THE BEVERAGE USE OF ALCOHOL

White Ribbon, Volume 23, Issue 1, 1 March 1951, Page 2

THE BEVERAGE USE OF ALCOHOL

By the Very Rev. J. D. Smith, Auckland

THE MODERN SITUATION

The Modern Situation can be summed up under four headings. 1. The New Knowledge about Alcohol. 2. The Trade and its Power. 3. Features of Modern Life relevant to Drinking. 4. Community Attitudes lor Drinking. 1. The New Knowledge about Alcohol: Scientific investigation has given us a fairly accurate estimate of the true nature of alcohol and its effect upon the human body. It is not properly a food, but a narcotic drug. Its first effect is upon the higher centres of the brain, where reside the powers of judgment and criticism, so that a man who takes drink is less fitted to be a critic of bis actions and to put necessary restraint on himself. This feature of alcohol is fatal to the argument that a man should know when to stop drinking. Alcohol lowers resistance to disease and delays convalescence. It accentuates fatigue and renders the drinker more liable to cold. It lowers the quantity and quality of work. Its use as a medicine has diminished to vanishing point. Some drinkers are more liable than others to succumb to the effects of Some more easily become addicts. Just why this is so has not been properly determined. More investigation is needed. Medical science is at work on the prob'em of addiction, hoping to find some technique whereby immunity can be obtained. So far nothing of permanent value has been discovered. The cure of addiction remains a moral and spiritual one. In the light of the new knowledge about alcohol, a rational being should refuse to risk bis rationality by drinking. To drink habitually is the act of a silly fool who is refusing to face facts. Drinkers are members of the community who are preventing the race from growing up into full adult status. They are acting in an immature, undeveloped way, swayed by illusions and bodily appetite instead of by the truth and true temperance. The new knowledge shows alcohol not to be a substance like food and drink in the use of which moderation may be properly exercised. It is completely unnecessary for living a full life, and tlie proper attitude of a reasonable being is to leave it alone. 2. The Trade and its Power: The existence of a vast vested interest in the sale of liquor is the most prominent feature of alcoholic culture. Vast financial resources are available to push the sale and to provide many variants of alcoholic beverages. The history of the Trade shows tint it has the will and the power to corrupt the political life of communities in order to get its way. Its advertising has often been unscrupulous and it lias deliber-

ately organis'd campaigns to attract young people and make drinkers of them.

The New Zealand Liquor Trade is reported to have a fund of over a million pounds in order to push and protect its interests. A recent Go\eminent order lias had to be made to prevent the Trade from telling lies about the health-giving character of its products. The overwhelming vote on six o’clock closing is an indication tha* the great majority of our citizens wish the power of the Trade to be curtailed. The votes or. Trust Control are a further indication in the same direction. The Trade is one of the strongest forces countering the work of the Churches. What we seek to build lip, the Trade pulls down. Particularly is this so in relation to our work among young people.

3. Features of Modern Life Relevant to Drinking: We live in a fast moving age. Swift machines go from place to place—motors and planes, trains and buses. We need all our wits about us to drive and to be where ihere are drivers. Even a small amount of drink affects our capacity to drive. We live in an age of tension—in an atmosphere of tear and doubt of what the morrow holds. Many are tempted to resort to alcohol as a relief. Great responsibility is wearing and good leadership is not easily found Those who bear such burdens are tempted in the presence of an alcoholic culture to choose drink as an escape* Two world wars have greatly intensified the problem of human relationship. Many homes are broken by divorce. Drink is often a factor in bringing about the open break. Social workers find that drink is a factor in one-third of their cases. Customs which were permissible in a simpler age are open to question in one like ours. An alcoholic culture is out of harmony with the requirements of this generation. 4. Community Attitude* to Drinking: The world wars have brought about a remarkable change in temperance sentiment. Prohibition, once looked upon as a sure means of dealing with the problem of drink, has fallen from favour with the great majority, and it is doubtful whether it can make any recovery of consequence within a generation. There is a much greater tolerance of drinking custom and many more young people are drinking than formerly. Great social prestige is given to liquor by leaders in the community using it in their hospitality. Very few can he found to take a stand against the genera! trend. Recent legislation has given effect to this public opinion by granting greatly increased facilities for drinking. It would be wrong to conclude that as the result of this greater tolerance excesses are the order of the day. Week-end drinking parties are reported to be fairly common and numbers of young people deliberately set out

to get drunk. Hut there is alongside this a frowning on excess and numbers of drinkers are eager tof establish what they call moderate drinking, and to show that drunkenness is not a serious factor in the situation. It is too early to estimate what the outcome of these attitudes will be. If we go by past experience, then the greater facilities will mean more drinking, and more drinking will mean m >re evil el ects. Public opinion is not likely to clu nge unless such evil effects do appear in a serious way. W e need also to remember t^h e tendency towards greater sobriety which was operating prior to the recent war. If settled conditions obtain, then we can expect tint the personal attitude favourable to temperance will increase. "This does not invoh e necessarily a more favourable attitude to Prohibition. fruit Control: We all know that experiments are being made in this direction, and public opinion seems generally favourable. \ otes under the regulations of the Licensing Control Commission have recently been taken in Matamata, N’gatca, and I okoroa, all of them favouring a 1 rust. A vote is to be taken this month at Mt. Maunganui ( I auranga) and no doubt there will be numbers of others where new licenses are granted by the Commission. It seems likely that there will he a large number of Trusts operating, unless the refusal of the Government to finance T rusts with public money proves a stumbling block.

The existing Trusts are at Imercargill, Masterton, Ashburton and I icraldine.

A factor to be watched is the possibility of local bodies operating as I rusts. 1 his is most undesirable and should be stoutly resisted. Whether Trusts will be better than tlie Trade remains to be seen. Both sell alcohol and it will have the same effect whoever sells it.

The experience of Invercargill and Masterton is that so far the Trust method is preferable to the Trade. Care has been taken to avoid trouble as far as possible. There is no after-hour trading. It is possible that tlie same care will not continue to be taken unless vigilance is exercised by responsible citizens.

The factor of the disposal of profits also wants watching. It is disturbing when reputable community bodies come to be relying on receiving large grants from the profits of the Trust. A most undesirable vested interest can be created which may have a considerable effect in stopping the growth of temperance sentiment. The policy of the Presbyterian Temperance Committee has been to favour the operation of Trusts as against the Trade in order to bring about the reduction and possibly the elimination of private profit from the selling of liquor. We believed that it was possible that there would be less evil result from this method of operation.