Study: Getting drunk part of Australian identity

This has caused a lot of discussion here.

I don't think it's true - or certaionly not to the extent it was. We've become a much more sober lot - and alcohol is much more controlled.

An episode that vaguely resembled the drunken English lager louts caused considerable stir here - although most football, especially rugby league, does attract the boorish - both players and fans!

I think binge drinking has moved from being a young male thing to being a young PERSON thing...young women are in real trouble with their drinking far more often.


Getting pissed (drunk) at parties and gatherings was certainly part of my young adulthood, though I started late. I was probably more temperate than many of my friends.


I still get a bit pished from time to time, to relax.....but I hate hangovers, so I seldom drink enough to give me one.


I think sensible Ozzies drink less, but many young people and some groups of older people still drink way to excess.

I really can't see what is so newsworthy about this report.

So, a fair proportion had their first alcoholic drink before they reached the legal age. No.....really? I started going into pubs when I was sixteen, as did most of my mates. Being underage, we made an extra special effort not to be "noticed", and consequently spent most of the time nursing just one pint all evening, while having a good chat and a laugh in the convivial pub atmosphere.
By the time I was eighteen, I had already got into the habit of using a pub as a place for quiet socialising (with all age groups, I may add) over a pint or possibly two, spread out over about four hours. This happened once, maybe twice a week.
If I had been forced to wait until eighteen, I would have probably gone in there on my first "legal" day, and got blind drunk.

The Aussies that I have met over the years, enjoy a pint just as much as the Brits. They are fantastic people to have around in a Pub setting, with a real positive attitude and great sense of humour. I haven't noticed that the Aussies are any different in their drinking habits. They enjoy a quiet pint like most sociable humans.


The problem, as far as I can see it, is the modern drinking culture, greatly encouraged by the drinks industry.

These modern style pubs in Britain aim themselves directly at the young drinkers who have big bucks to spend. Walk into one of these pubs of an evening, and you will see that 99% of the clientelle are in the 18 - 25 age bracket.
Happy hours and other inducements encourage heavier drinking, and brightly coloured fizzy alcopops have been brought onto the market aimed specifically at women, as they were seen as not drinking/spending enough.

This present 18 -25 age bracket is having a totally different drinking education than those of us in the past. They are constantly being pressurised to get as much down their necks as possible, on a regular basis.
In the UK, there is now a concerted effort going on, to remove alcopops from Supermarkets, and try to get them out of pubs and clubs, as they have caused a massive explosion in female drinking, which has resulted in a staggering increase in related illness and disease.

The days of just a quiet pint or two seem to be over.................

I suspect that this is not an exclusively Oz thing. Lot's of posts here, on various threads, about getting pissed (drunk) from many different locations. Not that I'm suggesting this is a terrifically wonderful thing, mind!

It used to be the case that it was very much part of the national identity. In fact it was a very important point of many sub-cultures as well, especially those formed around various occupations.

I don't think that's the case now although Lord E's points about young people and dlowan's point about young women getting into it in a big way strike me as being highly accurate.

I must say though that I still find it irksome when I see someone walking around at 10 am with a bottle of beer in their hand as I saw recently in my suburban shopping centre (no dry zone laws there).

Alcohol definitely occupies a big place in Australian society - when compared to say the US or Canada - but it has eased in recent years.

true msolga, studies find binge drinking to be on the rise in most american and canadian universities

Hi guys, thanks for your replies.

My take on this study, is like any study. You can make the outcome suit your needs.

Personally, I would find it hard to believe drinking, no matter where it may take place, could be categorized as an "identity". I merely posted it to be a little cheeky.

I think no matter what country you talk about, you'll have major drinking going on. Does anybody remember way back when alcoholism in Russia was a hush hush thing and not much written about it?

So, bottom line is that in all countries, alcohol can be a problem. You could easily swap stories, I'm sure.

By the way, if anybody can come up with a comparison chart, country to country, showing alcoholism rates, it may be interesting to see the outcome.

Is this usual?

I mean, this thread has a beginning, a middle and a conclusion!

What's going on?? :wink:

I fell asleep. Is it over already?

Isn't this more of a mother-country thing?

In case anybody is interested, here's some alcoholism stats:

Statistics by Country for Alcoholism

Goodfielder

Actually... getting drunk AND bashing wogs is typically 'Orstraylian'.


All I can say is that if certain staff at work DON'T stop crapping on about 'this' and 'that', there is going to be some serious violence.........