Two days after the Prime Minister made headlines for skolling a beer, Dave Hughes said that the “toughest guy in the pub” was the one who decided against drinking.
The comedian said he hadn’t had a drink in 22 years after seeking help during a bout of alcohol-related depression.
“I was not a good drinker, and I was depressed because of it and I stopped a long time ago and my life improved,” he said.
“…I stopped smoking marijuana and stopped drinking. As soon as I went to that doctor, it took me courage to say to mum I had an issue. When I walked out of that doctor's surgery I felt so much better just having told people about it. The road to recovery started then.”
Hughes also spoke on getting help for suspected schizophrenia, leading to a question on the mental health issues faced by Andrew Robb.
Mr Robb has previously spoken publicly about his depression, which forced him to take three months off his then-Opposition front bench position in 2009.
The Trade Minister told the Q and A audience that it took him 43 years to face his problem “because of the stigma attached”.
“Most of the time I didn't admit that I had a problem,” he said.
“… Someone told me that if you smile or laugh you release endorphins or whatever and you feel better. So for 10 years I drove to work with a pen in my mouth because someone told me if your face is configured like you're smiling your brain thinks you are and it releases endorphins.
“I tried everything.”
Mr Robb said he eventually sought professional help, saying he’d “never felt such a sense of relief”.
“In my case it was medication that really did the trick and for the last four years I've had better days than any days for the 43 years before,” he said.
‘You don't just knee-jerk’
Mr Robb’s comments come just days after the release of a controversial review of Australia’s mental health programs and services, which called for the redirecting $1 billion towards community-based mental health services.
His front bench colleague, Health Minister Sussan Ley, has ruled out redirecting the funds, a move which Mr Robb defended.
“You don't just knee-jerk,” he said.
“There are plenty of key recommendations in there.”
The 700 page report – released on Thursday, almost five months after being completed and handed to the Abbott Government – stated that the system had “fundamental structural shortcomings”.
“The overall impact of a poorly planned and badly integrated system is a massive drain on peoples’ wellbeing and participation in the community - on jobs, on families, and on Australia’s productivity and economic growth,” it read.
“Despite almost $10 billion in Commonwealth spending on mental health every year, there are no agreed or consistent national measures of whether this is leading to effective outcomes or whether people’s lives are being improved as a result.”
