Rev. Mark H. Creech
It's still a big deal, and for me it's personal
FacebookTwitter
By Rev. Mark H. Creech
April 9, 2021

A friend of mine, who is an attorney, recently sent me an email saying that he had been reading the Christian classic In His Steps. He was given the book by his grandmother, who lived from 1872 to 1960. He wrote, "I'm amazed at how much of it is about the saloon."

I wrote back, "We have little understanding of how this one thing (alcohol) has worked to undermine individual and corporate character. Over the years, we have, figuratively speaking, been anesthetized into a drunken stupor…. Though the seriousness of the matter is most often minimized, it's still a big deal."

Just how big a deal is it? Well, consider that the U.S. dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August of 1945. According to the Manhattan Engineer District's best available figures, approximately 95,000 people died due to the two blasts. The misery left among the living from the cities was unbelievably dreadful.

Most of us would prefer not to think about the horrific destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Today, many question whether such force should have ever been used. Still, the American Journal of Medicine says that in 2016, as many as three million global deaths were attributable to alcohol consumption. That's approximately thirty combined Hiroshimas and Nagasakis worldwide.

In America, alcohol-related deaths have doubled since 1999, with over 70,000 fatalities annually. That's more every year than the number of people killed in the blast of Hiroshima, and none of this accounts for the wave of misery always left in alcohol's wake. The deprivations and sufferings are incalculably high.

Just like the second-hand harms from cigarette smoke, alcohol use can also result in what is known as "second-hand harms." This includes being in a traffic crash or being a passenger in a vehicle with a drunk driver, harassment, feeling threatened or afraid, belongings ruined, property vandalized, being pushed, hit or assaulted, family or marital problems, and financial troubles.

Alcohol-related harms are a big deal for me personally.

A couple of years ago, a body was found floating in Crabtree Creek behind Crab Tree Valley Mall in Raleigh. CBS 17 News reported the unnamed man had a drinking problem, was homeless, and lived under a nearby bridge. Witnesses said he had been missing for a few days before his body was found.

That man was my brother-in-law, John Christopher Doumar. His family affectionately called him Chris.

According to what police told my wife, some of the other homeless people said the night he went missing, it was raining, and the creek was swollen and swift. Chris was "fall-down drunk" that evening and fell into the creek, they said. They lost sight of him in the darkness, and apparently, he was too intoxicated to fight the current and get out of the water and he drowned.

View the news story here. The story ran on television before the authorities had contacted the family.

Chris came from a good home. He was one of the most charming, intelligent, and talented individuals I have ever known. All of his family, including my wife and I, tried very hard to help him. We all loved him deeply, but his life was ruined and ultimately lost because of his alcohol addiction.

Chris's story is not unique. Hundreds of thousands of families could tell a similar story.

I think it's notable that the first mention of alcohol in the Bible (Genesis chapter 9) is associated with Noah's intemperance – a sign or a warning of the same connection from that period to the present.

A Jewish legend says that when Noah planted his vineyard, he killed a sheep, a lion, an ape, and a sow pig. He then mingled their blood and poured it on the roots of the vine. Since then, says the legend, the use of alcoholic wine has been attended, in succession, by the placidity of the sheep, the boldness of the lion, the nonsense of an ape, and the filthy brutishness of a sow.

Of course, the standard response to these tragic consequences is to claim moderation is the answer. Moderation may indeed improve matters, but it won't remedy alcohol-related harms.

Drinking in moderation is well-known for increased drowning risk and injuries from violence, falls, and motor vehicle accidents. It's also associated with an increased risk of female breast cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, and harmful medication interactions. Moreover, moderate drinking has been linked to the risk of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in the children of women who consume alcohol during pregnancy.

April is National Alcohol Awareness month, which is a great time to start thinking about the role alcohol plays in our lives. No matter how many times I witness it, I'm always a bit shocked whenever I encounter someone who has yet to discover that alcohol is a big deal.

Let me repeat it: alcohol is still a big deal. It's bigger than ever! In fact, I suggest it's the most underestimated social problem of our time.

© Rev. Mark H. Creech

 

The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)

Click to enlarge

Rev. Mark H. Creech

Rev. Mark H. Creech is Executive Director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc. He was a pastor for twenty years before taking this position, having served five different Southern Baptist churches in North Carolina and one Independent Baptist in upstate New York.

Rev. Creech is a prolific speaker and writer, and has served as a radio commentator for Christians In Action, a daily program featuring Rev. Creech's commentary on social issues from a Christian worldview.

In addition to RenewAmerica.com, his weekly editorials are featured on the Christian Action League website and Agape Press, a national Christian newswire.

Subscribe

Receive future articles by Rev. Mark H. Creech: Click here

More by this author

November 25, 2023
Revelation Chapter 19: The Marriage of the Lamb and the Joyous Celebration of the Bride


November 18, 2023
Revelation Chapter 19: Homesick for heaven, lessons about the power of praise and worship


November 11, 2023
Revelation Chapter 18: Babylon, lessons in materialism and Divine justice


October 28, 2023
Revelation Chapter 18: A call to God’s people, separation from Babylon


October 22, 2023
Revelation Chapter 18: Babylon and the consequences of moral decay


October 15, 2023
Revelation Chapter 17: Imitation, deception, and the ultimate triumph


October 7, 2023
Revelation Chapter 17: The seductive harlot, false religion, and the worldly stage


September 30, 2023
Revelation Chapter 17: Babylon revealed – A warning for today


September 23, 2023
Revelation Chapter 16: A world shaken and pummeled to the ground


September 18, 2023
Revelation Chapter 16: When the great river runs dry


More articles

 

Stephen Stone
The most egregious lies Evan McMullin and the media have told about Sen. Mike Lee

Siena Hoefling
Protect the Children: Update with VIDEO

Stephen Stone
Flashback: Dems' fake claim that Trump and Utah congressional hopeful Burgess Owens want 'renewed nuclear testing' blows up when examined

Jerry Newcombe
Western civilization’s most important and neglected strand

Curtis Dahlgren
God's 'practical joke' on Jew haters

Cherie Zaslawsky
Israel in the crosshairs: Part One

Cliff Kincaid
The next phase of Communist revolution in America

Cliff Kincaid
The Palestinian Removal Act

Victor Sharpe
What occupation?

Tom DeWeese
Setting the agenda for freedom’s comeback

Cliff Kincaid
America’s “collective responsibility”

Rev. Mark H. Creech
Revelation Chapter 19: The Marriage of the Lamb and the Joyous Celebration of the Bride

Joan Swirsky
The Jew haters in power were very carefully taught

Cliff Kincaid
Pope Francis embraces Global Islam and Mother Earth

Jerry Newcombe
Thanksgiving as a way of life
  More columns

Cartoons


Click for full cartoon
More cartoons

Columnists

Matt C. Abbott
Chris Adamo
Russ J. Alan
Bonnie Alba
Chuck Baldwin
Kevin J. Banet
J. Matt Barber
Fr. Tom Bartolomeo
. . .
[See more]

Sister sites