The headline above may be misleading as it makes it sound as though Australia’s likely next Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, has a drinking problem. Abbott is in fact a Speedo-wearing marathon cyclist. However, he comes from the electorate with the nation's heaviest drinkers.
Can you believe that the upper middle-class electorate on the north shore of Sydney is the nation's unhealthiest when it comes to alcohol consumption. As reported in www.heraldsun.com.au.
One in four of the voters in consume over two alcoholic drinks a day and one in 10 guzzle more than four drinks.
This level is 75% above the Australian norm. Colleagues of mine in Australia claim that alcoholism is rampant, with much of it done behind closed doors which may actually skew these statistics.
My question is, where in the Western World is alcohol consumption under control? Abbott does know the need for alcohol classes with so many of his constituents being heavy drinkers, however, drinking more than the recommended amount is a world-wide problem.
Middle class drinking is a major issue in the United and Europe too. Do you know someone who drinks too much? The odds are you probably do. I would bet Tony Abbott knows a few people who could benefit from taking a simple 8 hour alcohol awareness class.