he’s been very public about his battle with addiction and his subsequent rehabilitation. And as a musician, his story is far from uncommon.

Being in the music industry you are given lots of booze. For free! Now this is fun and exciting. Except when it’s not. Then it’s horrible and you feel like a bit of a jerk. Then you have a drink with friends, laugh about your jerky ways, they take the piss… you grab another drink and it’s all good right?

I definitely went for it. I was a part of our “booze culture”. Was I an alcoholic? No. Did I have the propensity to become one? Yes. Very much so. There is addiction on both sides of my family and I was standing at the doorway of a very dark room.

Then last year, on the day of my holiday with my wife, Lisa, and son, Leo, I had a hangover. A bad one. The day we had to leave, Leo, who was then three and a half years old, turned to Lisa and said “ Daddy isn’t well” and something much worse than my bad hangover happened.

I felt shame. I couldn’t stand by and watch this be normalised with the next generation. I wanted to be a role model for him. I wanted to be the best father I could - I still do. So I quit alcohol and I have never been happier. Now a year on, I have tripled my number of children and my resolve.

Anyway. Back to Monday. I am on the Today show, on the panel known as the Mixed Grill where you have an opinion on what is making news that day. Shane Warne had displayed a controversial line of questioning when interviewing the victorious Aussie cricketers. In Warnie’s typical larrikin style, he asked the team numerous times whether they were “thirsty” - and exactly how thirsty they were.

Karl (Today host Karl Stefanovic) asked me what I thought of this. And I was honest. I hated it. Not because of Warnie - we expect him to be flippant. He was talking about how long the guys intended to celebrate. Rightfully so, they had earned it.

But the part that I hated was the expectation that we can only celebrate by getting blind drunk in this country. That it’s a display of our manliness or some beer-goggled show of patriotism.

I don’t want my kids to grow up to think drinking is wrong, but I sure as hell don’t want them to grow up thinking that getting drunk is expected of them. I changed my habits so that they have an example of someone who doesn’t drink. In doing so, I hope I’ve stopped the cycle of alcoholism in my family.

I am not judging anyone who drinks. Not in the slightest - but why can’t having a drink be an option, rather than the expectation?

Since Monday, I have had a lot of people contact me. Many have been very positive. But many have called me a wowser. A do-gooder. But I am not doing this for anyone else. I want to do good for my family. I want to do better.

David Campbell is a singer, theatre producer and co-host of Mornings on Channel 9.