Today is Saturday.

Melbourne, Australia today is expecting a top temperature of 30 degrees Celsius (approximately 90 degrees Fahrenheit). Hot thirsty weather!

We are right in the middle of the very popular Melbourne Spring racing Carnival and that means lots of people going to the feature race-track of the day. Tens of thousands of people. Today it's at Moonee Valley racecourse and the expected crowd will top thirty-five thousand.

Last Saturday the big meeting was at Caulfied Racecourse for the running of the 2008 Caulfied Cup. A huge day for thoroughbred racing in Australia and a big day out, once again for the masses. Unfortunately the Caulfied Cup race day made the Monday morning newspaper headlines for reasons that had nothing to do with the horses, jockeys or prize money won on the day.

Star Attractions Unfortunately, alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour ended up being the 'star attractions' of the day for some. Despite the hosting club, Melbourne Racing Club implementing a comprehensive Liquor Management strategy there were still numbers of people for whom their day, and that of those around them was ruined because of alcohol.

People were arrested on the day, some others ejected while others were treated at the venue for the effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

Click this link to view the Melbourne Racing Club's Liquor Management document. I encourage you to take a look at it because it shows the lengths that some event organizers are going to today in an attempt to maximise the safe and responsible enjoyment of alcohol while also attempting to minimize alcohol-related problems.

Here's The Thing I believe the reality is that we will always have people who will drink too much and behave in ways they wouldn't normally do. I've been one of them. But that does not make alcohol the enemy. Nor is the person who drinks alcohol the enemy. The enemy is the unpredictable behaviour than can occur from risky and unrestrained drinking.

We as a community must continue to promote the message of self-responsibility and for the safe enjoyment of alcohol in the belief that we can contain and reduce those numbers of cases where the outcomes of alcohol fuelled behaviour causes pain, misery and even loss of life.

I will be reading next Monday morning's newspaper in hope. I am hoping not to be reading yet another report of some one's life being changed forever because of alcohol induced behaviour.

Michael Searles

email: michael AT talkingsober.com

www.TalkingSober.com

Alcohol Problems and Solutions