The " binge drinking " fiasco.

The so-called " experts " have decreed that anyone who drinks four middies of beer at a single session is a binge drinker !

The only problem with such nonsense is that the average person knows differently - and will simply cease reading and turn off at such a glaring inaccuracy.

Public definition of binge drinking varies. To the anti grog mob Aunt Aggie's once-a-year small glass of sherry with Christmas dinner is binge drinking. To others, binge drinking is when the drinker is near paralytic drunk - and only ceases drinking when either the supply is exhausted - or he or she collapses in a stupor.

Four middies of beer does not induce that latter definition. In fact many people would be quite capable of consuming four middies and then legally drive a motor vehicle.

The effect of alcohol varies. It can depend on the drinker's build - whether or not it is taken on an empty stomach - and the length of time over which it is consumed.

The danger with this dogmatic definition is that it will contribute to the public uncertainty concerning alcohol. On one hand we have medical experts who claim that a few glasses of red wine will guard against heart attacks. Others claim alcohol should be avoided entirely and blame it for a litany of medical problems.

We have just had the Federal government's knee jerk reaction to under age drinking. Alco-Pops got hit with a huge tax increase - which poured millions of extra dollars into the government's coffers.

The teenagers certainly stopped drinking Alco-Pops, but instead they substituted it for hard liquor and created their own mix - which usually had a much higher alcohol content than the 5% Alco-Pops.

So - nothing really changed. Nor is it likely to. We need to look back into our own history. Teenage drinking has always been a rite of passage and every generation has instances where it proved fatal for some.

But the greater majority eventually pass that rebellious stage in their lives, settle down and become the moderate drinking citizens that inhabit suburbia.

People like you and me !