Giving away the grog: an ethnography of Aboriginal drinkers who quit without help

The paper presents preliminary findings from a qualitative study of Australian Aboriginal men who have stopped drinking without the assistance of residential treatment, counselling or other programs. Main reasons advanced by interviewees for ceasing drinking were one or more of: medical condition and/or doctor's warning; family factors; trauma from accidents; conversion to Christianity. The author concludes that employment both helps and hinders abstention from drinking, and that social ties often pose major difficulties for those trying to give up drinking. The paper also discusses the importance of Aboriginal beliefs regarding personal autonomy.