OUR TRAGIC DRINKING CULTURE
Does Australia have an “incredibly dumb drinking culture?”
The tragic news this week that a 19 year-old University student on the Gold Coast died after a University pub crawl comes on the back of strident calls from the Australian Medical Association for raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 25.
It’s not known yet if Bonnie Whitehead’s tragic death last weekend was alcohol related – the coroner’s findings have not yet been released – but the circumstances in the 24 hours leading up to her death are.
According to The Brisbane Times, the Bond university law scholarship student and former Wenona student (pictured left, pic via The Mosman Daily) “joined 600 fellow students on the pub crawl – promoted by the university and student association as a fundraiser and approved by police – about 3pm on Friday.”
According to friends Whitehead went home around 9pm and that she “seemed fine.” The next day when they went to wake her at 1.40 in the afternoon – they thought she had been sleeping – they found her unconscious and not breathing.
It is almost too terrible to contemplate these circumstances. Who among us can say we didn’t experience similar situations around that age?
If the Australian Medical Association had its way, Bonnie Whitehead would have been refused service on that pub crawl.
“We don’t want young people to go out drinking to unsafe levels, “ said AMA president Dr Steve Hambleton (right) this week. “We need a culture that encourages people to say no and to be congratulated for saying no.”
But would it have made a difference?
Time and again prohibition has been found to be ineffectual. And the AMA knows very well its call for the legal drinking age to be raised to 25 years is an ambit claim.
But it’s their way of starting an urgently important conversation about what Hambleton calls our “incredibly dumb drinking culture” – a culture that finds emergency doctors in every hospital in the country dealing with the tragic aftermath of excessive drinking on a nightly basis.
According to The Herald Sun this week, the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research says that only one in 20 Australians can identify safe drinking levels.
Dr Hambleton said yesterday that we need to foster a “culture that encourages young people to say no and to be congratulated for saying no.”
He also said last week: “Public drunkenness has lost its stigma. People look the other way. Being drunk doesn’t attract the disdain that it used to.”
Is he right? Has our drinking culture changed, or is it the same as it ever was?
How do your teenagers drink? Do you want the government to step in?
Join the conversation.
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Lucy (Editor of The Hoopla) is a journalist and editor with almost thirty years experience in newspapers and magazines in Sydney, London, and New York. She has been published in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Daily and Sunday Telegraphs, Vogue Living, Australian Art Review, and Gourmet Traveller. Most recently the Books Editor of the Sunday Telegraph, she has also contributed to the non-fiction books, Australia Through Time, and What Women Want.
47 Responses to this article
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The Huntress September 21, 2012
I agree that our drinking culture is incredibly stupid and needs to change.
We need to promote a culture where being blind drunk is just not cool. And believe me, when you’re sobering up in a hospital after falling out of a tree, or doing something equally stupid and then having to explain yourself to the weary nurse at 4 am what you were doing, it’s really not cool.
But to enact a cultural change we need a lot of people on board and a big shift in attitude. Raising the drinking age just doesn’t work, even though in theory it’s a great idea as alcohol is just not good for developing brains (and brains keep developing until about the age of 25). A cultural shift away from extreme drunkness being the thing to do would make huge, positive changes in many, many ways.
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Jo Johnstone September 21, 2012
totally agree
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Elizabeth September 21, 2012
I had a friend who lost her virginity while away on schoolies to a complete stranger….it ruined her mind for a while and made her feel like so much less a human being than is able to make informed, intelligent choices. Add drunk to that over years of hidden guilt and you get a really ugly feed cycle. It isn’t right, it isn’t funny and it isn’t ‘cool’. How cool would it be if there just weren’t pubs and clubs! Raise the drinking age and call that dumb drug by its proper name!
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Shelly Taylor November 12, 2012
Why hasn’t the Coroner report into Bonnie’s death been released to the media. I am best friends with Bonnie’s Aunt “her fathers sister” who lives in NC USA. Patti still doesn’t know what the official cause of death is and has asked me to try to find out. Patti does not want to further stress her sister in law or other niece by calling to ask what the official coroners report stated as cause of death so is left to wonder. All her friends are also left with the same question, especially after the media coverage of her death. if a death is reported so widely in the media it is unfair not to also make the cause of death known if delay is due to an Inquest then let people know that’s what’s going on, currently interested friends & some extended family members are just left in Limbo
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Bupple January 12, 2013
The cause of Bonnie’s death is known, and it was decided (rightfully so) to not be released to the media. All this speculation surrounding Bond University and it’s drinking culture is ridiculous. As a student of Bond, I am appalled to see my University who has provided me with passion, knowledge and a place I call my home come under attack by outsiders who only believe media reports. For those who were close to Bonnie, they will know the real story tragic circumstances, as for others you have no right to know and also have no right to even mention her name or suggest she had a drinking problem. Shame on the Australian Media for tarnishing the reputation of this poor girl. Rest in Peace BonBon xx
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sam September 21, 2012
Recently we spent a saturday night at A&E. Our four year old son had fallen and split his nose open. We got there at about 5pm and finally left at about 4am. In that time we saw heaps of drunken teenages who had stumbled in front of cars or backpackers who had taken too many chemicals being brought in, some of them in terrible states. It was upsetting for us to witness and traumatising for our son, but I kept imagining what it would be like to be the parent who got call in the middle of the night.
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Rosie September 22, 2012
Sam – I worked in A. & E. in a large hospital for 10 years so, yes, I have seen it all – every Friday and Saturday night and it IS horrible. I remember a B.B.C. TV show about 15 years ago about teenagers and alcohol where they filmed a group of young people drinking heavily on a night out. These were just average teenagers. The next day they showed them the film and most of the kids were disgusted with themselves – had no idea that their behaviour was so obnoxious when they were drinking. I think it gave them a wake-up call. Just a thought.
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Norelle September 21, 2012
Yes it is serious and impacts people’s productivity, their income and their relationships (with themselves as well as others) their physical and mental health.
In a week when the muslim community feels under seige for foolish and harmful behaviour of a minority of their group – we should collectively say a few key things to ourselves and our friends and family. I think photos of us all at the tail end of a party is enough to demonstrate that some horrid generalisations can be targeted at us.
Years ago I went to a New Years Eve party when I lived in Rome. On arrival we had tea and then a bottle of champagne was opened at midnight to bring in the new year. At that point at an Australian party half of the room would be off their faces.
How can wwe reinvent the social engagement rules. How about a walk in the park anyone?
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Mish September 21, 2012
The stigma is now there if you DON’T drink. I do not drink at all. I don’t like alcohol nor whet it does to our bodies or personalities, but I would never take away anyone’s choice to imbibe if that’s what they want to do. However I am sick to death of the comments, snide remarks and outright bullying that I receive any time I go anywhere where alcohol is served and choose not to have any, whether it be with friends, coworkers or others. The culture now is that there is something wrong with you if you don’t drink. You are boring, a wet blanket or unAustralian, depending on who you talk to. If I’m experiencing this sort of pressure in my 30s it’s any wonder teenagers are drinking like they are. Wake up Australia.
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Zann September 21, 2012
So true Mish!
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KayO'Sullivan September 21, 2012
Raising the limit is not the answer. It’s akin to prohibition.
Education is the key, as always.-
Jenna September 21, 2012
Education is good but it’s not enough… We need to market, and we need to take advice from the experts on how to do it. Coca Cola, McDonalds and various beer companies are successful – not because they use logic or common sense – but because they make their products attractive by linking it to ‘happiness’ (albeit with mega bucks in their pockets that the government doesn’t have). Trying to educate people on the logical dangers of drinking is one part of the picture but people don’t want to be logical! They want to enjoy life, or feel like they are. We need to make health a commodity – brand it like we would any of those high-selling products and link it with positive feelings and images. If we don’t… we’re destined to lose the battle.
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Zann September 21, 2012
I think we have an incredibly dumb drinking culture, however, I don’t think it is anything new. Young Australians have been binge drinking for decades.
I also find that there is pressure to drink for people of all ages. There have been times I have been out and not felt like drinking alcohol and the reaction I got was that I was being antisocial. Until these attitudes change there will always be a binge drinking culture that centres on getting inebriated rather than enjoying a pleasant drink in moderation.-
amd September 21, 2012
Absolutely right, not new behaviour in any way, has been with us for as long as humanity has been human. I don’t think it would do any harm to raise the drinking age however, it will discourage a few, and a few is better than none.
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Juliet September 21, 2012
Certainly agree with the ‘dumb drinking culture’ and feel that it is across most age groups. The mere suggestion that any gathering can be enjoyable without alcohol is anathema to many people, irrespective of age. The insidious promotion of alcohol to younger people isn’t just in the advertising, its in people saying things like ‘I’ve had a terrible day I need a drink’, ‘I had a great day, I need a drink to celebrate’. The constancy of such innocous sounding comments normalises drinking.
Of course, prohibition probably won’t work but it will take a slow change of attitudes by our generations to make alcohol not seem an essential part of life.
Just as with gambling and smoking, trying to legislate more restrictions on alcohol will get people up in arms saying their civil rights are being denied. However, fighting for the right to damage or impair one’s life seems such a strange right to fight for. Fight for the right for people to live healthier, happier lives. -
Alice September 21, 2012
Great comment Mish. I am also 30 and when I go out I only have 1 to 2 drinks or none at all. This is because I don’t mix well with alchohol – I am Asian so I get the Asian Red Flush and it is also common that alcohol causes me to faint. However, friends, co-workers and anyone I meet just think I am plain weird, boring and no fun and while they don’t necessary make comments, they do try to bully, push or coerce me to drink more. Isn’t that insane that even though it causes me physical health problems, people don’t understand. And even my husband who does understand and discourages me from drinking, he doesn’t think it is an issue that people act like that because it is just the norm. I wish people would grow up and realise that drinking is not cool. In fact, I don’t particularly enjoy talking to drunk people and dealing with them with hangovers either.
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miss milu! September 21, 2012
It is such a dumb culture. I used to have a problem with alcohol whic to otgers was perfectly ‘acceptable’. When i decided to go alcohol free for a year and a half i was amazed at how many people had an issue with it. I was stigmatised and ostricised even though i kept up all my usual social activities and nominated myself as designated driver. Its an attitude change that needs to occur. Why not have a .05 alcohol limit for anyone under 25, whether driving or not. Theres nothing wrong with a drink, but there is with being inebriated. Particularly when its a pre-cursor to violent, obnoxious and dangerous behaviour. Thats the kind of behaviour that needs to have an attitude change
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Miss white September 21, 2012
Back when I was in high school there were always a few kids whose idiotic parents allowed them to have parties where drinking to the point Of oblivion was encouraged. A large part of that group were the ‘footy’ boys, who from a young age were drinking on weekends. It’s such a stupid culture, and judging from what the young girls I work with say, drugs are more commonplace than ever, maybe even more so than alcohol. I think that the responsibility has to fall more to the parents.
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Liz September 21, 2012
I have a 43 year old boss who still thinks it’s great to go out and get inebriated on a Friday night with business colleagues. He openly boasts about it on Monday mornings. This is a seemingly intelligent man. I also have a 15 year old teenager who thinks it’s ok to go out and drink because ‘everyone does it’. I just don’t get it. Why can’t people just drink to be sociable if they have to? (not the teenager, of course)
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Kris September 21, 2012
While I agree with the sentiment, I really cannot see raising the drinking age changing anything. You will simply have greater numbers of underage drinkers. I have no idea what the answer is, but raising the legal age isn’t it. This is a problem that has been worsening for many years – hell, since I was a teenager myself 20-odd years ago. I had friends then who considered it a night wasted if they weren’t blind, fall-down drunk at the end of night.
We don’t particularly drink a whole lot in our family. As a kid, mum & dad would have the odd one or two at home on the weekend & maybe a few more at family functions, but that was about it. As adults, my sibilings & I have pretty much done the same thing.
As a mother of an 18 year old, I count myself lucky that he isn’t really all that interested in drinking. He has friends who drink simply to get drunk, but thankfully so far he has resisted the temptation to do this. One the whole, he’d rather stay sober & drive.
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George September 21, 2012
The Aussie drinking culture has been here forever. The
‘ 6 o’clock swill’ was ledgenday ,it is still here only the time has changed. It is up to Parents, to educate children and give them the confidence they don’t have to get smashed to enjoy themselves or to be accepted into a group. -
Kate . September 21, 2012
What a very sad story. I heard also that the young Melbourne AFL footballer who died in Las Vegas last week may also have been under the influence of alcohol.
Perhaps their deaths will prevent the deaths of others.
Nobody expects these consequences when they are young but probably more terrible things happen than we know.
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Char September 21, 2012
It’s a really sad story. I feel for the family. But I don’t agree raising the drinking age is the answer at all. Adult teens (and she was an adult) die swimming, driving, walking across the road, playing sport, and a lot of other ways. I would never impose a 25 drinking age on my kids. If you can go to war, vote, get a job, get a mortgage, have kids, you can drink. And you can take the consequences of all those things. Our job isn’t to be over-protective, but to let our children live their adult lives, however it falls. Sometimes people die young.
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Guntis Sics September 21, 2012
Our drinking culture has always been the same, alcohol exists separate to food, as opposed to many parts of the world where people wouldnt dream of drinking without eating.
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annabellouise September 21, 2012
Char, yes sometimes people die young, as you say by swimming, driving, walking across the road etc. But for a teenager to die from drinking too much is just an incredibly tragic prospect and simply does not compare to dying from “swimming”!!!!
Unfortunately I am one of those mothers that has been to hospital in the middle of the night more times than I care to remember to be with my 15 year old daughter who was carried there by ambulance because she was unconscious from drinking too much. The culture of drinking amongst teenage girls in particular is frightening. My daughter comes from a good family and is a clever, funny, capable and strong willed girl who has the potential to be successful at whatever she chooses to do, but has, for whatever reasons, been caught up in this drinking culture that is rampant amongst teenagers. The amount they are drinking is just as alarming as what they are drinking (usually straight spirits). If she were to die from over-consumption of alcohol, it would be such a stupid and dumb tragedy that would be too much for us to bear. I find your flippant remarks about people dying young, quite offensive. You give the impression that you think this is just the way it is and that it is ok. IT’S NOT OK. I don’t know whether the answer is to raise the drinking limit but I know that we need to do something.
For the record, I have two other teenagers, one that has experimented a little with alcohol and one that does not drink at all.
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Mark September 21, 2012
“It’s not known yet if Bonnie Whitehead’s tragic death last weekend was alcohol related”
— Perhaps you should wait and find out? -
Jenny September 21, 2012
I find it terribly sad that so many young people go out with the expressed intention of “getting hammered”, as if that is the only kind of entertainment they want. And they become embarrassing, aggressive, and think themselves to be immortal in their foolish risk-taking behaviour. I rue the day when the legal age for consuming alcohol was reduced from 21, and wish it would be put back up again. Young people have not developed the wisdom to make good decisions, and are much too influenced by the attitudes and opinions of their peer group.
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Peter Wicks September 21, 2012
I agree with most of the above comments that our drinking culture needs to change, it seems to be no longer about relaxing a being sociable as it is about getting totally smashed. maybe that is me being all old and out of touch I dunno…
However I think that it’s not appropriate to say to an 18 year old, that they are old enough to wear a uniform, carry a machine gun, and go to a foreign country like Afghanistan and witness and participate in attrocities that are beyond the average persons comprehension, however they are not responsible enough to enjoy a beer.
Maybe stronger enforcement of alcohol service laws would help, remove a few prominent licenses and watch the way kids are served change quickly….-
Benison O'Reilly September 21, 2012
Well said, Peter.
Is it worse these days? I’m not sure. I used to get wasted as a 15 year old and that was a very, very long time ago! I was also served alcohol in a pub as )admittedly mature-looking) 13 year old. I suffered no apparent ill effects, although I’m not sure about one of my friends, who I think was on the road to alcoholism by the age of 21.
At least in most venues, they are strict about serving underage drinkers these days, although teens will find a way around this of course. Definitely drugs are a bigger problem these days, however, and the combination can be especially dangerous.
I don’t think the AMA is targeting young people because they are any worse drunks than the rest of us; rather they are simply attempting to delay their entry into our culture of drinking and there are definite health benefits in that. Older drinkers can be just as stupid as the young.
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HW September 21, 2012
Well said Mark, this tragic death has sparked much discussion regarding binge drinking, but we actually don’t know yet what caused Bonnie Whitehead’s death. I grant you there are problems in our society with drinking, and there always has been. I actually think we have made great progress with decreased incidence of drink driving over the last 20 years, but binge drinking is definitely a problem in our society.
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MICK September 21, 2012
I write this while on a visit to Dublin where, I’m told, the drinking to oblivion culture is back – alive and unwell – with Emergency wards in major hospitals decked out with rooms full of mattresses on the floors for young people admitted in an inebriated state, presumably to dry out, fix their headaches and prepare for another go the next night.
The only remedy is self-regulation and that comes down to valuing some things as being more important than the tranquilizing effect of alcohol. But self-regulation comes with reflecting on experience and accepting the boundaries that will be unique to individuals. All of which implies a sense of and a valued appreciation of one’s self.
No remedy without reflectiveness, appreciation of one’s own worth and sel-imposed limits, i.e. becoming an adult.
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Noogi September 22, 2012
First:
“The tragic news this week that a 19 year-old University student on the Gold Coast died after a University pub crawl comes on the back of strident calls from the Australian Medical Association for raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 25.”
And then:
“It’s not known yet if Bonnie Whitehead’s tragic death last weekend was alcohol related ”
… and with that you lost all credibility. For all we know at this point, she had a pre-existing condition of some sort. But sure, use her death as a point in a drinking debate, why not.
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Katherine Barden September 22, 2012
Unfortunately the drinking until “blind” culture is considered cool…there are some countries for eg. Greece where being “blind” in public is considered uneducated & uncouth in fact pitied….they enjoy a glass or 2 with food & converse with each other thereafter…could it be that our culture lacks the social skills to interact with each other without alcohol? In particular women who are so plastered they can’t stand up straight (tragic) …try this ladies…when you’re next out….throw on a pretty dress stay sober then watch the men line up….channel Sofia Loren instead of Paris Hilton…
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Jaymee Mak September 23, 2012
As a Bond University student, I feel it would have been wise for you (the writer) to have waited for the Coroner’s report to come out before using a young girl’s death to fuel your agenda.
A small point, but many of the media reports about Bonnie’s death stemmed from an inaccurate report by the Gold Coast Bulletin, whose main source was a girl by the name of ‘Karlina Bupple’, a falsified name.
Bonnie was an incredibly intelligent and stable girl.
I understand your intentions for the wider community are good, but in doing so, please minimize the damage to her reputation.
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ellenni September 23, 2012
when your 16 year old is invited to a party and she comes home and tells you there was alcohol and that the parents who threw the party for their daughter supplied it what can you do. my granddaughter didnt drink because she knows her parents would ground her. you cant blame the kids if their parents have not laid the ground rules. education begins in the home and if your children see you getting drunk they think its ok for them.
PARENTS WAKE UP – YOU MADE THEM YOU FIX THEM. -
mr ed September 23, 2012
Goyte is a new generation of rockstar that may change things!!
Get trashed but do it responsibly
Australians act like idiots and the world laughs at us all!!
Many others way to have heaps of fun!!
I envisage rape cases at University as well
Its only time when ît gets really extreme!!
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mr ed September 23, 2012
Wanker=Booze
IDIOT
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liza September 24, 2012
It is very similar in the U.K. I believe that the first fleeters were paid with RUM and the Rum Corps ran government.
The Liquor Industry fights tooth and nail for relaxed laws and when WOOLIES own so many jobs Governments will KOW TOW to their very nasty demands.
Pokies.Liquor. and jobs……..TRICKY ! -
liza September 24, 2012
many young people are not happy in their own skins. We have such a culture of pretence. Young people try too hard to please their peers and the effort requires that they “Lose themselves” Recording the kids is an excellent method of bringing reality back to how they actually appeared.
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sam2 September 24, 2012
as a typical 26-year-old male, my perception on drinking has certainly changed on what is now acceptable and what isn’t. I’m much more aware aware of my limits than I was five to seven years ago. Time and experience really are, great teachers.
I’ve had my moments, fortunate experiences you could say, which could have quite easily had disastrous consequences. It’s only through sheer luck most them didn’t. And it seems this poor girl ended up with the rough end of the stick. Some make it, others don’t. just a bloody lottery. always has been and probably always will be. -
mary September 24, 2012
Drink to socialise
or
socialise to drink??
Thats the question to be asked??
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Stephanie Dowrick September 25, 2012
Spoke about this topic last night (24 Sept) on Tony Delroy’s Nightlife. Also feel so strongly how much harm is caused by the culture that encourages dangerous levels of drinking – and discourages people trying to drink less. Their choice is often trvialised or pilloried. Also wrote about this in EVERYDAY KINDNESS. How can we harm ourselves with “many too many”…and think it’s a pleasure?
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Nat September 25, 2012
Not too much to add, but our culture and that of the British doesn’t make sense. Way back in the late 90′s my mum was the main contact for exchange students at her school. They repeatedly came to ask her to explain why the students wanted to get wasted! It was just so unexplainable and they just didn’t understand, just they would drink, often with their family but to drink only to get wiped out made no sense.
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Laura September 25, 2012
I understand that this issue is something that needs to be talked about, but using this beautiful girl’s tragic death is the wrong way to do so. I knew Bonnie personally, and she was one of the most wonderful people who was intelligent, generous and most of all, had good sense. As you say in your article the cause of death has still not been released, so to associate her death with the negative connotations of alcohol is disrespectful to her memory, family and friends. We all knew that she was more than that. The timing of her untimely death was, I believe, an unfortunate coincidence, and I will continue in that belief until proved wrong. She was not a person who would drink herself to death, she was incredible and she is sorely missed.
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David November 13, 2012
Cannot believe you have still got this story on your website and haven’t removed it. Pretty ordinary.
“The press did not report the fact that when she got back to her unit the night before, her flat mate was there, she cleaned her teeth, took her makeup off, had a very rational, normal conversation and went to bed,” he said.
“That is hardly consistent with the press image of a girl not in control of her faculties.
“Do some maths: she left at 4.30 on a bus, she was back on campus by 8pm on a bus. When you add in the travel time, the amount of time she would have actually been in a licensed premise is pretty narrow. “She left the student bar somewhere about 9pm of her own accord, saying she was tired.
