Synopses & Reviews
Booze dominated Jill Starks social life from her first sip of beer at 13 through the age of 35, when, after a hangover, she made the decision to give up alcohol. This lively memoir charts Jill's tumultuous year on the wagon as she copes with the stress of the newsroom sober, tackles the dating scene on soda water, learns to watch football without beer, and deals with censure from friends and colleagues. In reexamining her habits, she also explores Australia's history of and love affair with alcohol: meeting teens who drink to fit in, beer-sellers in a sporting culture backed by booze, and marketing bigwigs blamed for turning binge drinking into a way of life. This is a funny, moving, and insightful exploration of why and how Australians drink and what happens when they quit.
Review
"We all have something to gain from reading this book . . . Jill describes this year where her 'outer and inner worlds' collide in intimate detail, with total honesty and with courage." —John Rogerson, CEO, Australian Drug Foundation
Review
"A beautifully written book, immensely readable from start to finish, as profound as it is honest. Jill Stark spares nobody, least of all herself, as she weaves an account of her journeys with and from alcohol into discussion of broader issues around the role of alcohol in our society. While a deeply personal story, the lessons for society and decision-makers are there for all to see. . . . This should be on any reading lists for health professionals and students: it will teach them more than any number of textbooks." —Mike Daube, director, McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth
Synopsis
'I'm the binge-drinking health reporter. During the week, I write about Australia's booze-soaked culture. At the weekends, I write myself off.'
Booze had dominated Jill Stark's social life ever since she had her first sip of beer, at 13. She thought nothing could curb her love of big nights. And then came the hangover that changed everything. In the shadow of her 35th year, Jill made a decision: she would give up alcohol. But what would it mean to stop drinking in a world awash with booze?
This lively memoir charts Jill's tumultuous year on the wagon, as she copes with the stress of the newsroom sober, tackles the dating scene on soda water, learns to watch the footy minus beer, and deals with censure from friends and colleagues, who tell her that a year without booze is 'a year with no mates'.
In re-examining her habits, Jill also explores Australia's love affair with alcohol, meeting alcopop-swigging teens who drink to fit in, beer-swilling blokes in a sporting culture backed by booze, and marketing bigwigs blamed for turning binge drinking into a way of life. And she tracks the history of this national obsession: from the idea that Australia's new colonies were drowning in drink to the Anzac ethos that a beer builds mateship, and from the six o'clock swill that encouraged bingeing to the tangled weave of advertising, social pressure, and tradition that confronts drinkers today.
Will Jill make it through the year without booze? And if she does, will she go back to her old habits, or has she called last drinks? This is a funny, moving, and insightful exploration of why we drink, how we got here, and what happens when we turn off the tap.
About the Author
Jill Stark is a senior writer at the Sunday Age and the two-time recipient of the National Drug and Alcohol Award for excellence in media reporting. She is the author of the Alcohol Timebomb series, which investigated Australias binge drinking problem.