High Sobriety by Jill Stark Page A

Carling logo. The internal documents stated that the campaign ‘celebrates, initiates and promotes the togetherness of the pack, their passions and their pint because Carling understands that things are better together’. Documents obtained for the same inquiry found that the brand promise for Lambrini, a sparkling pear-based drink that comes in a range of flavours, was that ‘it’s the perfect social lubricant’, and would ‘make you and the girls forget your dull working week and transform you into the glamour pusses you know you should be’.
    The industry in Australia is no different. You only have to look at the website of one of the country’s largest beer companies to see that alcohol is being spruiked as a social necessity, and as the panacea for all our woes. An advert by Carlton & United Breweries, which makes Carlton Draught, Victoria Bitter, and Crown Lager, shows a young, attractive man walking into a bar full of similarly good-looking drinkers, and claims that ‘communities are strengthened through the unique, everyday bonds our beer creates’. In video footage that shows the man laughing and bonding with friends and family, the voiceover tells us:
    We’re there for the little moments where people feel comfortable with who they are and who they’re with and we understand that what we make has always and will always be right there in the thick of things as people create friendships, face adversity and enjoy prosperity — from the casual beer at the local to grandest of celebrations, to the moment where you just want to drop back home to remember where you came from and where you belong. In fact, we believe, in a society becoming too busy to pause for simple pleasures, if a whole lot more people raised a beer in friendship, the world would be a better place.
    Yep, that’s right, we can heal the world with beer. Perhaps all that’s required to achieve peace in the Middle East is a few dozen slabs of VB and a tray of party pies. After all, alcohol can help us to make friends, cope with tough times, celebrate victories, and generally improve our otherwise sad and dull lives.
    Until very recently, I’d have said the same thing. Now, I’m starting to think that there might be a more constructive way to express my emotions or to make new connections. It won’t always be easy, but I want to be honest with the people in my life, without having to be drunk to do it. When I tell my friends and family I love them, I don’t want there to be any doubt about why I’m saying it. If I’m frustrated at work, I’d like to find a way to communicate my grievances in a manner that might actually get me the desired result. If I’m attracted to someone, I don’t want to wait until I’ve had a skinful to tell them. It might be scary laying myself bare completely sober, but it’s got to be more authentic than dipping the truth in a bottle of wine and calling it real.
    HABIT IS A peculiar beast: she’s not easily tamed, and she’s not afraid of a dare. My body might be learning that I don’t need alcohol to feel good, but my brain is following a more familiar script. As i attempt to order a lime and soda in a bar with friends one night, i’m shocked to hear the words ‘vodka, lime, and soda’ come out of my mouth, nearly sabotaging my booze ban just weeks after it’s started. When I correct myself, the barman asks why I’m not drinking.
    â€˜A social experiment,’ I reply.
    He looks at me quizzically. ‘Why on earth would you want to do that?’
    Five minutes later, he approaches our table, sets down a shot glass, and says, ‘We’ve just got this new vodka in. It’s beautiful, really smooth, goes perfectly with lime and soda. I’ll just leave that with you.’ Smirking, he walks off, leaving us staring in bemusement at this strange offering.
    Twenty years on the piss and all I