Booze Territory

On a Tuesday morning, I make my way to the Gap View Hotel for a drinking session starting at 10 a.m. Im told this is one of Alice Springs three notorious animal bars ... As I wander around, a Sudanese security guard approaches me, his face concerned. Am I lost? he wants to know. In a way, I am. I dont want a beer. Its 10 a.m., for Chrissake.In Booze Territory, Anna Krien takes a clear-eyed look at Indigenous binge-drinking who does it, why, and what it means. She visits bars brimming with morning drinkers and investigates alcoholic after-effects ranging from extreme violence to extraordinarily high rates of cirrhosis of the liver. This is an essay which never fails to see the human dimension of an intractable problem and shine a light on its deep causes.