ALCOHOLISM

From the Indiana Star (April 5, 1994): "Lipetsk, Russian -- Worn out by the battle for survival, powerless in the face of overwhelming economic and social upheaval, more and more Russians are finding solace in the old fashion. ... Here in Lipetsk, a typical city of 500,000 and center of a region of 1.2 million, doctors estimate that nearly half the adult male population is alcoholic. And this is a place where they are trying to do something for it."

We used to hear that anyone who took their first drink had a 1 in 16 chance of becoming an alcoholic. Later this was increased to 1 in 10, much like playing Russian roulette with your life. Now we see in some cases its more like flipping a coin.

This tells us several things. The first is about the fate of a society in which any reference to the true and living God has been outlawed since about 1917. The good news is that they are beginning to move in the right direction. (What direction is the USA moving in?)

The second is that alcoholism is not an inherent disease which afflicts a predefined proportion of the population. As much as our beer commercials condition us to believe otherwise, alcohol is an addictive drug. True, some might be more inclined toward addiction than others. But, as with any other addictive drug, the only safe way to avoid falling under its spell is to abstain from it altogether.

Mature Christians have no problem with this evil. If for no other reason, they abstain from all alcoholic beverages in deference to those who might be negatively influenced by their example (Rom. 14:21). While the bible mentions that there are times when drugs can be used for medical reasons (1 Tim. 5:23), the strict restriction of drugs to this use rarely makes addiction a problem.

Recognize that alcohol use is a symptom as well as a cause. Like many Russians, users are dissatisfied with their natural God-given state of mind. Alcohol use is highly correlated with marital problems, child abuse, homicide, traffic deaths, and all kinds of other socially unacceptable behavior. If people would not try to relieve their discontent with alcohol, they would not commit such irrational acts, which they later regret so much (Prov. 23: 29-30).

God gives us a solution to despair: "And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord ..." (Eph. 5: 18-19). If we are wise, we will accept it.