Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
I don’t know much about Dustin other then he continuously seems to enjoy partying. Does Australian culture embrace sobriety, AA/NA, etc? The few Australian folk I’ve encountered in NY seems to be on permanent holiday. Although they come across fairly pleasant, they sure do seem to dig alcohol.
I dunno ‘bout this, but my Aussie mate insists beer is considered a “sports drink” like Gatorade in Australia.
lol your Aussie mate is technically a bit of a deadshit then. We are pretty fucked with alcohol and have a huge drinking culture, but i've got plenty of sober friends, and my friends don't drink much these days, but we're old fuckheads.
I (australian) am the only person I know who doesn't drink and it definitely weirds people out, like truly makes them uncomfortable. I know quite a lot of people who say they don't drink but would have at least one beer everyday, and if they didn't have one everyday they would definitely make up for the missed day on the weekend. The amount of times I have seen people giving their babies/small children sips of alcohol disturbs me. Also, through highschool pretty much everyone's parents were cool from like 14/15 on to have parties involving alcohol at their houses/happy to buy their kids and friends alcohol and let them go "out" to just walk around in the street being drunk.
I have my vices too, but alcohol just never clicked with me and I don't want to judge people for whatever gets them through the day/night but Australia definitely has a drinking problem. I hear people talk about sobriety, but they all still drink. I'm speaking in broad strokes obviously too - no offence to anyone.
former prime minister "proving he is still an Aussie larrikin at heart"
I get that us Aussies have a rep for cutting serious piss but these things are not normal. Where did you grow up?
I'm 23 and from NSW. I'd say pretty much everything said has been similar to my experience. Pretty much everyone I know was drinking by 15/16, some people a lot younger. (Unfortunately) even parents who were more strict were okay with drinking at parties by about 16. Discussions about alcohol related problems aren't taken seriously (in my experience), I used to drink longnecks before work at a cafe and even that was considered fine by the people around me. I'm sure it's not like that everywhere but I'm yet to find a place where it's not somewhat normal to be a pisshead
Ireland's the same. I think most places with drinking culture's are like this to be honest..
In France, drinking culture is a bit different i would say.
People start drinking pretty young too, 15 or 16 i would say. . And most people drink to a various extent, but it's because drinking alcohol is so much interwined with food. That can go from a daily glass of wine, to a couple of glasses, to a more problematic amount (nowhere near the amount mentionned by our feellow Anstralians though). But no matter the amount, drinking and knowing about wine can have a real social value and be part of someone's identity. In professional circles, or family reunions, it's always a token of culture to be able to hold a conversation about wine.
In that context, sobriety is not that much of a thing. Very few people try to reach sobriety as a life goal or as a token of respectability or as wat to a more healthy lifestyle. It's there, but very minor. And while there is a public health discourse about reducing one'consumption, like in most developped countries, the path to full sobriety is not necessarly pushed. It's more about moderation.
Also, the wine industry is so instrumental for our country, economically ans culturally, that it's obviously not surpising that sobriety is not much talked about.