RITE & REASON:THE BATTLE cry of the Cork-born charismatic if sometimes controversial 19th century temperance leader Fr Theobald Mathew was, "Ar aghaigh linn in ainm Dé" ("Here goes in the name of God").
Looking up at his statue on Dublin’s O’Connell Street or on Cork’s St Patrick Street I can only marvel at the extraordinary spirit, passion and organising abilities of a man who marshalled and encouraged an estimated three to four million people to abstain from drink in Ireland.
By initiating and leading a social revolution Fr Mathew addressed the excessive consumption of alcohol in 1850s Ireland, an incredible feat in an era without any road infrastructure as well as a complete absence of communications. His success lay in raising awareness among all social classes and by speaking individually and at parish level on the destructive nature of alcohol.
Today Ireland is a very different place but we remain adversely influenced by alcohol. Fr Mathew – or indeed parents and young people of that time – did not have to deal with the relentless and sometimes insidious marketing and advertising campaigns of well-resourced and powerful drinks companies which seek to positively position the role of alcohol in our society.
Alcohol is no ordinary commodity and we should not be afraid to ask for help to effectively deal with it. At the moment do we have a response to our damaging relationship with alcohol? Do we just shrug helplessly, leave it to others, or do we assume responsibility ourselves?
Are we going to let the slide continue, and then in time lament by perhaps quoting the late John Healy, “No one shouted stop”? The simple truth is: we, as a society, do need help in 2012 as much as we did in 1850.
Lent is as good a time as any to review the role of alcohol in our lives. As Christians we prepare for Lent, which starts tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, by following the words spoken by Jesus as recorded by the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6. Lent is a call to renewal – personal and communal – through prayer, penance and generosity. Penance through fasting is a way of replicating Christ’s fasting for 40 days in the desert and we are encouraged to divert the money saved and give it to those in need.
How far would the positives outweigh the negatives if every Irish adult took a temporary pledge and gave up alcohol during Lent 2012? But we need more than gestures. Irish society needs to agree on far-reaching decisions so as to reshape our relationship with alcohol. The Irish Bishops’ Drugs and Alcohol Initiative (IBDI) believes cultural factors, and the prevalence of alcohol advertising and marketing, need to be looked at closely. Our experience is informed by our work in parishes and the human suffering we have witnessed. Radical options should be considered, such as:
- alcohol should not be permitted as a sponsor of sporting events or of sporting organisations;
- online, television and radio alcohol advertising relating to sport and youth events should not be permitted;
- public policy should be coordinated at an all-Ireland level to prevent alcohol price differentials and to ensure consistent drink-driving limits and penalties across the island. IBDI welcomes the recent cross-party recommendations by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children and the positive public interventions by Minister of State with responsibility for Primary Care Róisín Shortall.
Our real concern is that the political will which has been expressed may not be followed up and that these recommendations may gather dust.
IBDI is in existence to support people involved in preventing substance misuse. It only requires a small group to act on the needs of a local community. We can be contacted on www.irishbishopsdrugsinitiative.com.
It is time for a new social revolution. Alcohol misuse is a public health concern which requires a resolution between Government, the multiple retailer, the drinks industry and the consumer to radically improve – in the spirit of Fr Mathew – the Irish relationship with alcohol.
Bishop Éamonn Walsh is auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Dublin and vice-chairman of IBDI