Britain's binge drinking-a mirror of European culture!
A commentary by Peter Hawkins
Pastor of United Church of God congregations in Bricket Wood and Tonbridge, England
In Europe today having a 'good time' is
equated to drinking alcohol. Drinking after work with workmates is a
habitual social event. It's considered fashionable to go to the
pub and watch televised football games—almost like a religious
activity—to support your team. Heavy drinking has become an integral
part of European culture.
Binge drinking in Europe costs millions of euros and pounds each year
in lost productivity, sickness and extra policing. The culture of drinking
to excess splits families and often leads to abuse of family members,
including small children. And that is just the beginning.
The effects of binge drinking are felt in many ways. People at work
boast about the hangover they woke up with. Signing off sick is common
after binge drinking the night before. Lunch with a client often means
the afternoon is written off due to the amount of alcohol consumed. And
having "had enough to drink" can mean reaching the point
of vomiting.
There is a progression from binge drinking to alcohol addiction that
many people are already following. These four stages are:
1. Social Drinking — Drinking for stress relief that
results in mood change may begin as a result of peer pressure, to go
along with the crowd or to alleviate boredom or stress.
2. Drinking for the Mood Change — Drinking to achieve
mood change starts producing psychological manifestations and fixed drinking
habits (certain times of the day, in private, etc.). Chief among these
is denial of dependence in order to protect developing behavioral patterns.
3. Constantly Seeking Mood Change — This regular pattern
of drinking for the desired effects may be manifested as ongoing daily drinking or
as sporadic episodes of drunkenness followed by periods of abstinence
(often labeled as 'periodic drinking'). This obsessive and
compulsive pattern of drinking leads to violations of one's fundamental
ethics, values and moral standards. Entrenched denial defenses emerge
to justify this conduct in response to objections from family members
and other significant persons.
4. Addiction — Cells of the body adapt to the increasing
ingestion of alcohol, resulting in a higher level of 'tolerance.' This
means the person may consume more alcohol without obvious physical effects
or signs of impaired behavior. The increased alcohol intake causes cellular
damage that will eventually exact its toll on the body, even causing
organ failure. Increased tolerance also demands increased alcohol consumption.
The nervous system adapts to the escalating level of alcohol, resulting
in physical dependence.
Ingestion of alcohol beyond tolerance levels results in drunkenness.
Sudden abstinence or ingesting less alcohol than the tolerance level
throws the cells of the body into acute distress that produces varying
withdrawal symptoms including 'delirium tremens' (commonly
referred to as 'DTs'). The syndrome of physical dependence
or addiction is now in full swing.
The human effects of alcoholism are immense.
In Britain alone 560 deaths and more than 20,000 casualties per year
occur from alcohol related driving accidents. Babies are born with crippling
diseases—including brain damage, deafness and heart problems—caused
from mothers drinking excessively during pregnancy.
Some 12 to 14-year-olds now need treatment for liver disorders because
of drinking too much. Then there is the loss to families of a parent,
partner or child and loss of bread-winners through accidents and alcohol
related diseases.
The cause of the problem
The most common root of massive drinking problems in a society is the
loss of a clear purpose in life. It is a way of avoiding the hopelessness
they feel.
When people lose touch with any higher meaning to life, is it any surprise
that they would seek solace by blotting out the pressures of the day,
a troubled family life or a failed relationship by binge drinking? Without
a clear understanding of why man exists, we have no purpose in life and
flounder in a world of seemingly unrelated events.
Do you know the purpose of your life? Have you ever asked yourself,
Why was I born?—What is my destiny? These are questions that millions
of people ask themselves privately. But few look beyond the popular notions
of their time for answers.
Have you ever considered seriously that the theory of evolution could
be just that—only an unsupported theory? Or that solid evidence
that the world was created by an intelligent Being may be available?
If you would like to face those questions head-on, why not take a serious
look at all of the evidence—and reach your own conclusion.
   We
can provide you with an excellent start. Request or download now copies
of our free booklets: Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What
You Believe?, Life's
Ultimate Question: Does God Exist? and What Is Your Destiny?
|
