The Great Aussie Pub.
It’s a place where mates meet, drinks are drunk and friendships are forged.
But its also a place where people go to escape their problems – and sometimes the escape itself can
become an addiction.
That addiction alone can become dangerous.
Were you aware that gambling addicts are more likely to be found at a pub than anywhere else?
Were you aware that there are more people dependent on alcohol found in pubs more than anywhere else?
And the stats tell us that when 9 people suicide everyday in Australia, up to 69% of them have alcohol in their system (Cherpitel, Borges and Wilcox) and around 5% have a gambling issue (Suicide Prevention Australia Gambling Report 2022).
I liken the scenario to my favourite Dad pub joke... an empty coke can walks into a pub and asks for a beer. The bartender looks him up and down and says “sorry mate, I can see you’re already drunk”.
What I’m saying is, we as a community need to look at things differently.
Pubs have contributed to suicide in this country - whether through alcohol addiction or gambling addiction. So it makes sense, even if you hadn't considered it until now, that if pubs have been part of the problem then they absolutely can become part of the solution.
Great Aussie Pubs can absolutely be the hubs again.
Which is where The SPEAK UP When You See The SIGNS™ Suicide Prevention Training comes in.
Says one publican who has already come on board: "Pubs are part of the community and having a gamble or having a drink can actually be dangerous when done to excess. By doing The Pub Whisperer course and being part of that community we want to be in a position where people are safe if they choose to do that in excess and are not thinking clearly."
Being a Pub Whisperer in your pub empowers you to navigate a TRICKY conversation around suicide.
Why TRICKY?
It can be a challenging situation to approach a conversation around suicide, however, when you apply The Pub Whisperer values to the situation it isn't. TRICKY is an acronym for these values:
Trust
Respect
Integrity
Confidentiality
Kindness
Your Good Self
As a valued staff member of your pub, when you apply these 6 values in a meeting with someone suffering suicide ideation, you can begin the conversation with more confidence.
It’s often a quiet conversation too – which is where the Pub Whisperer name comes in. Perhaps held at a table, away from everyone else, but in view of others.
These quiet conversations are done so we, as part of a society, can avoid creating more silent deaths to suicide in the community.
So lets make sure, that instead of silent deaths, people are heard. And we as a wider community learn how to speak up when we see the signs of suicide ideation and encourage our patrons to do feel comfortable speaking up about how they feel too.
Help to strengthen these important 5 qualities in your staff, and equip them with life-saving skills found within the SPEAK UP When You See The SIGNS™ online program available for free at www.glassempty.live.
For more info on The Pub Whisperer, or to get access to a suicide prevention helpline, visit www.thepubwhisperer.com.
Were you aware that there are more people dependent on alcohol found in pubs more than anywhere else?
And the stats tell us that when 9 people suicide everyday in Australia, up to 69% of them have alcohol in their system (Cherpitel, Borges and Wilcox) and around 5% have a gambling issue (Suicide Prevention Australia Gambling Report 2022).
I liken the scenario to my favourite Dad pub joke... an empty coke can walks into a pub and asks for a beer. The bartender looks him up and down and says “sorry mate, I can see you’re already drunk”.
What I’m saying is, we as a community need to look at things differently.
Pubs have contributed to suicide in this country - whether through alcohol addiction or gambling addiction. So it makes sense, even if you hadn't considered it until now, that if pubs have been part of the problem then they absolutely can become part of the solution.
Great Aussie Pubs can absolutely be the hubs again.
Which is where The SPEAK UP When You See The SIGNS™ Suicide Prevention Training comes in.
Says one publican who has already come on board: "Pubs are part of the community and having a gamble or having a drink can actually be dangerous when done to excess. By doing The Pub Whisperer course and being part of that community we want to be in a position where people are safe if they choose to do that in excess and are not thinking clearly."
Being a Pub Whisperer in your pub empowers you to navigate a TRICKY conversation around suicide.
Why TRICKY?
It can be a challenging situation to approach a conversation around suicide, however, when you apply The Pub Whisperer values to the situation it isn't. TRICKY is an acronym for these values:
Trust
Respect
Integrity
Confidentiality
Kindness
Your Good Self
As a valued staff member of your pub, when you apply these 6 values in a meeting with someone suffering suicide ideation, you can begin the conversation with more confidence.
It’s often a quiet conversation too – which is where the Pub Whisperer name comes in. Perhaps held at a table, away from everyone else, but in view of others.
These quiet conversations are done so we, as part of a society, can avoid creating more silent deaths to suicide in the community.
So lets make sure, that instead of silent deaths, people are heard. And we as a wider community learn how to speak up when we see the signs of suicide ideation and encourage our patrons to do feel comfortable speaking up about how they feel too.
Help to strengthen these important 5 qualities in your staff, and equip them with life-saving skills found within the SPEAK UP When You See The SIGNS™ online program available for free at www.glassempty.live.
For more info on The Pub Whisperer, or to get access to a suicide prevention helpline, visit www.thepubwhisperer.com.
View The GLASS EMPTY Suicide Prevention Signal video below.
Meet the founder of the Great Aussie Pubs website, The Pub Whisperer and The GLASS EMPTY Suicide Prevention Signal
Ever have an idea that was so good you couldn’t get it out of your head?
That’s what happened to me in 2020. “Suicide prevention skills for bar staff in pubs and clubs”, was my thought. And so, I went about creating it. |
After writing The Suicide Prevention Checklist for bar staff, I decided to organise a few Pubs Supporting People Days during Covid, which involved pushing tables together to create community again.
I studied different elements of mental health first aid, suicide prevention and non-violent communication. Then in 2024 my organisation, The Whisperer Team, became an accredited member of Suicide Prevention Australia.
I then wrote The SPEAK UP When You The SIGNS Method and came up with the idea of a suicide prevention signal.
The two marry together seamlessly and I realised that this unique offering to the world, has the power to save lives.
On a global scale.
Yes, it’s fair to say that I have been on a mission to save lives.
My full name is Jonathan Hart, but my mates call me Jono, or these days "The Original Pub Whisperer".
I was born in Cardiff, Wales and emigrated to Adelaide, Australia when I was 5.
A divorced father of 4, I thought travelling Australia with my family filming pubs along the way would be a good idea.
Turned out it was a great idea!
And so, Great Aussie Pubs the website was born.
It’s a website which ultimately aims to document the Great Aussie Pubs that make our beautiful country what it is.
I can’t wait to see where this journey goes. And I'd love your support.
Stay tuned for more good news!
Subscribe to the newsletter here.
I studied different elements of mental health first aid, suicide prevention and non-violent communication. Then in 2024 my organisation, The Whisperer Team, became an accredited member of Suicide Prevention Australia.
I then wrote The SPEAK UP When You The SIGNS Method and came up with the idea of a suicide prevention signal.
The two marry together seamlessly and I realised that this unique offering to the world, has the power to save lives.
On a global scale.
Yes, it’s fair to say that I have been on a mission to save lives.
My full name is Jonathan Hart, but my mates call me Jono, or these days "The Original Pub Whisperer".
I was born in Cardiff, Wales and emigrated to Adelaide, Australia when I was 5.
A divorced father of 4, I thought travelling Australia with my family filming pubs along the way would be a good idea.
Turned out it was a great idea!
And so, Great Aussie Pubs the website was born.
It’s a website which ultimately aims to document the Great Aussie Pubs that make our beautiful country what it is.
I can’t wait to see where this journey goes. And I'd love your support.
Stay tuned for more good news!
Subscribe to the newsletter here.