Alcohol Abuse​—How Much of a Threat?

More people than ever before are having problems with alcoholic beverages. Tens of millions of persons throughout the world have become dependent on alcohol to the point where it is damaging their lives. But it is not only their own welfare that is being threatened by alcohol abuse. Millions of others who do not have a drinking problem are affected by those who do.

THE word “abuse” means the misuse of something that can have its proper place in the lives of people. But because something is misused, that does not necessarily mean that it must be condemned for everybody.

Alcoholic beverages can be enjoyed by people who want to use them, in moderation and under control, usually without any ill effects. But when they are used in excess, then this becomes an abuse of alcohol, which is harmful, even deadly, to the abusers as well as to others.

The fact that alcoholic beverages need not be condemned can be seen in the Bible. There God is spoken of as arranging a future time of happiness for mankind when, among other things, he will provide “a banquet of well-oiled dishes, a banquet of wine.” (Isa. 25:6) Surely the Creator would not use wine as a symbol of happiness if it were an item forbidden to mankind. Also, Jesus Christ made “fine wine” at a wedding celebration, showing that it can have its proper place.​—John 2:1-10.

Who Are the Alcoholics?

A common impression of an alcoholic is that of a stupefied drunk lying on a sidewalk. But that is the exception, not the rule.

It is estimated that about 95 percent of those who have serious drinking problems are not hopeless, habitual drunks. They are not any one particular type of person, either. They make up a cross section of society such as you will find in any neighborhood, holding jobs, caring for homes, raising families.

Alcohol abusers are found in all age groups. However, the most rapid increase now is among younger people and women. Sadly, many more pre-teen-age children are becoming involved with alcohol abuse.

Of course, a person who may drink immoderately at times is not necessarily an alcoholic. For instance, he may be careless on an occasion, drink too much and lose control of his senses. But he may thereafter get very good control over his drinking and not repeat his indiscretion.

However, people who have a definite drinking problem have this in common: to a lesser or a greater degree they are dependent on alcohol. They do not want to be, yes, they feel that they cannot be, without it.

What they also have in common is that their alcohol dependence harms their lives in some way​—emotionally, physically, economically or socially.

A Growing Threat

World Health magazine states: “On any assessment, drink-related disabilities would rate as one of the world’s largest amalgams of health problems.” This publication also observes: “In most parts of the world the incidence grows, sometimes at an explosive rate.”

In the United States, there are now an estimated 10 million alcohol-dependent people, an increase of several million in recent years. Millions of others are acquiring unwise drinking habits that could lead to alcoholism.

The threat to life and happiness by alcohol abuse is very real; it is no joke. For example, a vehicle driver who has been drinking is a major threat to life. Each year, in the United States alone, an estimated 25,000 people die in alcohol-related traffic accidents. That is about half the highway deaths. And some 500,000 are injured by drinking drivers. Most of the drivers who had been drinking were not just ‘social drinkers,’ but were problem drinkers, alcohol-dependent drinkers.

In a California study of 1,000 fatally injured drivers, 65 percent of those responsible for the accidents were under the influence of alcohol.

In addition, each year there are about 20,000 deaths from alcohol-related accidents in the country, other than highway accidents. Nearly two thirds of all the murders and almost a third of all the suicides are alcohol related, as well as half the fire deaths and drownings. Thousands die from alcohol-related illnesses.

In fact, in the United States, each year far more people are killed or injured due to alcohol abuse than were killed or injured in any year of the Vietnam War. Also, Federal Bureau of Investigation reports indicate that over 40 percent of all arrests involve alcohol-related incidents.

Drinking has become so widespread and troublesome that about one out of every five Americans polled says it is causing serious trouble in his or her family. So strongly do some feel about such difficulties that about 20 percent now favor a return to prohibition.

Alcohol abuse threatens innocent persons in another way. Dr. Fritz Henn, a psychiatry professor at the University of Iowa Medical School, says: “In our studies and in others, alcohol seems to be involved in a large number of both rapes and child molestations. It is probably the single most consistent feature in either of these offenses.”

About one out of every 10 workers in the United States has some degree of alcohol dependence. This results in a drain of about $25 billion a year to the economy from illness, absenteeism, inefficiency and accidents. “Excessive drinking is responsible for more loss to industry than all other diseases combined,” relates U.S. News & World Report.

In the Soviet Union, the press continually reminds its readers that a large share of crime, traffic accidents, divorce, job absenteeism, juvenile delinquency and drownings is to be attributed to alcohol abuse. The government has raised the price of alcoholic beverages in its attempts to stem the rising tide of alcoholism.

Alcoholism is considered France’s largest domestic problem. A judge in the city of Lille said that the most common complaint by women seeking divorce was their husband’s drinking. In Brest, a police chief stated: “I have seen so much alcoholism that it has traumatized me​—and I can’t help thinking about all the cases we miss.” Sixty percent of the country’s industrial accidents were blamed on alcohol abuse.

In a South American country, a high official called alcohol abuse his country’s “most serious social disease.” In nation after nation, the reports are similar.

Without question, then, a plague of alcohol abuse​—of major proportions—​is sweeping over large parts of the world. But how and why does alcoholism develop in a person? How can you tell if someone is becoming alcohol dependent, or already is? How can people with serious drinking problems be helped?

What Leads to Alcohol Dependence?

WHY do people become dependent on alcohol? Are there early warning signs that a person is in danger of becoming an alcoholic?

Of course, the immediate cause of alcoholism is the alcohol. If people did not drink alcoholic beverages they would not become dependent on them.

However, alcoholic drinks are available in most places today, and will continue to be. Too, people generally want the freedom to decide for themselves if they will drink or not. And in many societies, it is not likely that the problems would disappear by outlawing alcoholic beverages. The era of prohibition in the United States showed that.

What is needed is good control over one’s drinking. Yet very few people with serious alcohol problems ever thought that their drinking would get out of control. Indeed, a large proportion of those who already are dependent on alcohol do not think that they are, or will not admit it.

Early Signs

The habitual drunk is obviously alcohol dependent, and is easily recognized as such. But for many others, especially at the earlier stages, their alcoholism may not be so obvious, even to themselves.

But there are clear signals pointing to potential or actual alcohol abuse. For example, if a person honestly asks himself a number of questions, he can often quickly determine if he or someone he knows is heading toward alcohol dependence, or already is dependent on it.

It has been the experience of organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous that if a person answers “Yes” to as few as three of the following questions, he can be reasonably certain that alcohol has become a problem.

1. Are you drinking more often than you used to, and taking stronger drinks?

2. Are you taking a number of drinks every day, or even on several days a week?

3. Has drinking affected your reputation?

4. Are you resentful when others caution you on your drinking?

5. Do you drink to escape from worries or troubles?

6. Do you sometimes gulp down drinks, instead of sipping them?

7. At times, do you have a craving for an alcoholic beverage?

8. Do you often drink alone?

9. Has your drinking caused problems, such as resentment by members of your family?

10. Do you defend your drinking by feeling that you could stop at any time, but yet do not stop?

11. If you have tried to stop drinking for a certain period, say a month, did you fall short of your goal?

12. Are you neglecting your appearance, such as putting on excessive weight due to drinking, but yet you keep on drinking?

13. Has your drinking made you careless about your health, job, money-spending habits or family’s welfare?

14. Do you look for, or arrange, occasions such as social gatherings as excuses for drinking?

15. Do you keep a bottle of alcoholic beverage hidden somewhere to drink when others are not looking?

Just a few “Yes” answers to such questions can indicate trouble. Many “Yes” answers would show that some degree of alcoholism is already well established.

But why do people develop problems with alcohol in the first place? What factors come into play?

Many Factors

It is difficult to single out any one condition or attitude that leads a person to becoming dependent on alcohol. The human body, mind and emotions are very complex. And people differ greatly from one another in mental, emotional and physical makeup.

Even body size makes a difference. Larger persons have more water in their bodies than do smaller persons. Alcohol is diluted by water. So all other things being equal, a smaller person usually will be more quickly affected by the same amount of alcohol than will a larger person.

Also, where all factors, such as body size, background, problems and pressures, and drinking habits, appear to be similar, one person who begins drinking will eventually become addicted while another in the same set of circumstances will not. So it cannot be said that a certain problem, emotional disposition, childhood experience or cultural environment will automatically produce an alcoholic.

Yet, there are factors that produce higher rates of alcoholism. For instance, where a society is alcohol-oriented, promoting and advertising it, showing it to be common at social events and eating places, then more people will be induced to drink. And when heavy drinking or drunkenness is portrayed not only as common but at times even as humorous, then the stigma against alcoholism lessens.

In such an environment, especially at social gatherings, a person is made to feel awkward, almost like an outsider, if he does not drink. Those who are trying to abstain from alcohol because of having problems with it may find themselves under constant pressure to conform.

Economic factors can also play their part. There is much alcohol abuse among some poor people, particularly in the large cities of the industrial societies. Poverty can bring on a feeling of hopelessness, with alcohol’s sedative-like quality temporarily masking the pain of reality.

On the other hand, affluence in some countries has brought with it greater drinking by middle- and upper-income groups. Also, there are job and social pressures that lead to more drinking. A study of the drinking habits of 8,000 American executives revealed that 27 percent were very heavy drinkers, consuming an average of six or more ounces of alcohol every day, seven days a week. In Japan, it is reported that about 60 percent of persons in supervisory positions have drinking problems. And more housewives in wealthier nations are now becoming alcoholics.

Marital and family problems often turn one mate, or both, to alcohol in an attempt to find relief from unhappiness. Loneliness can also lead one to drink too much, as can disappointment, a fear of the future, a lack of confidence, or even a tragedy such as the death of a loved one.

But people who drink to excess to try to lessen problems, anxiety, or depression, always find that they end up with greater problems, anxiety and depression. These are the inevitable consequences of alcoholism.

Youthful Drinking

A group of doctors, writing to the New York Times, stated: “An especially deep concern of our time is the startling increase in teen-age drinking, with dramatic increase in the prevalence of general alcohol abuse, alcoholism and multiple addiction.”

The main health problem of young people in the United States is alcoholism. It ranks as a far more serious threat than addiction to “hard” drugs such as heroin. A government official calls it a “devastating problem . . . of epidemic proportion.”

A survey revealed that about one third of the nation’s high school students have drinking problems. And now alcohol dependence is being found in children who are even younger, not yet in high school.

In Germany, researchers at the University of Kiel state that a sixth of Germany’s young people between the ages of 10 and 18 are “threatened by alcoholism.” Other lands where alcoholism generally is increasing also find that their young people are more involved.

One immediate result is noted by the Boston Sunday Globe, which said: “Traffic fatalities involving teenage drivers who drink since the drinking age was lowered [have] gone up three times.”

But why are more young people drinking? One reason is ‘peer pressure,’ the influence of friends. “All my friends drink,” said one young person in a typical statement. Another declared: “I didn’t want to look ‘square,’ so I started drinking.”

As with adults, many young people drink because, as one said: “Drinking makes me feel happy and helps me have a good time.” Some other reasons young people give are: they are bored with life; have problems at home or in school; or fear the future in a world of harshness and uncertainty.

But the most common reason given by young people for their drinking habits is the influence of parents and adult society in general. The book Teen-Age Alcoholism states: “In the case of drinking, though the influence of the peer group is important, parents have the greatest influence.” In Germany, it was found that where the father drinks a lot, his children more often do too.

But many parents do not abuse alcohol. And they insist that their children not drink to any regular degree until they are old enough to do so responsibly. Studies have found that in such families half as many young people are getting into trouble with alcohol compared with families where parents themselves drink heavily.

Where adult drinking is commonplace in a society, many youths will imitate what they see older people doing. As an example, one youth who watched western movies on television stated: “The men in those movies drank whiskey. I started to drink whiskey to be tough like them.”

You reap what you sow. In a society where heavy drinking is condoned, and where millions of adults are dependent on alcohol, more young people will become dependent on it too.

Yet, while many factors can lead up to alcoholism, what happens to a person’s system that makes him become dependent on the alcohol? With what results?

[Blurb on page 6]

A large proportion of those who already are dependent on alcohol do not think that they are, or will not admit it

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People who drink to excess to try to lessen problems, anxiety or depression always find that they end up with greater problems, anxiety and depression

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In a society where heavy drinking is condoned, and where millions of adults are dependent on alcohol, more young people will become dependent on it too

What Alcohol Dependence Does

THE person who drinks only occasionally, and sparingly, rarely becomes dependent on alcohol. Only a very small percentage of people have no tolerance for it at all.

The vast majority of those who become alcoholics get that way because they drink too much over a long period of time. Without question, the more heavily a person drinks, the greater does he risk becoming dependent on alcohol.

Types of Dependence

To be dependent on alcohol means to be addicted to it. One type of this dependence, or addiction, is psychological. This is a mental or emotional dependence.

In psychological dependence, a person feels a compulsive need for alcohol to relieve his emotional discomforts. He does not want to face life and its problems without the crutch of alcohol. However, he is not yet physically addicted to it.

But psychological dependence often becomes actual physical addiction. Now, not only do the mind and emotions demand the alcohol, but the body does too.

With the prolonged abuse of alcohol, chemical changes take place in the body. The cells and tissues literally become dependent on alcohol and in time do not function well without it. These bodily changes hinder a person’s self-control, so that he craves the alcohol even more.

While he thinks he is relieving his body’s needs by heavy drinking, actually he is setting the stage for a breakdown. Sooner or later, if continued, his addiction will result in severe damage to his body organs and the shortening of his life-span.

The reasons why the body becomes physically addicted are not positively established. Some of the theories include: allergy to alcohol; abnormal sugar metabolism; hormone deficiency of the thyroid, pituitary or adrenal glands; a dietary or metabolic deficiency of vitamins, minerals, enzymes or other nutrients; liver dysfunction; and a defective hypothalamus, which causes an uncontrollable thirst for alcohol.

How long does it take a person who begins drinking too much to become physically addicted to alcohol? For most persons, it takes a number of years. Some drink heavily for 20 or 30 years before becoming addicted; others for ten years; some for three to five years, and a very few experience addiction almost immediately.

Especially when physical dependence sets in does the alcoholic’s life become increasingly affected. His efficiency begins to be cut down, and it is noticed at his work. More days away from the job follow due to “illness.” His self-esteem suffers, as do his relationships with others.

He may try to compensate by being overly generous, spending money freely, even getting deeply into debt. But his social isolation grows as he becomes ill-tempered and difficult to get along with.

Ultimately he may lose his job, friends and family. Drinking becomes more important to him than anything else, including eating. He neglects his appearance, health and responsibilities.

World Health magazine states: “The dependent drinker who continues drinking amasses more and more disabilities . . . and his life expectancy will certainly be curtailed.”

Damage to the Body

Alcohol contains no vitamins, minerals or proteins, although it contains calories. Thus, people who drink a lot may feel full and put on weight, but they are not being nourished. And since the alcoholic often loses his desire for food, his body is more susceptible to disease from undernourishment.

Overuse of alcoholic beverages can damage the lining of the stomach and small intestine, causing inflammation and ulcers. Stomach muscles can lose their tone, digestion is hampered, and nausea may occur.

In the Bahamas, where, as Physician’s Alcohol Newsletter reports, “Alcoholism is the number one health problem,” many have a condition known as “alcoholic foot.” This is the chronic ulceration and gangrene of the foot that at times requires amputation.

A particularly damaging condition that results from too much drinking is cirrhosis of the liver. This ailment ranks as one of the leading causes of death among young and middle-aged adults. In France, according to government figures, over 22,000 died from cirrhosis of the liver in one year. In the United States, twice as many people died from this disease in a recent decade compared with the previous one, largely the result of increased drinking among the population. In Denmark, deaths from cirrhosis rose 40 percent in three years, due to increased drinking. In Italy, these deaths doubled in eleven years.

Dr. Frank A. Seixas, medical director of the National Council on Alcoholism in America, says: “For the first time, we’re getting medical evidence which confirms the observations doctors have made​—and dodged—​for years: alcoholism and cirrhosis are very closely linked.”

In one experiment, Dr. Charles Lieber of Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York gave a group of volunteers a nutritionally superior diet for 18 days. During this period they each consumed six drinks over the course of a day, totaling 10 ounces of 86-proof whiskey daily. While it could be seen that they were under the influence of alcohol, none were drunk to the point where they lost complete control of their senses. Yet all of them had clear evidence of the beginning of harmful liver changes after only a few days.

Chronic heavy drinking also contributes to a variety of heart diseases, the primary cause of death in some countries. In fact, excessive amounts of alcohol can cause heart failure by paralyzing the cardiac nerves. It can also paralyze the respiratory center of the brain, causing breathing to become slow and possibly to stop altogether.

Brain Damage

Prolonged heavy drinking destroys brain cells. And the body is not able to replace these the way it does other body cells.

Autopsies of chronic alcoholics have revealed massive destruction of brain cells. Such brain damage can bring on or aggravate various mental disorders, including paranoia, a form of insanity characterized by a persecution complex; and schizophrenia, a “splitting” of the personality. For instance, it is reported that every third bed in France’s psychiatric hospitals is occupied by a victim of alcohol.

In the latter stages of alcoholism, delirium tremens can occur. This happens when alcohol suddenly becomes unavailable, or is available only in very small amounts. They may also occur after a long “bout” of drinking. First, there are tremors, or shakes, all over the body. The appetite is lost, and nausea sets in. The victim becomes feverish and moves about at random. Hallucinations follow. Things are seen that are not there, such as spiders, rats and flies coming out of the walls or floor.

The terror of such delirium, or “madness,” can lead to suicide. It can also cause permanent mental feebleness​—or death, as this condition is said to have a 20-percent mortality rate.

If a person in the advanced stage of alcoholism is not to die, he must be “detoxified.” He must stop drinking long enough for his body to eliminate all traces of alcohol and restore itself to a more normal level. But that may take weeks or months. And some damage, such as liver or brain damage, may be irreversible.

In young people, damage to health can occur faster. Their bodies are not mature, are smaller, and so are not able to handle the alcohol as well as is an adult’s body.

Innocent Victims

Among the most innocent victims of alcoholism are babies. A mother’s heavy drinking during pregnancy can result in a baby’s being born mentally retarded or physically defective​—or both.

Dr. Jaime Frias, director of a birth defect center at the University of Florida, states: “From the clinical data now gathered, it can be stated accurately that a woman who drinks alcohol chronically during pregnancy stands a 50 per cent chance of having a child with some degree of mental retardation and a 30 per cent chance of having a child with additional multiple physical malformations.”

Dr. David W. Smith, professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, says: “Alcohol is today’s principal cause of physical defects in developing human embryos.”

Researchers have reported that babies have been born “drunk.” Their blood had an alcohol content higher than what is considered evidence of legal drunkenness in many areas. Even withdrawal symptoms have been observed in some newborn babies.

Regarding the damage to babies, the Detroit News reports: “Doctors agree that effects of the syndrome are irreversible and that many victims require special care throughout life, either at home or in institutions.”

What is considered “heavy drinking” by an expectant mother? Opinions vary. Dr. Smith says that five drinks a day constitute heavy drinking. And one definition of a drink is a “cocktail containing an ounce of 100-proof whiskey (50 percent alcohol).” Dr. Smith warns that heavy consumption of beer or wine during pregnancy can have the same results.

However, Medical World News stated recently: “Alarmed by rapidly accumulating evidence that even moderate alcohol consumption can harm a developing fetus, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is strongly urging that the government formally caution all pregnant women against more than two drinks a day.” It added that the evidence is “very convincing, and it is very worrying.”

Thus, in every way, the cost of alcohol abuse is enormous. And the problem is worsening, as more and more people are drinking to excess.

But what can be done to avoid becoming dependent on alcohol? How can a person who already is dependent be helped?

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If a pregnant woman indulges in prolonged heavy drinking, she may seriously damage her child

Coping with the Threat of Alcohol Abuse

WHERE alcohol abuse is concerned, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It is far, far better not to become dependent on alcohol than to do so and then have to face the consequences.

That “ounce of prevention” should start in childhood. Young ones should learn from their parents the proper view of alcohol. Parents have an enormous influence on their offspring by what they say and do. When they keep their own drinking well within the limits of moderation, their children will not grow up thinking that habitual and heavy drinking is normal for adults.

When​—and if—​parents decide that a son or daughter is old enough to have an occasional alcoholic beverage (keeping in mind local laws), then it should be carefully explained why caution is needed. The young person is very inexperienced, his body is smaller and not used to alcohol, so he cannot handle it as well.

Prevention for Adults

Prevention is the best policy for adults, too. They should recognize alcohol for what it is: a beverage that can add a certain amount of enjoyment, but when abused, can turn into a deadly threat.

If you are hosting a social gathering, there is no need to feel that alcoholic beverages must be offered without limit. They should be offered in moderation, if you choose to offer them at all. Have some nonalcoholic beverages to offer also, and do not make a guest feel ill at ease if he chooses a “soft” drink. And if a guest does have a drink or two, a wise host will be careful not to continue offering drinks indefinitely. Do not try to force guests to drink, such as by filling their glasses whether they want another drink or not.

When you are a guest, do not feel that you must continue drinking just because alcoholic beverages continue to be served. If a host is too “pushy” with drinks, you can politely decline, including comments such as, “That’s my limit,” or, “No more at this time.” If, in spite of such a refusal, the host pours the drink anyway, you are under no obligation to drink it. Let your “No” mean “No.” The good host should acknowledge this.

Especially should caution be shown by a host later in the evening when guests must go home by automobile. Continuing to offer drinks late into the night, or giving a guest “one more drink for the road,” is no kindness. It can cost his life​—and the lives of innocent victims.

The number of people driving automobiles under the influence of alcohol increases late at night. So if you are driving at that time, proceed with extra caution. This is particularly the case during weekends or holidays, when people have a tendency to overdrink.

Also, when driving, do not insist on your technical “right of way.” People under the influence of alcohol often ignore the rules of the road. Remember, about half of those killed in automobile accidents were “in the right.” They were not the guilty party in the accident. But they were killed anyway.

Regarding prevention, earlier this year an example of it on a large scale was adopted by the commanding General of American troops in Europe. He notified his officers: “You are well aware that alcohol abuse in the U.S. Army in Europe has reached such proportions that we must all join forces to meet this problem head on.” In order to “de-emphasize and de-glorify the use of alcohol,” the General ordered the “Happy Hour” observed at army clubs throughout Europe abolished. This was a period of about two hours in the early evening, one day a week, when drinks were sold at half price. His canceling of this was an attempt to discourage alcohol abuse.

Helping the Body

It is also helpful to know how the body deals with alcohol. In this way a person who does drink can better understand how to avoid abusing his body.

Alcoholic drinks are not processed by the body in precisely the same way that most foods are. Most foods are oxidized slowly in different stages, first in the stomach and small intestine. This allows for nutrients in the food to be absorbed into the bloodstream for distribution to other parts of the body. But alcohol is absorbed into the stomach and small intestine virtually unchanged in form. Then it is carried by the blood to the liver.

The liver has a set rate at which it oxidizes the alcohol. When it gets more than it can handle, it sends the rest away to the bloodstream, unoxidized. It is carried to the heart, which pumps it through the circulatory system to reach other parts of the body. Eventually it returns to the liver, which accepts some more for oxidization and sends the rest back. This process continues until it is completely oxidized.

When a drink, either “hard” liquor, beer or wine, is sipped slowly and not “gulped” down, then the liver can more easily cope with the alcohol. It is getting it in manageable amounts. Relatively little will be sent back out into the bloodstream unoxidized.

There is no way that the average drinker can speed up the liver’s oxidation process. Drinking black coffee, taking cold showers, or deep breaths of fresh air, do nothing to speed the process. The best help the body can get is to drink only a few drinks, to drink them slowly, and space them out over a period of time. This is true not only of whiskey, but of other drinks, since a can of beer or a glass of wine contain about the same amount of alcohol as a shot of whiskey.

Problem Drinkers

However, what if drinking has already become a serious problem? What can a person do to help himself? What can others do?

The problem drinker needs to face the fact squarely that he is in trouble with alcohol. He should not delude himself by thinking that he can stop drinking whenever he chooses. For too many alcoholics, this illusion persists as they continue to drink until they damage their health, become mentally deranged, or die from their drinking.

The first step for a problem drinker is to admit that his drinking is a problem so that he can be helped. If this is not admitted, there is little likelihood of his dealing with it in time. But in the majority of cases, alcoholics will not admit to their alcoholism. The mental process that led them to becoming an alcoholic hinders them from doing anything about it. That is why the families and friends of such a person should try to help him.

Can official agencies be counted on to handle the problem? Of course, there are various ones in different lands that can be of assistance. But note what World Health, says: “The number of countries in which any adequate response to alcohol-related problems has been mounted has so far been small. Similar inaction in the face of an infectious illness which wrought such havoc would be seen as sadly culpable, and any ‘drug’ problem of similar dimensions would certainly cause alarm.”

Why is this the case? World Health answers: “For so many countries [alcohol] is the accepted, cherished, and literally hallowed drug of society’s choice. . . . Alcohol is fun, hospitality, friendship, fiesta, reach-me-down nerve tonic, manliness, romance, celebration, the drink which clinches the bargain, laughter, snobbery and sacrament. What would we do without it? How can it really threaten our health? Anyone who puts a contrary view is dismissed as a kill-joy.”

However, as the publication points out, alcohol abuse is a major threat to health, happiness and life itself. But it should not be assumed that some agency is going to handle the problem.

Nor should a person think that alcoholism can be allowed to develop and then be cured by some medical treatment. There is no medical “cure” for alcoholism. While a number of things can be helpful, such as an improved diet and nutrition, overcoming low blood sugar, medication and hospitalization, more is needed. The basic problem still is in the mind and heart of the individual.

The alcoholic who has been treated only “clinically” without proper attention to motivation and other similar factors, nearly always reverts to alcoholism. The main factors in recovery are: early treatment, the patient’s earnest desire and determination to improve, and the help of those close to him.

While some psychiatrists believe that discussing an alcoholic’s problems and telling him or her what alcohol is doing to the body will help to convince the person to stop drinking, Dr. Benjamin Kissin of New York states: “I haven’t found that quite satisfactory here at the clinic. It’s not enough.” He adds: “We try to change the life pattern.”

Without doubt, changing one’s life pattern is essential. So is discontinuing one’s unwholesome associations, abandoning those who are not really friends but who contribute to one’s alcoholism. Yet, from where can such powerful motivation come to help to change one’s whole life pattern?

Most Powerful Help

There is one source of proven help that is more powerful than any other. It has helped many to get the right motivation, the right mental and heart attitude. That source is the most powerful in the entire universe, Almighty God himself.

Jehovah God created man. He knows best how man can solve his problems, how best to cope with his pressures and emotions. So when a person appeals to that source of help, he puts himself in line to receive the very best help possible.

One way this help comes is from the fine counsel found in the book God has authored as a guide for mankind, that is, his Word, the Holy Bible. In the Bible we find out why life is so filled with problems and we also learn the marvelous solution that God promises. It tells us that it is God’s purpose to bring this present unsatisfactory, trouble-filled world to an end. He will replace it with a righteous new order, a paradise on earth, free from all the bad things that are so prevalent today. (Luke 23:43; Rev. 21:4, 5) So learning the purpose of life and what the future holds is a very powerful incentive for ‘changing the life pattern.’

The Bible shows that persons who were once drunkards abandoned the practice when they came to an accurate knowledge of God’s purposes. It mentions drunkards along with fornicators, idolaters, thieves and others, and then says: “Yet that is what some of you were. But you have been washed clean, but you have been sanctified, but you have been declared righteous.”​—1 Cor. 6:9-11.

Because overcoming alcoholism is definitely possible, the Bible counsels: “Strip off the old personality with its practices, and clothe yourselves with the new personality, which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of the One who created it.” (Col. 3:9, 10) That accurate knowledge from God’s Word can supply the motivation required to change a life pattern.

There is something else. When a person sincerely wants to conquer alcohol abuse, he can also appeal to God for a measure of His power as an aid. God’s powerful active force, his holy spirit, is available for the asking. Jesus Christ said: “Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you. . . . so will the Father in heaven give holy spirit to those asking him!”​—Luke 11:1-13.

Just one example, of many, in this regard is the man in a South American country whose alcoholism was wrecking his life. He was often drunk, lost good jobs, wasted his money, and brought his family into poverty. Often he would go on alcoholic “binges” of several days and end up in jail. He repeatedly threatened his wife with violence. And she retaliated in various ways, including threatening to take their three children and leave.

But then the wife began a study of the Bible with one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She learned from God’s Word the best way for a wife to conduct herself with a husband, even an alcoholic one. She began treating him better. In time, he noted this and wanted to know what could make such fine changes in her. So he too began studying the Bible. As he learned more, he depended less and less on his drinking.

Then he agreed to medical treatment for his alcoholism. But he did not finish the treatment. Why not? He said that because of what he had learned, he now had enough willpower to stop drinking. And he did, completely abandoning it. He also changed his associations, refusing to be part of the drinking parties his former friends still had.

As a result, his entire life improved. He had a much happier family life, better relationships with others, could hold a job and was able to afford better housing. What is of great interest here is that he said it was not the medical treatment, but the determination that he was able to get with the aid of the Bible, prayer, his wife’s help, and upbuilding associates.

Nor is this an isolated case. Many similar experiences from different parts of the world show that alcoholism can be conquered.

However, once a person has overcome his dependence on alcohol, he needs to exercise great caution. For most former alcoholics, the best advice regarding alcoholic drinks is: don’t touch them! Nearly all authorities agree that, for former alcoholics, total abstinence from alcohol is the best course. A relatively small percentage can regain control to the point where they are able to drink moderately and not revert to alcohol abuse. But most others cannot.

Thus, while alcoholic beverages can add some pleasure to life, they should be handled as one would handle an explosive device: with extreme care. Otherwise, the “explosion” will create problems so severe that even life can be destroyed.

[Blurb on page 15]

Know your limit; if a host is too pushy with drinks, politely decline