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Simon* knows how difficult it can be for paramedics dealing with people affected by alcohol.
The long time member of Alcoholics Anonymous stopped drinking in 2007 but still describes himself as an alcoholic.
He remembers several times when his drinking had become so out of control emergency services had to be called in.
“People called the ambulance on me a couple of times in my drunken stupor,” he said.
“I wouldn’t have made it very easy for the ambulance officers… I didn’t actually physically do anything to anyone but I wouldn’t have been very kind.”
The Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre Trends in Alcohol and Drug-Related Ambulance Attendances in Victoria report this week revealed the number of alcohol related ambulance call outs in the City of Greater Bendigo had increased from 233 in 2012/13 to 283 in 2013/14.
Simon said dealing with alcoholism in regional areas provided its own unique challenges.
“I guess there’s more people (in Melbourne) so the aloneness that you can feel sometimes isn’t there,” he said.
“It’s sad but relatively few people actually make the effort to come along to Alcoholics Anonymous.”
Turning Point researcher Belinda Lloyd said the spike was indicative of a statewide trend.
“We’ve seen an increase in alcohol intoxication related ambulance attendances both in metropolitan Melbourne and in regional Victoria this year,” she said.
“This reflects a continuing increasing trend that we’ve seen in alcohol related harm across Victoria over the past decade.”
Associate Professor Lloyd said a holistic approach was necessary to reduce the rate of harmful alcohol use.
“Family and friends are often in that role where they’re having to deal with someone who’s got an alcohol problem and it’s important there are services available across the board,” she said.
“It takes that all-of-community response to be able to address the issue and there will never be any one solution.”
For Simon, the daily struggle with addiction continues.
“The truth is I’ll always be an alcoholic, it’s a brain thing, it’s a part of my genetic make up and it’s only a daily reprieve,” he said.
“I’ve been set free of the desire to drink so I have no problem being around alcohol or other people drinking around me or anything like that but my medicine is the 12 step program.”
Alcoholics Anonymous meets at the Salvation Army Centre in Mundy Street at 8pm Mondays.
For help call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
*It is an Alcoholics Anonymous policy not to use surnames.