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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'A roaring, two-fisted exorcism of the demon drink, a demon inside us all.'
John Birmingham
'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.' (Publisher's blurb)
'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.' (Publisher's blurb)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Not Drinking to My Health
2018
single work
essay
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2018; -
Hitching the Wagon
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 9 March 2013; (p. 25)
— Review of High Sobriety : My Year Without Booze 2013 single work autobiography -
Frank Memoir Explores the Cost of Our Drinking Culture
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 2-3 March 2013; (p. 20)
— Review of High Sobriety : My Year Without Booze 2013 single work autobiography -
One Woman's Year on the Dry
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 2-3 March 2013; (p. 29) The Age , 2 March 2013; (p. 28)
— Review of High Sobriety : My Year Without Booze 2013 single work autobiography -
Untitled
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier Mail , 2-3 March 2013; (p. 23)
— Review of High Sobriety : My Year Without Booze 2013 single work autobiography
-
Untitled
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , Summer 2012/13 vol. 92 no. 3 2012; (p. 29)
— Review of High Sobriety : My Year Without Booze 2013 single work autobiography -
Untitled
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 16 February 2013; (p. 30)
— Review of High Sobriety : My Year Without Booze 2013 single work autobiography -
Untitled
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier Mail , 2-3 March 2013; (p. 23)
— Review of High Sobriety : My Year Without Booze 2013 single work autobiography -
One Woman's Year on the Dry
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 2-3 March 2013; (p. 29) The Age , 2 March 2013; (p. 28)
— Review of High Sobriety : My Year Without Booze 2013 single work autobiography -
Frank Memoir Explores the Cost of Our Drinking Culture
2013
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 2-3 March 2013; (p. 20)
— Review of High Sobriety : My Year Without Booze 2013 single work autobiography -
The Stark Contrast of Sobriety
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 17 February 2013; -
form
y
The Book Club [May 2013]
Sydney
:
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
,
2013
15254788
2013
film/TV
Host Jennifer Byrne joins regular panelists Marieke Hardy and Jason Steger, and guests Paul Dempsey and Cate Kennedy to discuss and review the international classic Infinite Jest and Australian novel, High Sobriety by Jill Stark.
-
Not Drinking to My Health
2018
single work
essay
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2018;
Awards
- 2014 shortlisted Kibble Literary Awards — Nita May Dobbie Award
- 2013 longlisted Walkley Award
Last amended 12 Oct 2022 12:22:22
Subjects:
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cAustralia,c
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cScotland,ccUnited Kingdom (UK),cWestern Europe, Europe,
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