Alcohol

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Alcohol seems to be the issue of the day, so to speak. I have had issue with it for many years. I’m not an alcoholic but I couldn’t understand why people couldn’t have an Orange Juice Party instead. Well now I know. No one would dare come. They would all be frightened out of their minds. “How will I cope, straight?”. The violence associated with alcohol seems to be rearing its ugly head. The commentators are discussing it within the box. It needs to be discussed outside of the box. That’s where the answers are.

The violence associated with alcohol gives you the perfect storm of why the Alcohol Industry needs regulation. I know that regulation per se is a dirty word for some but this is no reason to put ideology in front of practical measures to stem Alcohol Abuse in Australian society. Agh..the glamour of alcohol.

There is also much more alcohol associated violence than what is reported in the media and sensationalised such as the one punch death victims. Where ever alcohol goes there is intimidation, stand over and physical and emotional and mental abuse. How much domestic violence is alcohol fueled?. The little degrees of abuse we all experience each and every day. Those little nasty words we hear. The unsaid. The psychological games we play. The mistrust. The lies we tell ourselves that alcohol isn’t a problem. The standard line I hear “I only drink occasionally”…is a way of disguising deep seeded problems which wont go away with continuing that lil biddy sip of Chardonnay or some bullshit new age wine on the block. Give me a break. I think eventually this addictive thinking smacks of problems down the line.

The very idea that bottle shops are even allowed to open until 10pm or at all, is crazy and pandering to the big alcohol merchants and retailers without any thought or responsible behaviour for the alcohol abusers and any victims of alcohol violence. I would say if you buy alcohol, take it away and drink it at home…by yourself. Girls love alcohol when they socialise…it’s rather a sexual inhibition inhibitor. Not to mention “I get so horny” girls only.

How much work related time off and sickness and poor work performance related to alcohol abuse. If we as a society just pander to the alcohol industry it is nothing more than a fait accompli. Society is not all about profit and ideological righteousness and displaying oneself as a sanctimonious cow.

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It’s fascinating to note that, of all the behavior-altering and addictive drugs, alcohol is the only legal one. Well tobacco too. Despite the familiarity we all have with alcohol’s effects, when people drink more than a little, fights invariably occur.

Some people get aggressive when they drink, some get false confidence which counters their natural caution and avoidance strategies, so they end up facing up to some baboon who wants to impress his mates and show he’s not afraid. A drug that brings out violence while diminishing caution is a damn bad drug, yet it’s legal.

It may be that the effect alcohol has on already aggressive people is of less importance than the effect alcohol has on victims. A sober person is less likely to be hit and less likely to crash to the sidewalk head first. For that reason alone, controls on alcohol availability is worth pursuing, even if the daft government might be committing the unspeakable act of “hurting a business”. On the other hand there are people that are insecure within themselves, which alcohol can address and alleviate the difficulties of social interaction. If the business which supplied the alcohol which led to an assault were liable of a substantial civil claim by the victims or their survivors, alcohol crime would shrink, that’s for sure. Never mind arguing for “freedom” for the drinkers or grog merchants, they don’t deserve it and there’s little good that comes from them.

Heavy drinkers are the single biggest burden to our health system, work productivity, families health, safety, motor vehicles deaths, and the senseless deaths of our next generation!

I bet there are smoking bans in all these pubs & clubs, but hey it’s ok your welcome to stay until your in a plastered drunken stupor and freely walk out the door to kill an innocent person just minding their own business. What sort of country have we  become to think this behaviour is acceptable and stupid comments like, “oh but he was drunk” make it all ok.

It isn’t just heavy drinkers who get drunk and punch people. Sometimes they’re light drinkers who can’t hold their booze, other times they may have taken pills and occasionally they’re sober folks in an irresponsible moment.

The real necessity is to handle the problem of violence more directly. Any other concerns you have for the health of others, or objections to their lack of sobriety simply aren’t nearly so paramount as the injustice that occurs when somebody is killed at random by an unknown stranger. I think the laws we make have to reflect the degree to which we object most strenuously to violence and a lot less so to drinking.

The hidden side of alcohol is never mentioned. Out of sight. Secret. You know…those times when your girlfriend drinks, looks like a fool and thinks she’s cool, talks shit all the while thinking she is acting normally, when in fact she looks terrible and talking at a hundred miles an hour. The smell of her breath is appalling. Kisses repugnant. Sex impossible.

How on earth did society get to this stage? The alcohol culture is out of control. Our parents drank. So do we. No longer do we drink for pleasure but to get fully pissed. Or if we drink less, it’s always more frequently. Then we cover it up. Tell no one. Sneak that drink in. What it shows up is the level and depth of the problem. We have lost faith in our own ability to live life on its own terms…as it is shot at us point blank, every second of every day. One good thing good that’s come out of this revelation is that now we can look at it without shame. We are all in on the conspiracy.

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