May I, from Ireland, just state some facts, please?
No bias; no judgement: I have been in Ireland four years; and many talk with me about problems etc.
Here, we are 95% Roman Catholic.
Over 50 % population have a major drinking problem. ie alcoholism.
Ditto a major nicotine addiction ( did you know tobacco contains formaldehyde…)
This country has become rich very fast and being well - off is not being handled well just now.
On St Patrick’s Day, bars and pubs etc were asked not sell alcohol until after 4 pm to try to avoid the drunken riots of previous years. If you want the statistics, there are entries on my weblog.
www.xanga.com/AnchoressNun/
As these attest, it is the youth of Ireland that is being worst hit; I may have missed it; please forgive me if so, but no one has mentioned “peer pressure” in this thread.
It is very hard for young folk to resist when their close friends urge them; and when there is a family member who drinks it becomes harder still then.
Yes, if you as an adult can handle moderate drinking; but a teenager being tempted might say, " Well, my aunt ( or whoever) says a few drinks is fine".
And, sadly in these modern times, where drink is often drugs are also. And from drugs there is all to often no turning back as anyone who has worked with drug addicts knows.
Each weekend here, up to seven young people are killed on the roads driving home from clubs.
A predictable carnage.
Each week there are around 30 drunk drivng arrests. For an island of this size, a shocking figure. At Christmas it was many hundreds.
I shop often in the early hours. I was at a large 24 hr supermarket early on St Patrick’s Day; the security manager talked with me. Said the "festivities had started already. At 2.30 am, three coach loads of young teenagers, from an under age disco, had arrived to buy drink. There were not drunk - yet, but were stoned on drugs. Drink and drugs are easily available here.
And shops cannot refuse to sell; there were adults with them to do the buying of course.
I find it hard to type this through tears, to be honest.
These are our children; we need to protect and teach them that their young bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
Young male suicide is an epidemic here; two last year in the small viallge where I live. I don;t have the correlation between drinking and this, but alcohol is known to be a depressant and is totally socially acceptable.
One of the men who killed himself last year was a drinker. It is the Irish tradition…
Legally enforced prohibiition never works, does it? Because there are always vultures around. Always those who delight in getting young folk hooked, for the money.
Education by example has always been a more effective weapon.
I don’t know what the situation here re Church social clubs is; but certainly they sell drink.
Often for young ones it is too late by the time they find out they cannot drink in moderation; addiction is a sneaky snake like that as many know.
Worms its way in…
And the cost alone in a world where children die each day from lack of food would also deter me.
As a teacher, I know that the young need firm and loving and reasoned guidelines from those they trust.
Just some thoughts.
