Rite and Reason: On one day last month, there were reports in one newspaper of how a teenager was drinking bottles of vodka daily; how a woman whose inquest heard she had poisoned herself on an alcohol binge and how young children were left in the corners of a pub while adults used a christening as another excuse for heavy drinking. Lent is a time to change our attitude to alcohol, suggests Bishop Eamonn Walsh.
Extreme examples tend to make us complacent and think "at least I am not that bad". However, when we examine the categories of drinking and their descriptions they should prompt us to reflect further.
For example - hazardous drinking is drinking that is likely in the future to cause harm to myself psychologically and physically and to put others at risk; harmful drinking is when I am currently doing harm to myself or others and may not be aware of it; dependent drinking is where it is causing ongoing problems and where I continue to drink despite the problems.
Are any of these categories close to where I am? Do I reach the binge-drinking benchmark of over 14 standard drinks per week for women or 21 for men? Am I a casual drinker or teetotaller? We are all in there somewhere.
Balance, moderation, is the key to healthy living and enjoyment. For some, total abstinence is the only safe option. Others, such as the Pioneers choose total abstinence for noble spiritual motives. Many choose the season of Lent - tomorrow until March 22nd - as a time to fast either totally or partially from alcohol. It is to this group that I would like to issue a challenge to abstain or cut back significantly by one-third, or more during Lent. There is strength in numbers, so a group may decide to undertake the challenge. The first step would involve an honest audit of the last month's drinking and the second step is to decide to support one another in either abstaining fully or partially for a minimum period of four weeks or for all of Lent. The Pioneer Association has a special Lenten Temporary Pledge.
To maintain the balance in society's approach to alcohol there needs to be responsible controls placed on the sale, promotion and advertising of alcohol.Over recent years the sale of alcohol has moved from the back of the supermarket almost to the checkout. It has gained parity with the chocolates at the petrol stations and faces us at most checkouts.
The recent establishment of the Government Alcohol Advisory Group is to be welcomed. Regrettably, the advertising of alcohol and sponsorship of sporting events by the drinks industry, were not revisited and included in their terms of reference.To bring about an attitudinal change towards moderation in the use of alcohol will require the efforts and goodwill of individual age groups in society and our legislators. To this end the Irish Bishops' Conference published Alcohol: The Challenge of Moderation and a DVD version for young people, Finding the Balance: Dare to Dream. They are available free via www.catholiccommunications.ie
Bishop Eamonn Walsh is Auxuiliary Bishop of Dublin and vice-chairman, bishops' drugs and alcohol initiative