Alcohol

+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
3 Aug 2003

Last year one of our Catholic boys’ schools from a prosperous Eastern suburb provoked a wave of public comment and criticism when a year 12 break-up at Bondi degenerated into a drunken brawl causing $80,000 worth of damage. Ten boys were eventually charged: The club which served them the alcohol was closed for 72 hours; hardly a drastic penalty.

I am not prepared to defend the indefensible and the youngsters involved let themselves down first of all, as well as their parents and school.

But we should beware lest we enjoy the lapses and misfortunes of others too much. About sixteen hundred years ago St. Augustine in Christian North Africa wrote about the characteristics of people without hope. He explained that the less attentive people are to their own sins, the more they pry into the sins of others. They seek, he said, not what they can correct, but what they can criticize.

The school is now bringing good from bad and has commissioned a survey, on the alcohol consumption of every student, parent and teacher at the school. This is the first such survey in Australia. Equally brave and equally praiseworthy is the fact that they published their findings.

Sixty-five percent of students reported at least one binge drinking episode, defined as more than five drinks at a session, the medical limit for adult females. Three percent drink alcohol every day and about ten percent drink at least three times a week.

All in all the survey found that about one student in five was a heavy drinker and there was a strong correlation between a lot of drinking and the amount of money from work or pocket money available to these young individuals (generally about $30 a week).

A couple of additional points were also worrying. Nearly two thirds of the students reported drink driving. Despite the heightened awareness against drinking and driving, it still does occur.

Secondly, the average age for the first full alcoholic drink for students is now just under twelve years of age, four years earlier than that of their parents and teachers. There is no consolation here, because extra maturity is a great help generally in avoiding trouble.

Many adults of my generation are too complacent about the problems alcohol brings, being more frightened of drug problems. But alcohol kills more people than any other drug, even if slowly and silently. All of us need to understand the damage alcohol causes, and young people in particular need this information.

The school is to be commended for their survey and the courage to carry it through to publication. I hope they provoke wide public discussion because this is not just a Catholic problem. It is a topic which merits prayer so that we will be wise, discussion across the generations of parents, grandparents and children and good example from the adults.