ABSTRACT
Given the subtraction of money that I have advocated, many Mornington Islanders would be forced to drink a great deal less, but that is another matter. There has been a long tradition in Australia of ‘drying out’ centres for alcohol abuse. A few Mornington Islanders have gone to such centres. I do not know of any successful cases, but then much depends on what is meant by successful. In a sense even going to a rehabilitation centre is a success and so is every day of abstinence. In one case a man went twice but on the second occasion he began drinking only 6 weeks after his return. Alas, he is now paralysed and is permanently in a wheelchair in the Townsville hospital. It is of little use for people to go to the centre alone because while they get support there they receive little support on their return. Their mates are keen for them to rejoin them at the canteen and from what I observed drinkers practically cheer when someone falls off the wagon or when somebody drinks for the first time. The best policy would be to have several people visit the centre at the same time because then they can support each other at the centre and, more importantly, when they return to Mornington Island. It would also help if they obtained employment outside of Mornington, at least for a while.
