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Temperance Sunday

Temperance Sunday

Introduction:

Fr Theobald Mathew (1790-1856), led a movement which began in 1838 with the establishment of the total abstinence society which relied on one enduring act of will to keep a person sober for life which was called The Pledge. Father Mathew did not believe in gradual approaches or temporary commitments.

He advocated a promise that meant complete commitment. It could be made by anybody, either with or without an alcohol problem. The Capuchin community recognises that advocating complete abstinence in today’s world is aspirational but we are nevertheless committed to promoting abstinence together with policies and actions that will have an impact on alcohol related harm. We know sadly from the Slan 2007 survey that the proportion of non-drinkers (19%) is lower in Ireland than the European average of 25%.

Lent is a period each year 40 days prior to the most important Christian festival of Easter which is considered as a period of reflection on one’s life and habits. This is a similar time to other religions such as the Muslim Ramadan. There is an encouragement to reduce or deny oneself some items or to change behaviours during this period.

We have been somewhat overwhelmed this year with bad news about the economy and our national finances, we have experienced a loss of trust in many national institutions including that of the church. In many ways we may feel saturated by all the bad news including internationally such as the earthquake in Haiti.

It is hard to speak about our national problems with alcohol without weary sighs and a switch off from further bad news.

However, we continue to have the visible and less visible consequences of excessive drinking which at this time every year we are called to reflect on.

Some figures that may be of interest to you:

Patterns of Drinking: based on Slan 2007 survey

A higher proportion of women in Ireland drink when compared with other European countries (77% compared with 68%).

One-quarter (24%) of 18-29 year-olds report drinking 9 or more standard drinks on a typical drinking occasion.

Over one-quarter of drinkers (28%) reported binge drinking (i.e. drinking 6 or more standard drinks in one sitting) at least once a week in 2007.

Overall, over half of all drinkers reported a harmful pattern of drinking (based on their AUDIT-C scores) – a situation that requires attention. Positive scores were observed for 4 in 10 women and 7 in 10 men who drink. Almost three-quarters of the youngest SLÁN respondents also had positive scores.

Figures on harms related to the consumption of alcohol in Ireland: Health Research Board 2009

109,476 Irish children aged 14 years or under are affected by parental alcohol use (AAI ’09)

It has been estimated that these children are two to 10 times more likely to develop alcohol problems compared to other children.

The risk of dependence is increased by a family history of alcohol problems, antisocial behaviours, and poor social networks.

Fathers’ present heavy drinking and parental early drinking are the key predictors of their children’s harmful use of alcohol at the age of 15.

The divorce rate is twice as high in marriages complicated by alcohol problems as in those without alcohol problems.

An Irish survey of 2,050 couples and 1,407 individuals entering ACCORD marriage counselling reported that up to 40% of men and 20% of women in distressed relationships were drinking excessively.

This year we simply wish to encourage you as individuals to play your part in helping to change attitudes to alcohol in Ireland and to do anything you can to help those suffering from alcohol related harm including families.

As Parents:

1.      Experts would say that parents’ alcohol consumption matters as an influencing factor on their children at all ages but particularly between the ages of 10 – 13yrs which shows that attitudes about drinking are conveyed to children in the way it is used and talked about in the home.

2.      Firstly, parents can really help their children by giving an example themselves about how to drink responsibly. Moderate, safe, celebratory drinking seems to correlate with more responsible child drinking in their later teenage years.

3.      Secondly, we know that in order to keep children safe it is important to delay the age at which young people start to consume alcohol for as long as possible.T his can involve giving clear messages that underage drinking is not acceptable. This is very difficult for parents particularly when it might appear that their peers have a far greater influence but parental attitudes are vitally important.

4.      Thirdly, children who receive praise and encouragement from parents and who have strong relationships with their family, friends and teachers are less likely to encounter problems with alcohol.

5.      As parents would you consider becoming engaged in being a volunteer for any local youth organizations promoting activities for young people e.g. scouts,NO Name Club,youth clubs,sporting clubs ? The purpose of such engagement is to put your shoulder to the wheel to engage young people in meaningful activities all of which can work to delay the age at which young people start to drink. This is an essential prevention tactic as a child who starts drinking prior to 15 has a 4 time greater risk of developing alcohol dependency in their lives.

As individual consumers of alcohol:

Do we ever consider why we consume alcohol or do we monitor how much and how often we are drinking ourselves? Many people drink to feel good and to keep at bay problems or difficulties we may be having in our lives. Our moods are what we live with in our inner world through our hearts and minds every moment of our day and are affected by what happens to us as well as how we feel inside. Drinking to cope with problems or difficult feelings can only tend to make matters worse. Learning to live truthfully and openly with our feelings and not to be destroyed by them is a very important part of human development and of our human task. We may need encouragement and help to do this as it is not easy. We do not find it easy to talk to people about what is bothering us.

The most important point to remember is to stay within or below weekly recommended limits for standard drinks (21 standard drinks for men and 14 for women)and to be aware of when a drinking pattern is beginning to be harmful especially to others. This too is difficult but there are many sources of help today which we can discover.

As Professionals:

Many people who drink in this country have travelled a journey where alcohol has been a strong feature in their social and perhaps family lives. For many people this pattern of drinking can lead to premature illness or death. So, realizing that many people would have lived longer lives if they had not been drinking so much is quite a consideration.

There is so much emphasis in today’s world of early screening to detect any current or future problems that we believe that it would be of great benefit to families and all citizens if regular screening of drinking patterns were to be carried out as most people will not recognize they have a problem unless it is pointed out to them by a professional. We as Priests can become more informed and vigilant for the signs of alcohol problems and encourage early recognition and identification in order to refer people to sources of help such as AA and AlAnon.

It would be of great benefit to society if all professionals could screen for harmful patterns of drinking in order to enable people to see the dangers of their current patterns of drinking and behavior.

Conclusion:

Consuming alcohol is a pleasure enjoyed by many people. However, there are many people drinking too much which is having an impact on the health and social fabric of our society and we need to mobilize everyone to take responsibility for helping to prevent and alleviate the damage caused by excessive drinking.

We have to start somewhere and that must be with ourselves by looking at how much we are drinking and examining our own attitudes to drinking.

Lent is a good time to take stock of the role of alcohol in our lives and make some important changes that will be of benefit to everyone.

Do we ever consider why we consume alcohol or do we monitor how much and how often we are drinking ourselves? Many people drink to feel good and to keep at bay problems or difficulties we may be having in our lives. Our moods are what we live with in our inner world through our hearts and minds every moment of our day and are affected by what happens to us as well as how we feel inside. Drinking to cope with problems or difficult feelings can only tend to make matters worse. Learning to live truthfully and openly with our feelings and not to be destroyed by them is a very important part of human development and of our human task. We may need encouragement and help to do this as it is not easy. We do not find it easy to talk to people about what is bothering us.The most important point to remember is to stay within or below weekly recommended limits for standard drinks (21 standard drinks for men and 14 for women)and to be aware of when a drinking pattern is beginning to be harmful especially to others. This too is difficult but there are many sources of help today which we can discover.Many people who drink in this country have travelled a journey where alcohol has been a strong feature in their social and perhaps family lives. For many people this pattern of drinking can lead to premature illness or death. So, realizing that many people would have lived longer lives if they had not been drinking so much is quite a consideration.There is so much emphasis in today’s world of early screening to detect any current or future problems that we believe that it would be of great benefit to families and all citizens if regular screening of drinking patterns were to be carried out as most people will not recognize they have a problem unless it is pointed out to them by a professional. We as Priests can become more informed and vigilant for the signs of alcohol problems and encourage early recognition and identification in order to refer people to sources of help such as AA and AlAnon.It would be of great benefit to society if all professionals could screen for harmful patterns of drinking in order to enable people to see the dangers of their current patterns of drinking and behavior.
Do we ever consider why we consume alcohol or do we monitor how much and how often we are drinking ourselves? Many people drink to feel good and to keep at bay problems or difficulties we may be having in our lives. Our moods are what we live with in our inner world through our hearts and minds every moment of our day and are affected by what happens to us as well as how we feel inside. Drinking to cope with problems or difficult feelings can only tend to make matters worse. Learning to live truthfully and openly with our feelings and not to be destroyed by them is a very important part of human development and of our human task. We may need encouragement and help to do this as it is not easy. We do not find it easy to talk to people about what is bothering us.The most important point to remember is to stay within or below weekly recommended limits for standard drinks (21 standard drinks for men and 14 for women)and to be aware of when a drinking pattern is beginning to be harmful especially to others. This too is difficult but there are many sources of help today which we can discover.Many people who drink in this country have travelled a journey where alcohol has been a strong feature in their social and perhaps family lives. For many people this pattern of drinking can lead to premature illness or death. So, realizing that many people would have lived longer lives if they had not been drinking so much is quite a consideration.There is so much emphasis in today’s world of early screening to detect any current or future problems that we believe that it would be of great benefit to families and all citizens if regular screening of drinking patterns were to be carried out as most people will not recognize they have a problem unless it is pointed out to them by a professional. We as Priests can become more informed and vigilant for the signs of alcohol problems and encourage early recognition and identification in order to refer people to sources of help such as AA and AlAnon.It would be of great benefit to society if all professionals could screen for harmful patterns of drinking in order to enable people to see the dangers of their current patterns of drinking and behavior.
Do we ever consider why we consume alcohol or do we monitor how much and how often we are drinking ourselves? Many people drink to feel good and to keep at bay problems or difficulties we may be having in our lives. Our moods are what we live with in our inner world through our hearts and minds every moment of our day and are affected by what happens to us as well as how we feel inside. Drinking to cope with problems or difficult feelings can only tend to make matters worse. Learning to live truthfully and openly with our feelings and not to be destroyed by them is a very important part of human development and of our human task. We may need encouragement and help to do this as it is not easy. We do not find it easy to talk to people about what is bothering us.The most important point to remember is to stay within or below weekly recommended limits for standard drinks (21 standard drinks for men and 14 for women)and to be aware of when a drinking pattern is beginning to be harmful especially to others. This too is difficult but there are many sources of help today which we can discover.Many people who drink in this country have travelled a journey where alcohol has been a strong feature in their social and perhaps family lives. For many people this pattern of drinking can lead to premature illness or death. So, realizing that many people would have lived longer lives if they had not been drinking so much is quite a consideration.There is so much emphasis in today’s world of early screening to detect any current or future problems that we believe that it would be of great benefit to families and all citizens if regular screening of drinking patterns were to be carried out as most people will not recognize they have a problem unless it is pointed out to them by a professional. We as Priests can become more informed and vigilant for the signs of alcohol problems and encourage early recognition and identification in order to refer people to sources of help such as AA and AlAnon.It would be of great benefit to society if all professionals could screen for harmful patterns of drinking in order to enable people to see the dangers of their current patterns of drinking and behavior.
Do we ever consider why we consume alcohol or do we monitor how much and how often we are drinking ourselves? Many people drink to feel good and to keep at bay problems or difficulties we may be having in our lives. Our moods are what we live with in our inner world through our hearts and minds every moment of our day and are affected by what happens to us as well as how we feel inside. Drinking to cope with problems or difficult feelings can only tend to make matters worse. Learning to live truthfully and openly with our feelings and not to be destroyed by them is a very important part of human development and of our human task. We may need encouragement and help to do this as it is not easy. We do not find it easy to talk to people about what is bothering us.The most important point to remember is to stay within or below weekly recommended limits for standard drinks (21 standard drinks for men and 14 for women)and to be aware of when a drinking pattern is beginning to be harmful especially to others. This too is difficult but there are many sources of help today which we can discover.Many people who drink in this country have travelled a journey where alcohol has been a strong feature in their social and perhaps family lives. For many people this pattern of drinking can lead to premature illness or death. So, realizing that many people would have lived longer lives if they had not been drinking so much is quite a consideration.There is so much emphasis in today’s world of early screening to detect any current or future problems that we believe that it would be of great benefit to families and all citizens if regular screening of drinking patterns were to be carried out as most people will not recognize they have a problem unless it is pointed out to them by a professional. We as Priests can become more informed and vigilant for the signs of alcohol problems and encourage early recognition and identification in order to refer people to sources of help such as AA and AlAnon.It would be of great benefit to society if all professionals could screen for harmful patterns of drinking in order to enable people to see the dangers of their current patterns of drinking and behavior.

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