Articles
Alcohol: A Blight on Our Society
The data is dismal (2014 statistics from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Target group: Americans 18+ years old.):
*71% drank in the past year; 57% in the past month.
*25% engaged in binge drinking in the past month.
*16.3 million had an AUD (alcohol use disorder): 10 million men; 6 million women.
*88,000 people (62,000 men/26,000 women) will die from alcohol-related causes annually, making it the fourth leading preventable cause of death.
*Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 10,000 deaths (31% of all automobile deaths).
*Alcohol contributes to over 200 diseases and injury-related health conditions, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers, and injuries. In 2012, 5.1% of the burden of disease and injury worldwide … was attributable to alcohol consumption.
On and on it goes … and yet the drinking of alcohol continues to enjoy the aura of desirability and is marketed as the perfect accompaniment to family outings, sporting events, weekend recreation, business parties, presidential state dinners, or a relaxing evening after a hectic workday. Drinking hard liquor epitomizes sophistication, success and wealth. In casual conversation people boast of their drinking habits as a plea for acceptance.
I’ve never understood why people thought it was so great to get drunk, given the lack of self-control, danger, vulnerability and hangover that accompanies it. But I’ve come to realize that I’ve been looking at drinking the wrong way. Consider this observation:
“AA asks alcoholics to search for the rewards they get from alcohol. What cravings … are driving your habit loop? Often, intoxication itself doesn’t make the list. Alcoholics crave a drink because it offers escape, relaxation, companionship, the blunting of anxieties, and an opportunity for emotional release. They might crave a cocktail to forget their worries. But they don’t necessarily crave feeling drunk. The physical effects of alcohol are often one of the least rewarding parts of drinking for addicts” (The Power of Habit 71).
Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. There has to be a powerful reason why people risk so much to poison their bodies, jeopardize their health, endanger others – all at great expense. In a word, the reason is “cope.”
People feel inadequate, insecure, lonely and stressed. And they want confidence, safety, companionship and peace. Cue the devil who whispers: “I’ll give you all these: just drink this.”
These human needs are not wrong, but God tells us how to legitimately satisfy them. The catch: there is no shortcut. First, our deepest needs are supplied by a sincere, vibrant relationship with God. Reconciliation with our Creator brings a powerful sense of well-being, inner peace, strength of will, etc. But beyond this, we have the companionship, counsel, comfort and courage that comes from relationships with other like-minded souls. What the world seeks in alcohol Christians already have in each other and the gospel. Of all people, we ought to have no craving for a substance that has so terribly blighted this world from time immemorial. Let’s be smarter than the devil.
