To most Aussies, it is a simple recycling bin.<\/p>\n
For singer Beccy Cole, the classic yellow-lidded rubbish bin represents the darkest of times in her life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a song on (the new album) called Sober about waking up on the ground and then hearing the jangle and shame of my yellow bin, which is very Australian because I think we all have yellow bins for our recycling.\u201d Cole said on the latest episode of the Mental As Anyone podcast,<\/a> detailing her struggles with alcohol.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember hearing that and going, \u2018I\u2019ve got to stop that kind of self-medicating\u2019. For myself personally, I can\u2019t heal that kind of deep, dark sadness unless I\u2019m sober, so I knew that that had to be the first step.\u201d The 53-year-old was suicidal and sought professional help.<\/p>\n Now, having undergone much therapy, including through music with her new album Through The Haze, Cole has sworn off relationships for good.<\/p>\n \u201cYou work out that nothing would ever happen in a relationship, in a romantic relationship, with somebody with whom your values don\u2019t align and I never understood that before,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now that I understand it, you cannot unsee it. So I\u2019m single for life. It\u2019s a choice. I mean, my divorce, my marriage break-up, wasn\u2019t my last break-up. I\u2019ve had a couple since then, so I got back on the horse, so to speak.<\/p>\n \u201cBut yeah, I think I\u2019ve got a way to go as far as trust, that\u2019s a whole other issue but as far as being happy with myself and who I am, that\u2019s a first for me \u2013 an all-time first \u2013 not just happy with myself post-therapy, I dig who I am now and I back myself more, which is cool.\u201d<\/p>\n Do not however mistake Cole\u2019s statement as a vow of celibacy.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, I\u2019m not dead,\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n Cole is currently touring the new album with dates across the country over the coming months.<\/p>\n Through The Haze is her first new studio album release in seven years.<\/p>\n Need to talk? Call Lifeline: 131144; Beyond Blue: 1300224636; Kids Helpline: 1800551800<\/p>\n
Cole hit rock bottom following the breakdown of her marriage. She and then partner Libby O\u2019Donovan separated and divorced with the personal turmoil leading Cole into a dark place mentally.<\/p>\n