Booze Territory

Second-Hand

As New Condition

Short Black 6 - Short Blacks are gems of recent Australian writing – brisk reads that quicken the pulse and stimulate the mind.

In Booze Territory, Anna Krien takes a clear-eyed look at Indigenous binge-drinking - who does it, why, and what it means. She visits bars brimming with morning drinkers and investigates alcoholic after-effects ranging from extreme violence to extraordinarily high rates of cirrhosis of the liver. 

'On a Tuesday morning, I make my way to the Gap View Hotel for a drinking session starting at 10 a.m. I'm told this is one of Alice Springs' three notorious 'animal bars' . . . As I wander around, a Sudanese security guard approaches me, his face concerned. Am I lost? he wants to know. In a way, I am. I don't want a beer. It's 10 a.m., for Chrissake.'

This is an essay that never fails to see the human dimension of an intractable problem and shine a light on its deep causes.

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