I realize the debate over the legal age of liquor consumption is not all about responsible driving, however the liquor industry does tackle the driving while under the influence issue head on in their marketing campaigns.  In light of the drinking age debate press release today I was drawn to look up some responsible driving campaign ads from varying liquor companies.  There are tons of commercials out there and almost every spirits ad spot ends with “please drink responsibly” or some variation of this phrase.  We all hear it.  We all know it.  Now watch.

One ad is below the others may be found under “Responsible Drinking & Driving” in the Video pages section.  Enjoy and “Please Drink Responsibly”.

Attending the AFL Grand Final, Spring Racing carnival, night clubs and pubs around the country or many suburban backyards it is evident that alcohol is a large part of Australian culture and celebration. Yes, alcohol can be a problem. It can be dangerous, unhealthy and lead to anti-social behaviour. However, it is not the "epidemic" that the Labor government is spending millions of dollars to combat.

Alcohol has forever been embedded in many cultures. In Australia especially alcohol has been, largely due to advertising and sponsorship, associated with sport for as long as one can remember. A book about wine I read recently was published in 1982. It states that "perhaps a party starts with a few beers at the pub, progresses to a glass of champagne, then a bottle of white wine and finishes with a bottle of red." If party goers were to drink like this in 2008 Kevin Rudd would label us "binge drinkers".

The term "binge drinking" is fundamentally flawed now it has been re-evaluated by the Labor government to mean 3 glasses of wine or four pots of beer or more.  As a standard bottle of wine contains roughly 6 glasses it means that many couples who enjoy wining and dining are actually "bing drinking" each time they share a bottle of wine over a meal. Furthermore, these extremist definitions of binge drinking are being completely ignored by the larger community as they are deemed unrealistic. I have overheard numerous jokes being made as people reach their fifth beers as they unwind at Friday night drinks.

The alco-pop tax is another measure to combat binge drinking that the government implemented. In response to Geoff Munro, director of the Community Alcohol Action Network's 1st July report on crikey.com, it is riduculous to say that alco-pop taxes are justified or even successful. As media reports have shown, this tax was not only ineffective but it resulted in an increased consumption of alcohol in the form of straight spirits. In April, 30% less alco-pops were sold. However, an extra 266,000 litres of alcohol were sold in the form of full strength spirits. Now, us cash strapped young women who enjoyed a cruiser or two (not all of us are always binge drinkers Mr. Rudd) not only have to contend with soaring petrol prices, interest rate rises and inflation in rent due to the housing crisis but we are forced to pay 70% more for our alcohol that only the minority of people abused in the first place.

The solution is not to target the majority of responsible drinkers. We should not all have to pay more for our alcohol. Nor should we be labelled binge drinkers. Four beers will not make someone act dangerously, violently or anti socially. It is the culture of drinking to excess, until passing out or throwing up that is a problem. It is these few people that the government needs to look towards in finding solutions.

Alcohol consumption is a deeply imbedded cultural habit that taxes will not fix. Spending the proposed $20 million on advertising is not going to help either. Who knows about the $53 million program aimed at sports clubs and societies. What is evident is that it takes individual self control to limit drinking. There is no easy or quick solution. Until individual Australians can change their 'drinking to get drunk' attitude and teach their children about responsible drinking, nothing will drastically change. In the meantime, many of us will continue to enjoy our fourth glass of wine or fifth beer. Whoops. I guess I'm a "binge drinker".

Upon stopping at the store I had some trouble finding the Rum Drinks section, but after a few minutes of browsing I found it shining in all its glory.

The first rum I looked at was Captain Morgan Black Label Origional Rum, seeing it was going to be a long night and I didn't fancy a killer headache the next morning, I continued browsing hoping to find a lighter shade of rum. (Also I didn't want to scare my friends off with the strong rich flavour of the darker rums, best to ease them in!)

As I moved along the shelf I came accross a fancy looking bottle with a pirate (not unlike captain Jack Sparrow of Black Pearl fame - who I find absolutely hilarious I might add - "why the rum?").

This looked like a good one and after reading that Captain Henry Morgan was "possessed with great charm" winning him "respect of noblemen and the loyalty of his crew"... I felt sure I would be the most popular guy at the party!

So anyway, I like my Rum Drinks to be mixed with dry ginger ale and fresh lime, due to the fact that limes are quite expensive at the moment and that parties are for catching up with old friends not spending half the night slicing and squeezing limes for my drink, I grabbed a squeezy bottle of lime juice (insert screams of horror here – I hear you folks!).

Next on the agenda was a big bag of party ice (more screams...) and a bottle of Diet Dry Ginger Ale - it tastes the same as regular ginger ale and you consume less calories so you can drink more*, its a win win situation!

I set sail to the party which started at 4. I shared my Captain Henry around with a few guys, introducing them to the wonders of rum, which they we very grateful of. However it seemed I was the only one drinking more than a couple of glasses of Henry's brew and by 2am supplies were getting a little low and my concern for my wellbeing in the morning was growing!

Time to pull the pin then, and hop into my makeshift sofa fold out couch for the night (I highly advise pre-arranging this before a big night of sampling fine rums) and off to la la land I went.

9am I woke after a good nights sleep and braced myself for the inevitable onslaught of head thumping…and to my surprise - no headache! It must have been all those secret Jamaican herbs and spices that they add to the rum, and their secret healing qualities!

After bacon and eggs breakfast and a nice cup of coffee, I set off for home happy that the night I shared my Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold with my friends really was gold!

My Rating of Captain Henry Morgan's Original Spiced Gold: 4 barrels!

* Dry Ginger folks not rum! I don't recommend or encourage binge drinking.