Essay Example on Alcohol Use: Contention Over Common Good in Catholic Context

Introduction

The concept of common good is somewhat contentious, but in the catholic context, the concept revolves two aspects of every phenomena-private and public. For the common good to be achieved, the interests of an individual are subordinate to those of the public. Something is common if the public shares it (Sullivan, 2001). If it is not shared, it ceases to be common good. Alcohol use in the society globally has historically been a contentious issue. Despite continued reports that alcohol use has more harm than good, there is still no consensus on the way forward. Alcohol consumers put a risk on themselves and the community. When a person drives an automobile when drunk, he risks his life, other people's lives and property, and the livelihood of his family. Cleary, once alcohol reaches the harmful levels, it ceases to be a personal problem. It becomes a community and governmental.

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The church, as part of the community, has to shoulder the burden too of trying to solve the problem. The common good would be where alcohol use achieves its intended purpose. For example, access to alcohol among children remains a global concern. Children access alcohol and promotions of alcoholic drinks threatens to introduce children and young adults to the trap of alcohol use. Even with campaigns about responsible drinking, at least 40% of drinkers overdo it at least once in a month and almost all drinkers do it at least once in a year. Lastly, the quality of alcohol available to the drinkers ranges from harmful to poisonous especially in the Global South. Therefore, the common good is not realised when it comes to protection of children, standardization of alcoholic drinks, alcohol usage, alcoholic information sharing, among other areas that could strengthen the alcohol burden locally, regionally, and internationally.

Addressing the challenges

Addressing the alcohol problem is a shared responsibility. As Byron (2004) puts it, protection of the poor and the vulnerable is a core principle of the catholic faith. Children, dependants, family, and overall communities are at risk of alcoholism. Commercial interest often override community and common good interest. For example, lobby groups formed and funded by brewers tend to have significant political interest. Attempts to regulate alcohol usage, alcohol information, and alcohol production gets significant resistance from politicians. Indeed, alcohol has its benefits to the society. Brewers create employment too many people. The whole industry also creates a lot economically in terms of value chain. However, it is also creating a serious problem that must be addressed. To do that, the church has a play a role in every aspect of intervention. There are 4 main areas that the church and the community of the church can assist.

Community advocacy and involvement

Lobbying is an effort that seeks to influence public policy (Gottemoeller, 2015). The alcohol problem persists despite the existing public policy interventions. Therefore, a change of tact is inevitable, and that is where the church must be on the forefront of lobbying for a review of the existing policies. It must also be part of the solution by providing grounds for their lobbying efforts. Often, public policy takes commercial and political beating before approval. So, when lobbying efforts are anchored in irrefutable and empirical information, it can bring advocates of common good on board.

In the alcohol context, information about alcohol consumption and harmful effects is still not available to drinkers. A significant number of drinkers are illiterate. They do not know the harmful effects of for example drinking when pregnant or mixing drugs with alcohol. Audi (2012) opines that information is a potent tool when it comes to ethical practice. Unfortunately, information holders choose what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. If any intervention is successful, it must focus on the sources of information, channels of distributions, and rhetoric of the delivery. The commercial players will want to show alcohol consumption as a fashionable, classy, luxurious, and safe endeavor. Mele (2009) sees a solution in holding individuals responsible for promoting the common good. This means putting pressure on decision-makers at the governmental and corporate level to give full information.

Training

One of UNESCO's core goals for the millennia is to promote functional education (2015). The proposed education should show a distinctive and inclusive viewpoint of the world as a unit. Issues of climate change, alcoholism, social justice, ethics, and racism all have a common and equalizing approach-the principle of common good (Devitt, 2016). If policy makers, professionals, and lay people understand these concepts, the world stands a better chance of defeating these problems (Annas, n.d). In the alcohol context, will someone serve a visibly drunk person more alcohol? Would an alcoholic business insist on making sales even when the people buying the alcohol are clearly intoxicated already? Promotion of such thoughts ought to be in the training of professionals at every level (Sullivan, 2001).

The Catholic Church can train its members on the dangers of alcohol use. They can also conduct community training programs that should target young adults and teenagers who might otherwise fall prey to the attractive packaging and promotion of alcoholic drinks. Planting the right seed in a young mind can yield lasting effect on the future adult. The catholic teachings of instructions to the ignorant have not changed. As a cardinal works of mercy and by extension charity, the church community should be on the forefront of enlightening communities as a whole about the dangers of alcoholism (Rowlands, 2013). The church should however, be careful as alcohol use and cultural practices tend to be intertwined. However, using cultural coping mechanisms and interventions such as empowering cultural institutions of training and instruction can provide the necessary information (Hanvey, 2011).

Rehabilitation

Alcohol use inevitably leads to addition and dependency. Addicts are helpless and require intervention preferably from professionals. Addicts are at risk of harming themselves. They are also at risk of hurting future generations. Children raised by alcoholics are likely to turn out as drunkards, too. It is imperative to provide rehabilitation for those who are already drunkards to prevent them from propagating the cycle of alcoholism and poverty. As John Paul II, put it, human dignity transcends all. With it compromised, everything else crumbles-family, economy, church, and soul (1999).

Supporting and being part of the rehabilitation will ensure that those that are willing to escape the cycle have an opportunity to do so. In addition, the church should provide an avenue for the rehabilitating patients to grow spiritually so that they can draw from the Holy Ghost the power of healing. Further, alcoholism and poverty is a vicious cycle. Providing the community with employable and technical skills can improve the economic fortunes of the community.

Promotion of community engagement

The community has the capacity to rejuvenate itself. It knows its strengths and weaknesses. It also harbors its own best interests. One must realize, especially missionaries, that lasting solutions to social problems are likely to come from communities themselves. Empowering the community to discover the challenges and their possible solutions is now a globally accepted approach to social problem. As noted, alcoholism and culture tend to have a connection. Harnessing that connection could yield to the desired results.

References

Annas, J, (n.d). "Living Virtuously, Living Happily", Chapter 9, Intelligent Virtue.

Byron, W, (2004). Framing Principles of Catholic Social Thought, pp. 10-15.

Rowlands, A, (2013). Catholic Social Teaching: Not-so-secret anymore?

Hanvey, J., (2011). The Big Society and Catholic Social (on subsidiarity and solidarity).

John Paul II, (1999). Respect for Human Rights.

Devitt, C., (2016). Justice in the Global Economy: What It Means for Earth-Care, Environment, Economics.

Gottemoeller, D., (2015). Advocacy as an Expression of Charity.

Sullivan J. (2001). Catholic Schools and the Common Good, in Catholic Education: Distinctive and Inclusive, Chapter 8, Springer, Dordrecht.

UNESCO (2015). Rethinking Education. Towards a global common good?

Audi, R, (2012). Virtue Ethics as a Resource in Business. Business Ethics Quarterly, 22(2), 273-291.

Mele, D., (2009). Integrating Personalism into Virtue-Based Business Ethics: The Personalist and the Common Good Principles. Journal of Business Ethics, 88, 227-244.