The bar is open

Welcome to Drink Tank, a new conversation space for debating issues about alcohol and the use and misuse of alcoholic products in contemporary Australian society.

Drink Tank is sponsored by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education. We have created this blog site as a platform to engage with people right across Australia.

All are welcome to express their opinions about prevailing issues and concerns. From professional writers to regular bloggers, photographers, members of the public the health fraternity, and anyone with a view; strong or otherwise. If you have a view you’d like to express, whether that be a written post, a video or photographic contribution, Drink Tank would love to see it.

I recently heard Chris Kennedy Lawford speak at the National Press Club about his experiences with drugs and alcohol. As he openly admits, it is a wonder he is still alive. Chris is now Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and what a terrific ambassador he is. He has great stories to tell, he tells them well, and he is utterly believable.

Kennedy Lawford is a great example of someone whose experiences and views deserve to be shared more widely. Drink Tank can play a role in promoting these important messages and leveraging such high profile identities.

By posting your material on Drink Tank you to can achieve greater exposure for your stories about alcohol. Drink Tank will then become a key platform for driving debate in the blogosphere; on Twitter, through Facebook and other social mediums.

Drink Tank won’t be taking itself too seriously: a full range of views and opinions is encouraged, from the light-hearted to the thoroughly analytical.

As FARE is sponsoring this new service, it will come as no surprise that there is an agenda of reform that underpins Drink Tank. This is not a prohibitionist agenda, neither is it an anti-industry agenda; but it is, unapologetically about shedding light on the problematic aspects of Australia’s drinking culture.

This is an exciting venture.

A number of leading Australian journalists and commentators have agreed to contribute to Drink Tank. I welcome them.

We also have regular bloggers from around the country who have shared their personal experiences and insights into what is happening at a community level. These voices are an important component of the Drink Tank community.

I am sure you share with me the view that while Australians should enjoy a drink, there are ways that as a nation, we can still raise a glass without the unwanted consequences that we are all too aware of.

Welcome. We hope you enjoy being a part of this community, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts about this issue of national importance.