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Attitudes towards alcohol need to undergo the same seismic shift that changed attitudes towards tobacco, according to the Bishop of Stafford.
In a pastoral letter published in parish magazines across the Diocese of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Geoff Annas said he was not against alcohol – describing it as a gift – but said that alcohol abuse was “one of the major sins of our time.” He said: “When a Bishop speaks out some will welcome the comments and others will say the Bishop does not have experience or else lacks understanding – and therefore should stay quiet! “Well, I have plenty of experience of seeing the effects of the excessive consumption of alcohol (and several times in my youth felt such effects myself) but I certainly do not understand the attitude of successive governments to a problem that blights our society and colours the view that the rest of the world has of our nation. “Hospital managers, the police and fire services have all told me in recent months of the way alcohol related issues are soaking up ever decreasing resources. When training as a Street Pastor I discovered that 80 per cent of all domestic violence is alcohol related and that 60 per cent of all admissions at A&E on Friday and Saturday evenings are also because of alcohol.” He added: “One definition of ‘sin’ is anything that comes between us and God and makes us less than the person God created us to be. Alcohol abuse is one of the major ‘sins’ of our time – and it is one that governments do very little to prevent. Instead it is left to amazing organisations like Alcoholics Anonymous or in the inspirational O’Connor Gateway Charitable Trust (of which I am proud to be a trustee) to tackle the effects of this drug abuse. “Clearly the binge drinking that goes on in every town and city in this country most nights of the week is not the fault of the pub and nightclub owners. The extension of the licensing laws means that they can stay open later but in reality many now do not even arrive until 11.00pm. Prior to this they drink in their own homes, consuming alcohol which they have purchased very cheaply in their local supermarket or corner shop. “Alcoholic drinks often cost less than non-alcoholic drinks when bought in this way. The Government has introduced minimum pricing but the level it has been set is derisory. I wonder if anyone really does know the true ‘cost’ of alcohol compared with the income it generates through taxation?” In his letter he recalled a visit earlier this year to the French town of Arras to rededicate the Memorial to the 46th Division in Bellinglise. He said: “The Square in Arras is full of bars which are open all day. Tables crowded with people of all ages (including families and the elderly) drinking, laughing and enjoying the sunshine. Yet no anti-social behaviour. No one was drunk. “People took their time over their drinks – a beer would last an hour. Partly this was because the cost was more expensive but I suspect mainly because of the way people have been educated to use alcohol rather than allowing alcohol to abuse them.” He said: “I am not advocating a temperance revival – Jesus drank wine and I see alcohol as a gift to enjoy. But I am calling for a more responsible use of this gift. “When I hear of older people afraid to go out at night because of drunken rampages; when I have to tread carefully in the street to avoid the pools of vomit; when I am told by young people going away from home for the first time that every single event of Freshers’ Week at their university is focused on pub crawls; when I see ‘reality’ shows on the TV that glorify drunken and degrading obscenity as the ‘Brits’ (both male and female) go on holiday in Europe, and when I join the Night Church or Street Pastors and see beautiful but vulnerable young people become more depressed or aggressive as the night wears on, then I think that Church and Society together need to speak out. “There has been a seismic shift in attitudes towards smoking – we need the same in our approach to alcohol.” ENDS The full text of the Bishop of Stafford’s letter follows: Alcohol is a gift – but it should be used responsibly When a Bishop speaks out some will welcome the comments and others will say the Bishop does not have experience or else lacks understanding – and therefore should stay quiet! Well, I have plenty of experience of seeing the effects of the excessive consumption of alcohol (and several times in my youth felt such effects myself) but I certainly do not understand the attitude of successive governments to a problem that blights our society and colours the view that the rest of the world has of our nation. Hospital managers, the police and fire services have all told me in recent months of the way alcohol related issues are soaking up ever decreasing resources. When training as a Street Pastor I discovered that 80 per cent of all domestic violence is alcohol related and that 60 per cent of all admissions at A&E on Friday and Saturday evenings are also because of alcohol. There are reports that young people in their mid-twenties are now suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and a major new study published by the British Medical Journal concluded that one in ten cancers in men could be traced back to alcohol consumption and one in thirty three cases in women. This is nothing compared with the pain caused for families of people living with alcohol problems and for those who have the problems themselves. One definition of ‘sin’ is anything that comes between us and God and makes us less than the person God created us to be. Alcohol abuse is one of the major ‘sins’ of our time – and it is one that governments do very little to prevent. Instead it is left to amazing organisations like Alcoholics Anonymous or in the inspirational O’Connor Gateway Charitable Trust (of which I am proud to be a trustee) to tackle the effects of this drug abuse. Clearly the binge drinking that goes on in every town and city in this country most nights of the week is not the fault of the pub and nightclub owners. The extension of the licensing laws means that they can stay open later but in reality many now do not even arrive until 11.00pm. Prior to this they drink in their own homes, consuming alcohol which they have purchased very cheaply in their local supermarket or corner shop. Alcoholic drinks often cost less than non-alcoholic drinks when bought in this way. The Government has introduced minimum pricing but the level it has been set is derisory. I wonder if anyone really does know the true ‘cost’ of alcohol compared with the income it generates through taxation? The first warm Saturday of this spring I joined a number from Staffordshire in the French town of Arras prior to rededicating the Memorial to the 46th Division in Bellinglise. The Square in Arras is full of bars which are open all day. Tables crowded with people of all ages (including families and the elderly) drinking, laughing and enjoying the sunshine. Yet no anti-social behaviour. No one was drunk. People took their time over their drinks – a beer would last an hour. Partly this was because the cost was more expensive but I suspect mainly because of the way people have been educated to use alcohol rather than allowing alcohol to abuse them. I am not advocating a temperance revival – Jesus drank wine and I see alcohol as a gift to enjoy. But I am calling for a more responsible use of this gift. When I hear of older people afraid to go out at night because of drunken rampages; when I have to tread carefully in the street to avoid the pools of vomit; when I am told by young people going away from home for the first time that every single event of Freshers’ Week at their university is focused on pub crawls; when I see ‘reality’ shows on the TV that glorify drunken and degrading obscenity as the ‘Brits’ (both male and female) go on holiday in Europe, and when I join the Nite Church or Street Pastors and see beautiful but vulnerable young people become more depressed or aggressive as the night wears on, then I think that Church and Society together need to speak out. There has been a seismic shift in attitudes towards smoking – we need the same in our approach to alcohol. +Geoff June 2011 Comments are closed.
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