Church and Society Commission
<em>Alcohol in the life of young people</em> - a report from the Social Justice and Theology Group (RI)
CHURCH IN SOCIETY COMMITTEE
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THEOLOGY GROUP
(Republic of Ireland)
Alcohol in the Life of Young People
The report Alcohol in the Life of Young People comes to you as a gift from the Social Justice and Theology Group (Republic of Ireland), one of the seven Groups which form the basis of the work of the Church in Society Committee.
The Committee seeks to address aspects of life today where church and society meet. Alcohol in the Life of Young People will, I hope, be a useful resource in a parish setting. It is the fruit of work done by concerned people locally, in consultation with young people and with key figures in a local community. And yet its resonances are country-wide.
It seeks to be helpful and hopeful, respectful and realistic in its findings and in its conclusions. It roots its work in the teaching of the Bible and church tradition. In thanking members of the Group for their work, I commend this booklet to you as something useful and invite you to apply it as appropriate in your setting.
The Right Reverend Michael Jackson,
Chairperson of the Church in Society Committee
January 2005
Copies of the report in booklet form can be obtained from:
The Representative Church Body,
Church Avenue,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.Tel: +353 (0)1 4978422
ALCOHOL IN THE LIFE OF YOUNG PEOPLE
A Guide for Users
Introduction
This report is offered to the church for use in various ways. It can be read and taken to heart by individual church members in their life and work. It can be used by groups and parishes and by people responsible for ministry in various sectors. Different people may want to take different ideas from it, depending on their own interests and their own particular concerns. The following suggestions are made to help parish discussion groups or youth groups. They can be adapted for use with various age groups, as may be appropriate:
Alcohol in the Bible:
Look up the references in Chapter 5.Do you think that the Bible has a consistent teaching on the use of alcohol?
Or do the writers of the Biblical Books, rather, regard alcohol as an instrument for good or ill, like other human things?
Is there alcohol in heaven?
Alcohol in the Liturgy:
What is the place of alcohol in the Eucharist, the sacrament of life? See Chapter 4.How far is it right to say that alcohol runs right through our lives from the highest point to the lowest?
Alcohol and Health:
Have you any experience of how alcohol affects the life and work of a hospital A&E department?Would it help our attitude if more people were able to observe at first hand what happens in A&E at a weekend?
Parish Aspects (try to involve young people in discussions):
How can the family encourage appropriate discussions about alcohol ? other than by exhortation?Do parish functions take place in licenced premises? If not, is alcohol available? What is our attitude towards alcohol at these functions?
Projects (also try to involve young people):
Local licenced premises: Are there many families there, or young people separately? Mixed or single-sex groups?Television: How are people shown in relation to alcohol ? how much, how often? Is there a difference between ?soaps? and serious drama? What effect do you think this has?
Advertising: T.V., newspapers, magazines, etc. ? what images of alcohol are being sold? Do they differ with different media? How effective are they?