The Oxymoronic Nature of Alcohol
Categories: Bible Study LessonsWith the passing of Thanksgiving weekend our holiday season has begun. Times of food, fun, and fellowship with friends and family await. It should be a time to exchange gifts and make long lasting and joyous memories. However for some it will be a time of sorrow because in addition to the expectation of many to enjoy the season will also come the dreaded news of the inevitable fatalities that result from the recreational consumption of alcohol.
Consumption of alcohol increases during this time of the year EVERY year and some will die as a result of this plague. Some of these deaths will be related to auto collisions. Some the result of a drunk and abusive spouse. Some of a drunk and abusive parent. All will be tragic and when we hear the statistic on the evening news we will wag our heads and feel sorry for the families that were destroyed by this evil. Even if we exclude the actual deaths involved, there will still be families go hungry because their provider chooses to waste income on alcohol. Violence, abuses, and neglect–all because of alcohol.
When it all boils down to it, the consumption of alcohol is merely a recreational activity. What other part of our society do we deem it acceptable for mere entertainment to justify such tragic consequences? If any other entertainment product were to cause the same number of deaths that alcohol causes each year warnings would be heralded, dangers exposed and recalls issued. We would demand that the problem be fixed, the manufacturer punished and the victims reimbursed. Do we remember the national outrage over faulty automobile tires a year and a half ago? Far fewer died, but far more concern was levied than is brought to bear against the industry of alcohol.
Why do we allow this national tragedy to continue? Pride? Ignorance? Apathy? Perhaps these are some of the reasons. But I suspect that the biggest reason is the most disturbing. We value personal pleasure more than we value individual life. The alcohol manufacturers know this. They frequently depict the association of alcohol with pleasurable activities. Pleasure is the god of wine. This god, however, rewards its servants not with lasting joy, but with pain, regret and personal tragedy.
The solution to this problem is simple. Take away the very thing from the alcohol manufacturers that they value the most–your money! These manufacturers are wary of the potential loss of revenue that they will suffer if we, as a society, wake up. So they couch this concern in slogans such as “drink responsibly” and “think when you drink” consciously oblivious to the oxymoronic nature of these statements. This holiday season, start sending a message to these deliverers of death. Refuse to purchase their products. Refuse to participate in the deception of temporary pleasure. Refuse to engage in the senseless folly of the recreational consumption of alcohol. Don’t drink (period).