Probing Questions, Hard Answers Alcoholism and Addiction

“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?” (Proverbs 23:29-35, NKJV). “Wine is a mocker, Intoxicating drink arouses brawling, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1).

The writer of Proverbs had strong warnings about consumption of alcoholic beverages. Knowing that the choice to take wine and strong drink could lead to addiction, and to multiple problems both personally and socially, the sage gave advice to flee this pitfall of human choice as though it was a viper lying in wait to attack and spread its poison.

For many years now alcoholism has been termed a “disease.” This disease, “destructive and insidious”, so the experts say, is marked by a craving for alcohol which leads to a physical dependence on it, and a loss of personal control of faculties. It has been proven that repeated and long-term use of alcohol leads to pancreatitis, increase of some cancers, immune system damage, brain damage, harm to the fetus during pregnancy, and cirrhosis of the liver, to name a few of the adverse causes of alcoholism. Beyond the damages to the human body of those who consume alcohol, add to the woes the alcohol-caused accidents on the highways, the murders, suicides, robberies, family abuses, destitution of children from abusive alcoholic parents, and more, and we begin to see the morass of ills caused by alcohol abuse. In the U. S. alone, more than 9.8 million men are alcohol-dependent, and more than 3.9 million women likewise are dependent. More than 7% of the US population 18 years and older, or 8.1 million, have been declared alcoholics. Compound these figures by the numbers since these statistics became available in 2008, and the numbers grow alarmingly, almost daily. The availability of alcohol to the general public, including minors, leads to alarming rates of alcoholism.

Although alcoholism is termed a disease by our National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), I have long held that, if it is a disease, it began first with a personal choice. All alcoholics made that first choice to take a drink. Maybe these persons had not read the warnings given in Proverbs 23:29-35. Perhaps at an early age, especially in the vulnerable teen-age years, they had not read the probing questions and hard answers the writer of Proverbs put forth about where drinking alcohol could lead. Perhaps they had not been taught how subtly and slyly it takes hold of faculties and leads to aberrant behavior and actions.

In my lifetime as a minister’s wife in the churches and communities my husband served, I have seen far too much suffering, neglect, abuse and sorrow stemming from an alcoholic member of the family (father or mother, or children). Yes, and even in my career as a teacher in high school, I have observed the fallacy of wrong choice to take that first drink and how it was too prevalent among many teens. You’re right if you think I did a lot of counseling against that “first time” taste that could lead to destruction.

The remedy to alcoholism, or even moderate use? Just say “No!” and mean it. Think of the better causes the cost of wine and alcohol could foster. And these would pose far less danger to the body, mind and spirit, and at the same time be a help to others rather than a damage to self and others, as would alcohol consumption. If your temptation is alcohol in any form, maybe it is time you consider seriously where it might lead.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Saturday, July 24, 2010

On Abstinence, Counsel, Integrity and Age

“Wine is a mocker, intoxicating drink arouses brawling, And whosoever is led astray by it is not wise. Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, But a man of understanding will draw it out. The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him. The glory of young men is their strength, And the splendor of old men is their gray beard.” (Proverbs 20:1, 5, 7, 19, NKJV).

Abstinence is clearly taught in the Bible, as noted by Proverbs 20:1. Paul, living in a day when pure drinking water was at a premium, wrote: “use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities" (I Timothy 5:23). Addiction can slip up subtly. “A little wine” or “a little beer” can cause a person to develop a taste, and then a craving and soon a habit is formed. Another aspect of abstinence is the money it saves. Unfortunately, many babies and children are made to go hungry because a father or mother is addicted. To improve family—and personal—relationships, the way to go is complete abstinence. Then there will be no danger of addiction and the multiple problems it produces.

In our day, we hear much about the need for counseling. There are counselors for weight control, family relationships, addictions, job adjustments, pastoral counseling, financial problems—the list of available counseling is long. I like the way Eugene Peterson translates Proverbs 20:5: “Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within.” It is true that sometimes a person needs counseling of one type or another from an outside agency. Depression is a real enemy to persons in our fast-paced society. But if we can form our own system of right and wrong, and determine “the deep water within the heart” and what it needs to be set right, then we can draw from the well of our own resources. Self-help, if one can give it, is quicker than sought help. And standing ready to listen is God of the Ready Ear. He is our ultimate Counselor and Guide.

Integrity is so necessary to good living. The Message Bible renders verse 7 thus: “God-loyal people, living honest lives, make it much easier for their children.” I’ve just enjoyed a large family reunion. At each we are reminded of the legacy we have received from ancestors who worked hard, loved liberty, honored family, obeyed our nation’s laws, and sought to give us a goodly inheritance. Integrity shines forth from their example and it is a characteristic we want to emulate. Remembering them, we can seek to endow this generation with strength, and to honor those who are aged among us, with their “gray beard” and gray hair. From abstinence through good counsel, integrity and age, all can be guided by the Lord and be blessings from Him.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Tuesday, July 20, 2010