Wasted

Now sober for almost five years, Brian sees himself out of synch with much of Irish society and finds Ireland an uncomfortable place in which to live. He explores both his and Ireland's fondness for the jar, by hanging out with daytime drinkers in a rural bar, getting the thoughts of boozy teenagers and hearing from those at the frontline of Ireland's drink culture. Not afraid to poke fun at himself, our now sober thirty-something finds time to visit the Guinness Brewery, talk to government, and see how other European countries are coping with their drinking cultures. Along the way he chats with personalities who have had their own issues with alcohol, from ex-hurler John Leahy to comedian Des Bishop and actor Niall Toibin, to compare notes on a society on a seemingly endless bender. It's a tale of ridicule and rehab, of insight and denial, casting a sober eye on contemporary Irish society and its liquid leanings. Think McCarthy's Bar without the bar.