Insight: June 10

Next week Stan Grant will guest host Insight, on the topic of alcoholism, with interview subjects including Senator Doug Cameron and Anthony Mundine.

Hannah, 28, drinks up to six bourbons a night. She describes herself as completely functional in her job, and as a wife and mother. Drinking is her choice and it’s under control. She doesn’t “need” to drink.

Studies suggest that 20% of Australians drink at levels that put them at risk of lifetime harm from injury or disease. So are Australians in denial about alcohol?

This week, Insight asks people why they drink – and how much is too much.

Guest host Stan Grant asks people how they maintain their jobs and relationships while drinking heavily, and hears from people who don’t believe they have a drinking problem – even though they could be medically diagnosed as alcoholics.

The program also looks at the role of advertising and finds out about a new genetic test that could identify whether or not people have a predisposition to alcoholism.

Guests include:

Hannah and Andrew Gallagher
Hannah Gallagher and her husband Andrew are a married couple who are heavy drinkers. Hannah says she drinks up to six alcoholic beverages a night, while Andrew drinks about three or four a night. They say they are completely functional – holding down professional jobs and taking care of their children. “If we don’t want to have a drink, we don’t have to,” Andrew says.

“Naomi”
“I drink each night, usually to fall asleep,” Naomi says. “Now I drink between one and two bottles of wine each night.” Naomi is about to graduate from a nursing degree and takes her medical placements very seriously yet admits that she would likely lose her job if her colleagues knew the extent of her drinking. “I worry about [that] a lot because, you know, how can you position yourself as someone to give health advice?”

Nick Talley
Dr Nick Talley is the president of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and is a gastroenterologist. He says he’s no wowser but believes we need to change our attitude to alcohol, as one in five people drink excessively. In particular he is strongly opposed to alcohol advertising. “Look at the State of Origin game recently…national time, way before 8.30, there’s alcohol on the football players, there’s alcohol on the stands.”

Doug Cameron
Federal Labor Senator Doug Cameron hasn’t had a drink for 35 years but refers to himself as a functional alcoholic. “If I lifted one drink, I couldn’t even stop at eight. I’d just drink until I was drunk.” He says the alcohol industry has enormous influence and needs to take more responsibility for the outcomes of alcohol use and abuse. He also backs the Australian Medical Association’s call for a national summit on alcohol.

Paul Evans
Paul Evans is the Chief Executive of the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia. He says there has to be a balance between government policy and people being responsible for their own actions. In response to calls for extra taxes on alcohol, he tells Insight’s audience: “let’s not make a suggestion that we’re not already highly taxed, particularly wine, when we compare it to the countries we compete against on the global stage”.

John Scott
John Scott is the Chief Executive Officer of DrinkWise, which receives funding from the alcohol industry and aims to promote safer drinking culture. John says Drinkwise’s How to Drink Properly online video campaign is targeted at young people “in their own language”. “The industry is absolutely committed to try and change the binge drinking culture amongst 18 to 24 year olds,” he says.

Anthony Mundine
Boxing champion and former rugby league star Anthony Mundine says he has never touched alcohol. He believes alcohol advertising is not just pervasive but “reckless”. For the past year he has mentored his cousin the rugby league player Blake Ferguson, following Blake’s public problems with alcohol.

Tuesday at 8.30pm on SBS ONE.