Like an insecure, old-school politician who feels duty bound to be seen at nearly every funeral in their constituency, alcohol is a pallbearer at almost every tragedy, every premature or accidental loss of life, in this society.
Alcohol is the primary cause of a huge proportion of road accidents and deaths; it is at the root of the great majority of minor and not so minor court cases; it is the fuel in so many instances of sexual assault or child abuse; it is the elephant in the corner for so many destroyed and failed relationships, personal or business; it is the final, empowering permission in the long, dark maze leading to so many suicides; it destroys promising careers and once-happy families; it, almost more than anything else, is a significant factor in many people remaining homeless.
Alcohol abuse creates an atmosphere that moves many people on from misusing alcohol to using other destructive substances and, as if that was not enough, it eats away at our energy and self-esteem, facilitating everything from depression to obesity. Nearly every Irish family can place an alcoholic in their family tree and there is hardly a more toxic legacy to leave a child than the one imposed by an absent, untrustworthy, selfish, and ineffective alcoholic parent.
It is, as we all know in our heart of hearts, an utter curse when it is misused or abused. As the sad old joke goes, the one that cuts so deeply because it rings so true, “alcohol was invented so the Irish wouldn’t rule the world”. It reminds us it is the culturally acceptable glass ceiling that squanders more potential and crushes more dreams than nearly any other factor at play in Ireland today.
Yet, in the next few weeks, we will all indulge, many of us will over-indulge, each of us certain we are in control of our relationship with drink. Statistics give the lie, as if it was needed, to that. About half of us drink — 2.48m people — and more than half of those — 54% — drink in a destructive, unhealthy way. That many of us will, privately at least, dismiss that assertion by arguing that the criteria used to define binge, self-abusive drinking are set far too low both tells its own story and confirms a cultural dishonesty.
Source: Irish Examiner, 16/12/14
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