I can pretty vividly remember the first time I tasted
alcohol; it was at my grandmother’s house when I was about 6 or 7. My uncle was
drinking beer and he asked if I wanted to try it. Being the curious kid that I was, I
accepted and took a very small sip… and given how I wasn’t even at the stage of
being able to eat tomato sauce without gagging, chances were good that I wasn’t
going to like it. Cut to several years later and I consider myself to be a
social drinker, and by that I mean I drink about as often as I socially
interact with people. I rarely drink as a result. I have gotten sloshed before,
but I try and keep it to a minimum mostly due to costs, wanting to avoid as many Foster's jokes as possible when talking with friends overseas (Seriously, I've lived here my whole life and I haven't seen one can of it for sale) and the fact that I lack
social grace even when sober. Still, it’s hard to ignore that a substantial
element of Australian culture is swimming in all things fermented and carbonated,
something that’s existent in most nations. So, what happens when someone takes a step back and looks at just how alcohol affects our social
climate? Well, you get today’s film.
