Among the many problems facing social workers today is t h e tremendous increase in consumption of alcoholic beverage and its attendant side effects. Liquor is big business. About 1½% of all the country’s output of grain goes into the manufacture of alcoholic beverage. One out of every 100 persons in the country is employed by the liquor industry. The government taxes the liquor industry about $10 per gallon and this revenue goes into defense and war costs.
Since World War II and its social upheaval the use of liquor has increased greatly. Clever advertising in slick magazines, newspapers, on radio and television h a s brought it into almost every home and gained for it almost universal acceptance. A whole generation has grown up listening hour in a n d hour out to beer and cigarette spot announcements. For them drinking and smoking is as natural as breathing. Only now are a few suffering the bewilderment a n d pain of breakdown and lung cancer.
Shall we as followers of Jesus go along with this trend ? Shall the glass of wine at Christmas and the one beer on an extremely warm day develop into a regular habit like brushing one’s teeth ? We know all the nice things the admen say about liquor — “the perfect Christmas gift, the spirit of hospitality, for any home on any occasion, for discriminating tastes, for good friends.” We see the billboards aglow with happy young folks pausing for a beer at their favorite ski resort. We see the smiling hostess serving Gooch’s Old-Style to equally smiling guests. But how does all this tie in with reality ? Is drinking all good or all bad ?
Most of us can probably take it or leave it alone. Followers of Christ who do indulge will generally be classed as occasional drinkers. The evils of alcohol seldom touch us personally. We wouldn’t think of drinking as the world around us does. True. And the child who first plays with matches doesn’t intend to b urn down the house. He is just fascinated by the fire. However, we who drink occasionally may be a different type of child who is also fascinated.
This child believes what t h e admen say. This child longs for the social acceptance a beer with the crowd seems to give. This child can’t face his problems and finds relaxing relief in a drink. This child hasn’t lived long enough to see the havoc liquor can create. This child closes his eyes to what he doesn’t want to see. This child is often a young person who studies and works too little, marries too young and thinks too seldom. It is tragic when the “child” is older.
So it would seem that liquor is a dangerous commodity, depending upon who uses it. A strong man can often control its effects but a weak man is a slave to it. Therefore it is good for us to know something about the power it wields. Let’s look at the properties of alcoholic drinks. The three main kinds used in this country are beers wine and distilled liquors. The alcoholic content by volume in each is as follows : beer 3 to 9% ; wine 6 to 23%; distilled liquor 47 to 54%. What is the effect of alcohol on the mind and body? Science now agrees that alcohol is mostly a narcotic, dulling t h e activity of the highest brain center.
The first of our faculties to be affected by alcohol is the ability to make sound observations, to judge wisely and to listen to our conscience. That is why a man seems stimulated by a drink. Actually the narcotic effect of the alcohol has “released his brakes” i.e. removed his self-control. He says and does things he wouldn’t normally do. The next level affected is that of acquired skills such as walking, talking, running, driving a car, operating a punch press. The final level is, of course, the basic biological activities such as breathing, the digestion, etc.
We can readily agree to the disadvantage of interference in the last two levels. We sneer at t h e drunk wavering down the street or the brawler in the tavern. But we may balk when it comes to the first or highest level. What is wrong with relaxing or “letting down one’s hair ?” Must we always make sound observations, judge wisely and listen to our conscience? Can’t we ever forget the demands of the Truth ? Can’t we take a vacation once in a while from our high calling? Modern psychology says we should. Since we know the Truth, won’t that knowledge sanctify anything we do for we do it in the light of Truth ?
The man or woman who has put on Christ seeks to discard everything that may keep him or her from following Christ. We know that the gay billboards can be matched by the glare of the morgue. We shun social acceptance by the world. “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God ?” We turn in prayer to God with our problems. We see the history of man down through the ages and not just this segment of the twentieth century. This perspective helps us to s e e liquor as it really is — a stumbling block which may keep us and others from the joy of acceptance by Christ.
The earnest Bible student turns to the little Pocket Epitome of the Commandments of Christ. Under Sections 5 and 6, concerning our character and actions we begin, “Be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” This means that we simply can’t relax the mind a n d loosen our tongues with a couple of drinks. Most of us know how difficult it is to obey this command even when we are most alert. Item 43 “Young and old to be sober, grave, sincere and temperate.” Not appealing by the world’s standards, so we must decide whom we wish to please, God or world. Item 49 “Abhor evil, abstain from its appearance.” Brother Roberts has been very thorough in listing the commands of our Lord. It’s somewhat risky to ignore or twist these clear commands for our own gratification.
The occasional drink may not be strong enough to affect o u r speech or behavior as far as our walk in the Truth is concerned. But we must never forget that it Could. The potential is there. Arid worst of all, it could be t h e stepping stone for the weak one who excuses himself when he drinks too much because “Brother So-and-So has a drink every night.” We are our brother’s keepers.
‘The responsibility lies with us all to live as Close to God’s way as possible. We are not commanded to walk as close to the world as we can without being disfellowshipped. We must be aware of the forces at work around us to stamp out the last vestige of Truth. The light is dim and so we must get close to it in order to see the way. “Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One