Jim Chalmers makes bold leadership confession as he opens up about quitting booze

The Treasurer has revealed his true feelings about politics and how a serious health scare in 2020 kickstarted a step away from the booze.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers revealed the steps he’s taken to becoming a better leader, including giving up the grog and the future of his political career – but he has no intentions of nabbing the top job.

The Treasurer, who spoke on Seven’s Spotlight on Sunday evening, revealed that while his future in politics isn't set in stone, there is no chance of him challenging Anthony Albanese for the role of Prime Minister.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers appears on Channel 7's Spotlight program. Picture: Seven

“Oh, I just can’t see it happening,” Chalmers told political reporter Mark Riley.

With an objective of being a “good treasurer”, he conceded he has no idea how long he plans to continue his role in politics,

“I don’t know is the honest answer,” he said.

“Nobody is in it forever and these opportunities to be treasurer or a local member, they are not typically someone’s whole career, so I try to make the most of it.”

Chalmers confessed the certainty of his future isn’t only dictated by him, but also the public.

“I am not sure when I will have had enough or people will have had enough of me,” he said. “A part of it is out of my hands; a big part of it is out of my hands.”

There’s no chance the treasurer will be heading for the PM’s job. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Despite not having a final say on the future of his political career, there was one factor in his life that was entirely in his control – his health.

It was during a press conference in 2020 when his wife noticed he looked “really unwell” and his face appeared “kind of white”.

“It was a weird shade of grey,” he recalled.

It was at the tail end of 2020 he discovered a melanoma on his chest.

The discovery, while making him terribly ill, was also a “weird kind of blessing” for Chalmers, who decided to give up drinking to help return to a clean bill of health.

The treasurer decided to ditch the booze in 2020 after his wife told him he looked “really unwell”. Picture: NewsWire/ Martin Ollman

He has been given a new lease on life. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Off the back of his diagnosis and felling “really unwell”, Chalmers “didn’t feel like drinking over the summer” and took his first step towards his sobriety.

“I wasn’t healthy enough,” he revealed. “You can always be healthier.”

Ditching the booze in 2020, the treasurer has remained sober for four years, and while it hasn’t been easy, he has tried to “find the good things” along the way.

“I always had trouble pacing myself,” he said, revealing he had become a “pretty enthusiastic drinker” over years, but now it was time to “give it away”.

Life looks a lot brighter now, giving him “more room … for things that are really important to me – my wife and my kids. My job is really important to me.”

Originally published as Jim Chalmers makes bold leadership confession as he opens up about quitting booze