Dad: I'd been really happy when Alicia came home, but it didn't last. I know looking after the baby was important but I felt like she'd lost interest in us. We started arguing, the lack of sleep didn't help. I felt angry constantly. I didn't feel like going out with my mates on the weekends. I just did heaps of time out by myself.
Because it was harvest time, it was an easy excuse, but the long hours on the header made me think too much. I felt really isolated from Alisha and the baby, our son. I started to feel really down about myself. I just couldn't deal with it all.
It's when the drinking started and instead of spending time with my mates, going to the footy like I used to, I spent time down at the pub on my own avoiding going home. Alisha told me to go and see someone. That just made me angrier. There was nothing wrong with me, plus what could they do. I blamed it all on the baby coming into our lives.
Eventually, the drinking became a problem. I had a near miss at work with some machinery and the boss sent me home, told me to go see a GP. Speaking to him was really helpful as he could understand how I felt. I loved being a dad and it was stupid to let things get out of hand, but after speaking to the doctor I feel much better.
