There’s no doubt being an Antarctic explorer has to be one of the toughest jobs going – and it’s about to get tougher.
The Australian Government has just tightened the alcohol rules at its stations – including cutting the amount of beer, wine and spirits that workers can take on their expedition by around half and banning home brewing.
There’s a good reason for it – the Australian Antarctic Division has found there is a need to improve health and safety and make life safer for women on the icy continent.
Under the new drug and alcohol policy, which is based on Government health guidelines, expeditioners will be able to consumer no more than 10 standard drinks a week – or seven cans of beer per week, 1.5 bottles of wine or champagne per week, or one half bottle of spirits per week.
AAD director Kim Ellis said the new policy was in line with practices by other Antarctic nations.
“This is not prohibition, it just finds a middle ground,” Mr Ellis told The Australian.
He pointed out: “If you walk out of the accommodation module because you’re blind drunk, into the snow, we may never find you again.”
Mr Ellis said he understood the home brew ban would be hard for those who enjoyed making their own grog.
“There’s a small core of people who love to brew it and it’s a craft. There’s also a small group of people who just like to drink it and sit at the bar waiting for it,” he stated.
“The real problem for us is that we can’t control the alcohol content. We can’t control the hygiene of it. And we also don’t know the volume produced.”
So, what will the crews do without their brew? Find an alternative, with Mr Ellis flagging a shift to the cafés that nearby Italian Antarctic stations have.
Looks like Melbourne’s coffee culture is going south then.
