Alcohol Not So Anonymous

It is easier to locate an outlet selling alcohol in Australia than one serving salads, offering gymnasium facilities or a place offering positive help in community matters.

The encouraged lifestyle reeks of alcohol - advertising media, sports celebrations, commercial office functions and social cocktails. The largest supermarket chain places its liquor outlets near the checkout. Accessory products and services support and facilitate their consumption, from motor car portable fridges to the compulsory bar at the local clubs. It is implied that one has alcoholic drinks before settling into any dinner - formal, casual or spontaneous. Wine is introduced as a posh feature, consolidated in family and other occasions and any possibility of upscaling in taste to somthing more hard is officially sanctioned once one turns eighteen years of age.

Who is to take responsibility when faced with the dire consequences of excessive alcohol consumption? Does letting go mean recklessly escaping into an oblivious state of partaking a dubious mixture of alcohol laden drinks and party drugs, commonly available at suburban house parties, cbd nightclubs and getaway summer beach parties? Some parents introduce their teenage children to their first
drinks but forget or do not know how to manage the follow-up. What do we make sense of the drunken driver,party fracas, domestic assault or nightclub episode, when we know that beneath it all, it started not with a kiss, but a drink too many.

Individuals may know there is a better way to get to a high or avoid boredom other than through the temporary delusion of a drink or a gambling bet. However it does not help when diverted by too much easy access to all sorts of alcoholic suggestions on the way to a true chill out. Whether it's a racing carnival, AFL or NRL game or office drinks, drink is laid down as the glue to acceptance, camaraderie and networking - why not stimulating conversation?

The lure of easy revenue streams into government coffers from the wholesome sales of alcohol products must be balanced by the related rising social, personal and financial costs to the community. Champagne breakfasts, beer battered fish and alcoholpops are all signs of runaway consumption and excessive supply. A New Zealand expert has warned of the link between excessive alcohol consumption in women and the incidence of breast cancer. Where does this malaise end?