Rural Sobriety: New program aimed at rural communities

The decision to quit drinking while living in remote Australia was the catalyst for Noelene Brown’s desire to help others struggling with alcoholism.

When Ballarat’s Noelene Brown gave up drinking alcohol back in 2020, she was isolated by both the remoteness of her location in the Kimberly, and the lack of accessible resources as she embarked on a journey of sobriety.

It led to her to train as a certified sobriety coach, and now she has launched her own online course aimed at supporting people in regional Australia wanting to cut back or give up alcohol.

The entrenched habit of drinking in bush culture was a hurdle to navigate, both in her own life and as she worked to help others.

Noelene Brown has founded and runs a program called Rural Sobriety, a quitting drinking program tackling issues of alcoholism in the country. Picture: Zoe Phillips

“In the program, I don’t talk about going out to nightclubs and fancy restaurants and catching an Uber home – I’m talking about footy clubs, the RSL and the chook raffle at the local pub, and the day-to-day ups and downs of country life,” Noelene said.

“Culturally, booze is absolutely everywhere in the bush. The program is all about coaching people on how to exist, and socialise without alcohol, in settings where alcohol is flowing endlessly.”

The Rural Sobriety Quit Drinking program, which launched earlier this month, is structured around three pillars: knowledge, emotion, and action. It’s 12 modules focus on mindset, understanding the science of addiction, and handling difficult emotions.

“If you start with the knowledge then work through how you feel about it, it then it becomes easier to change your behaviour,” Noelene said.