Drink Responsibly??

by Allen Dvorak

Public image can make or break a business and thus businesses must be interested in promoting a positive image of themselves and their products or services. I believe that public image is exactly why during the holidays the beer companies become concerned with people exercising “self-control.” They run television commercials that warn us to use alcohol with caution. “If you drink, don’t drive. Don’t ride with someone who has had too much to drink.” “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”

I believe such commercials give good advice-as far as the), go. Please forgive my sarcasm, however, if I observe that these companies who are so concerned with people acting responsibly are the same ones who sell a product, which, by its very nature lends itself to a “lack of self-control.” That is like giving a red-hot poker to a child and telling him not to bum himself. Why give it to him in the first place? Makes no sense to me.

I agree that it is important to know when to stop drinking. The safest time is before you begin! The American Medical Association has said. “There is no minimum BAC (blood alcohol concentration) which can be set at which there will be absolutely no effect.” Ethyl alcohol is an intoxicant: it is a poison and even in small quantities affects one’s moral judgment and physical reaction time.

The commercials do not advise people to refrain from alcohol. That would be the sure way to avoid the suffering that alcohol causes. However, the commercials are funded by companies who make money selling alcohol—and the more people drink, the more money these companies make. For beer companies to lead the fight for self-control is like putting the fox in charge of guarding the hen house.

The commercials suggest that one should not drive while drunk. The impression left is that I can get totally drunk, but as long as I do not drive a car, society tells me that I am a “wise drinker.” Makes no sense to me. What about all the suffering caused by those drinkers who do not drive? Alcohol lowers inhibitions, meaning that drinkers will often do things that they normally would not. That includes sexual immorality and domestic abuse. Instead of humorous commercials, perhaps the beer companies should show pictures of people and families destroyed by “the brewer’s art.” Those commercials would not sell much beer, but at least they would give a clearer picture of’ the fruits of alcohol.

Satan has always specialized in lies (John 8:44). The idea that one can drink and be acceptable to God as long as he/she doesn’t get totally drunk is a LIE.

Do people really drink most alcoholic beverages for taste? Or do many people drink for the “buzz,” that feeling of gaiety that permits them to disregard responsibility or problems. Must we be “anesthetized” against the reality of life by the use of alcohol or other drugs in order to enjoy ourselves?