Clergy's role in preventing alcoholism

By Lionel WIJESIRI

The latest report issued by the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board has disturbing information. Their Handbook of Drug Abuse Information – 2011 indicates that “alcohol culture” has clearly penetrated every strata of our society and infiltrated intricately into the social framework of our country. In the past few years - consumption wise - there has been a 12 percent increase in arrack, 52 percent increase in toddy and 29 percent increase in malt liquor.

These are disturbing signs. Today, it seems that drinking is woven into the fabric of our society - sharing a bottle of arrack over a meal, going out for a beer with friends, celebrating special occasions with wine. Because alcohol is such a common, popular element in many activities, it can be hard to see when a person’s drinking has crossed the line from moderate or social use to problem drinking.

Alcohol-related myths

Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are due to many inter-connected factors including genetics, how one is raised, social environment, and emotional health. People who have a family history of alcoholism or who associate closely with heavy drinkers are more likely to develop drinking problems. Finally, those who suffer from a mental health problem such as anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder are also particularly at risk, because alcohol may be used by them as self-medication.

Since drinking is so common in our culture and the effects vary so widely from person to person, it’s not always easy to figure out where the line is between social drinking and problem drinking. The bottom line is how alcohol affects each person.

There are five myths about alcoholism and alcohol abuse:

No1: I can stop drinking anytime I want to.

Wrong! One in hundred can, but ninety-nine cannot. Either way, it’s just an excuse to keep drinking. The truth is, you don’t want to stop.

No 2: My drinking is my problem. I’m the one it hurts, so no one has the right to tell me to stop.

Wrong! You are deceiving yourself if you think that your drinking hurts no one else but you. Alcoholism affects everyone around you - especially the people closest to you. Your problem is their problem.

No 3: I don’t drink every day, so I can’t be an alcoholic OR I only drink wine or beer, so I can’t be an alcoholic.

Wrong! Alcoholism is not defined by what you drink, when you drink it, or even how much you drink. It’s the adverse effects of your drinking that define a problem. If your drinking is causing problems in your home or work life, you have a drinking problem - whether you drink daily or only on the weekends, or just a bottle of beer a day.

No 4: I’m not an alcoholic because I have a job and I’m doing fine.

Alcoholism affects everyone around you, especially family

Wrong! You don’t have to be jobless or homeless to be an alcoholic. Many alcoholics are able to hold on to their jobs and provide for their families. Some are even able to excel. However, just because you’re a high-functioning alcoholic doesn’t mean you’re not putting yourself or others in danger. Over time, the effects will catch up with you.

No 5: Drinking is not a “real” addiction like drug abuse.

Wrong! Alcohol is a drug, and alcoholism is every bit as damaging as drug addiction. Alcohol addiction causes changes in the body and brain, and long-term alcohol abuse can have devastating effects on your health, your career, and your relationships.

Religious role

In Sri Lanka, the clergy are a barely tapped resource in preventing and treating alcohol abuse and addiction. Bhikkhus and priests, ministers, imams and other religious leaders should become more engaged in addressing this problem; they should preach about alcohol abuse issues and incorporate prevention and recovery messages into their ministry.

Many individuals - especially Catholics and some Protestants - turn to their parish priest or minister for help in dealing with alcohol abuse problems. At Sunday Dhamma classes, the clergy should educate their students to recognise the signs of alcohol abuse and deal with them. The clergy should familiarise themselves with treatment services in their communities.

Psychiatrists and other mental health providers are of course free to hold agnostic and atheistic beliefs, but all should be better informed of spirituality and religion to help prevent and treat alcohol abuse and addiction. They should learn of the spiritual and religious resources available in their local communities and how to take advantage of them.

Healthcare providers should not shy away from discussing their patients’ spiritual needs and desires; they should be prepared to refer patients to appropriate clergy or spiritually-based programs to assist their recovery. A better understanding by the clergy of the disease of alcohol abuse and addiction - together with a better appreciation by the medical profession, especially psychiatrists and psychologists, of religion and spirituality to help patients with this disease - offer a goldmine for prevention and treatment that can help millions of Sri Lankans and their families. For many individuals working to shake the shackles of addiction and hang on to sobriety, sound advice might work.

Ways to influence

Possible ways religion may influence alcohol use and recovery include establishing moral order, providing opportunities to acquire learned competencies and providing social and organisational ties.

* Establishing moral order

The key aspects of moral order include: Establishing specific moral directives or rules of self-control and personal virtue, such as abstaining from the use of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs; Facilitating spiritual experiences that help solidify moral commitments and constructive life practices; and Providing role models that, for example, abstain from alcohol use or have overcome addiction.

* Acquiring learned competencies

Special occasions and achievements are celebrated with alcohol

Important learned competencies - skills and knowledge - that religion and faith communities can provide include: Promote spiritual health in ways that prevent and cure alcohol abuse - providing a shared meaning system that encourages a positive self-worth, shared values, and life purpose; fostering self-regulation and problem solving; and promoting esteem that prevents extreme risk taking and thrill-seeking behaviour; Community and leadership skills that can be used for religious purposes and outside of religion (e.g. facilitating recovery groups and designing prevention programs); Coping skills and social support that can be used to handle life stressors and resist urges to turn to alcohol as the solution to everyday problems; and Activities that can increase knowledge as well as provide alternatives to using drugs.

Training programs

The positive results of a religious or spiritual connection are not limited to those who attend the temple, mosque or church frequently. Studies show that people with strong religious beliefs are healthier, heal faster and live longer than those without them, regardless of their individual spiritual faith or spiritual practice.

Therefore, it is high time that we call for action to tap into the power of religion and spirituality to help prevent alcohol abuse and addiction and improve recovery. In my opinion, three important steps have to be taken:

* Train the clergy to recognise signs of alcohol abuse and alcoholism and how to deal with them. The clergy should incorporate prevention and recovery messages into their ministry and become familiar with treatment services in their communities.

* Train medical professionals to recognise the importance of spirituality and take advantage of spiritual and religious resources available in their local communities.

* Conduct more research to better understand and enhance the effectiveness of faith-based prevention initiatives and treatment programs.

The clergy’s most important task in relation to the problem of alcoholism is prevention. In this area it has a tremendous amount of untouched opportunity. Organised religions have direct contacts with over half the people in the country. This is more than any other non-governmental organisation. If a substantial share of the religious organisations in our country would undertake an enthusiastic and realistic program of prevention, Sri Lanka’s largest public health problem could be brought under control.

Prevention is the only real solution to the problem. As things are now we are like Alice in Wonderland, running as hard as we can to stay at the same place. (Actually we are falling behind.) Alcoholics are being created wholesale while all the therapeutic agencies together are able only to treat them retail. As the great Japanese thinker, Toyohiko Kagawa once said, regarding the problem of slums, this is like building a rescue station at the bottom of a cliff to help those who have fallen over, without working at the top of the cliff to keep others from falling.

According to reliable information, Sri Lanka has the world’s highest alcohol consumption rate at 17 litres per capita. Yes, too many are falling over the cliff into the morass of the sickness of alcoholism each year. Somehow we must build a fence that will reduce the number of new alcoholics.