EDWARD S. SANDERS entered Glen Iris in 1956 after serving for a year as Youth Director for the South Australian Temperance Alliance. In the next 5 years before ordination he served the Churches in resident ministries at Frankston, Boronia, and East Malvern (now Ashburton). In 1961 he was serving the Church at Murray Bridge, S.A, when he received an invitation to become General Secretary of the Victorian Temperance Alliance. Although he had only been one year at Murray Bridge the Church reluctantly acceded to the request of the Alliance to release him to this important work. From a long history of Industrial and Social activity, he has led the Alliance realistically into new fields of thought and achievement with modern, up-to-date methods.

      One day when travelling in the country, stopping at a restaurant for luncheon, I was most interested in the menu (for a man of my size that's always important) . . . but something other than the food attracted my attention on this occasion. There were a number of poetic quotations on the menu which lauded the benefits of drinking some wine with the meal. (I'm happy to say they also had a very excellent fruit cup available of which I and my party partook.) Among these quotes was one from one of the plays of Shakespeare--I can't remember the words now, I never was any good at learning my nursery rhymes and haven't improved even now that my interest, ought to have matured to the level of Shakespearean plays. But I do know that these words brought into my mind the picture of a book which is on the library shelves in my office. It is called "The Enemy in the Mouth" and these words are taken from Shakespeare's Othello, "Oh God! That men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains." Now perhaps this ancient and revered gentleman was as confused as the rest of us about the place of alcohol in society. It seems there has always been some kind of use of alcohol and some kind of problems associated with its use, as far back as the history of man can go. There is a record somewhere of a teacher in Egypt back in 4000 B.C. complaining that his student was going too often to the tavern and neglecting his work.

      It is claimed that excessive use of alcohol and its resultant problems played a significant part in the downfall of many of the great civilizations of the past. Perhaps this is just a symptom of something more significant gone wrong deep within the core of a society become decadent.

      Now it's not my purpose to claim the decadence of our society. In fact I think it is far from decadent. I believe this to be a thrilling age of discovery and development when our civilization, at present coming through the birth pangs of a new age, can and will reach greater heights of achievement and goodness than any previous age of history. But I do know, and I suspect that most of us know, that there is a far too significant number of personal health and social welfare problems in our community which are associated with and related to the personal use of alcoholic beverages.

      It is claimed there are some 300,000 alcoholics and problem drinkers in Australia today. These are all sick people who are in desperate need of the help that can be given by the healing agencies of the community. This number of people with their families and those directly necessary to the upkeep and healing of them would populate a city the size of Melbourne and that's not an exaggeration. It is claimed by authoritative medicos that every alcoholic affects directly at least ten other people We are told that some 40% of the male admissions and 10% of female to Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital are alcoholic and there are 4,000 admissions a year. It is claimed by some that 40% of the cost of maintaining Pentridge prison is directly attributed to drinking problems, no doubt these same conditions would exist in other States. Our family welfare and marriage authorities are continually engaged in restoring disturbed and broken families in which there has been

some kind of casual relationship with drinking. Our Children's Welfare Homes are crowded with disturbed and uncared for children and in the great majority of cases there is somewhere some involvement in drinking problems.

      In this day when in our big cities at least, a pedestrian is simply someone who has found a parking spot, we are faced with a tremendous road safety problem. Over 2,500 people a year are dying on Australian roads. Official statistics state that 8% of these deaths are caused by intoxication. But I know and you know that there is a great area of lowered driving efficiency by the effects of alcohol before a person can be classed as intoxicated. And in spite of this and the repeated proclamations of our Road Safety Councils we go on relating drinking and driving and still the carnage continues on our roads. So one could go on describing the area of problems and it is true that it paints a rather black and disturbing picture.

      But it is also true that this is not the whole picture. There is another side to the drinking picture. We must also be fair and recognise than in spite of these tremendous problems there are very many people who do enjoy a drink without any apparent ill effects. The early Romans had a God called Janus who had two faces which looked in opposite directions, and Dr. A. A. Bartholomew, Director of the Alexandra Clinic for Alcoholism in Melbourne, has said. "It must by now be quite apparent that alcohol is to be considered as something of a Janus in our civilization. It can confer some benefits (it has been termed a social lubricant and it was certainly the first of the tranquilizers) but it is capable of undermining personal health and ambition, interfering with all social relationships and in the best biblical tradition, causing the sins of the fathers to be visited upon the sons in that by disturbing the family unit the children may be 'damaged irreparably'."

      Now, I have been asked to talk some commonsense about drink, but in spite of the confidence of those who have given me this subject. I'm not sure that I am competent to fulfil this task and I'm not sure either that it is at all possible. There used to be a television series that I liked to watch called "Tightrope." It was built around a young policeman who worked as an undercover man. It was his task to become involved in crime, yet never to actually commit a crime, so that criminals may be caught. He walked a tightrope between crime and decency and many times between life and death as he uncovered the activities of the criminals, although his true identity was known neither to the police working on the particular case nor to the criminals. Of course, in spite of the tense drama and the fears of the viewer the star always seemed to be able to make next week's programme. To talk commonsense about drink is something like that. On either hand there are those extremists who are not prepared to see the other fellow's point of view. There has been more prejudice and hysteria in relation to drink problems than in any other area of life. There is a great deal of ignorance and a great deal more confused thinking in the community and this applies at every level of the social, economic and religious strata of society. I am not egotistical enough to believe that I can propose the answer to all this, but I do think that the community can find the answer if it will only unite for a moment and sit down sensibly and reasonably and bring the great resources we have to bear on the tremendous task before us. We have conquered many things by the genius of our scientific application of a determination to get things done. I firmly believe that given time and sufficient encouragement we shall

conquer this problem, too. There will necessarily be a variety of answers proposed to the dilemma and not any one of them will be complete in itself. Nor will any one of them be divorced from the total pattern of a community approach at all levels. There must be a coming together of all who feel that they have an answer to propose and those who are involved in any way in any of the alcohol related problems.

      The Temperance Alliance today feels it has a positive contribution to make and as a representative voice of the Churches and the Temperance organisations, a large body of citizens, it at least has a right to be heard.

      The Temperance Movement today is not an advocate of Prohibition as we understand that term in the American experiment . . . This is in spite of the fact, that the "noble experiment", as it is often termed in America, was far from the failure it is popularly caricatured to have been. It is a matter of fact that many national benefits were experienced in the prohibition days. In comparison, crime rates, divorce rates, accident rates were lower. Federal finances were better in spite of the loss of revenue from liquor taxes and budgets were not only balanced but showed surplus in eleven out of the thirteen years. The repeal of the 18th Amendment did not rid the country of bootleggers and moonshiners. They are still a tremendous problem in the United States today and present a huge task to the Federal tax collectors. Of course it is not possible to say what other pressures of environment, and history have an influence on these matters It is impossible to define, as explicitly as some would like, cause and effect. It is certain only that alcohol is associated with these problems and may only be itself a related part of a yet wider and bigger problem to be found somewhere in the enigmatic life of man.

      The Temperance Movement today is not pragmatically interested in the supposed success or failure of Prohibition in America. We live in a different age when Prohibition, in spite of its protections, would be abhorrent to society. The historical necessity to develop a moral freedom and a social awareness has cancelled out the context in which many of the ancient prohibitions were formed and became the pattern for the religious and communal development of society. It is true that we accept as a primary function the advocacy of a voluntary choice of abstinence. There is at essential difference, especially for the Christian, between being told he is not permitted to do something and in making a voluntary choice that he does not want to do so. To be prohibited from drinking is no virtue, but to choose not to drink makes one strong and even more so if perchance he may like liquor. Let us all understand that there are two distinct and separate classes of abstainers in the community. Firstly there are those who must be abstainers. The alcoholics and the problem drinkers. These people, if they are to become and remain healthy, and to be of use to themselves, their families and the community must become and remain total abstainers. The rest of the community must understand and accept this fact. It is not a dis;race. It is simply a fact.

      The second group, and these, too, are important, is made up of those, who, like myself and many of those who will read this, want to be abstainers. This may be because of any one or a number, of a myriad reasons. Today moral understanding has so developed and the impact of the Christian message on the life of the community is such that abstinence profits nothing morally, unless it is set in a spiritual context of tolerance, humility, courtesy and the other fruits of the spirit. To drink or not to drink is today not seen as a question

for absolute moral judgment. Excess in drinking as in anything else is always wrong, but even then it is the spirit of excess and the desire for excess which brings moral condemnation. 7 believe that a major and significant part of our answer to the problems we are facing will be found as we discover ways to increase the number of those who want to be abstainers and decrease the number of those who need to be abstainers. But while we accept the advocacy of total abstinence as a primary function we must nevertheless come to terms with the fact that we live in a situation in which alcohol is an important factor. A very great number of people are going to consume very large quantities of alcohol for a very long time to come. What methods and policies then shall we adopt to find the answer to our problem?

      One of the most amazing things that has happened to me in my term of office as General Secretary of the Victorian Temperance Alliance is the discovery of the lack of real evidence for our case. So much of what we say and rely upon is merely opinion of what might be so. So much more depends on research overseas, and because this community might be similar to one overseas we say the same would happen here and before long we have convinced ourselves that it is so.

      Everybody talks about 300,000 alcoholics in Australia. Professor Prest, an Economist from the Melbourne University, interested in social statistics, looks at this figure and says probably nearer 100,000 (still too significant a number to be ignored). The truth about this is that we simply do not know how many alcoholics there are in Australia whether it be 2 or 200,000. Of course we know it is more than 2 because most of us know more than this number personally. Crime figures, divorce rates, mental health statistics, industrial loss amounts are all quoted from time to time and again the truth is that we do not know. It is certain, however, that alcohol plays a significant part in the relationships governing personal and community social welfare. The World Health Organisation has done some research on this. Their findings indicate a direct relationship.

      We must move from there through the method of research to tabulate, check and pictorialise this relationship in our community. We must demand a research program. We must find money for it. We must back the personnel who can and are ready to undertake it. But most of all we must be ready to accept the findings of this research whatever they are.

      Our research program must not only discover the extent of the problem, but also the cause of the problem. Why are some people involved in problems while millions seem to drink, even in some cases quite large quantities of alcohol, with apparent impunity. We need to know what factors cause people to begin to drink. To what extent is social pressure responsible and how can this be reduced. How much is loneliness and the need for some social life. To what extent is this an escape from bad housing, domestic incompatibility, personal inferiority, status seeking, image building, unsatisfactory industrial conditions, or just from the responsibilities and confusion of living in this pressurised age-in-a-moment.

      Such a program will involve us inevitably in an interest wider than just alcohol. In many cases it will be seen that dependence on alcohol is an effect rather than a cause. It behoves us therefore to be interested in solving the whole problem and we will need to attack, in some cases, loneliness and the conditions which generate this un-natural

context. If it is that bad housing, or domestic difficulties or industrial conditions for example is the context problem, then we must act to remove these conditions. It will be readily seen that such work as this will require co-operative effort on the part of many. Neither the Temperance Movement nor the Churches can achieve the kind of result desired alone. We will, therefore, be involved in cooperation with all kinds of people, even in some cases with those whose interests may appear diametrically opposed to ours. The question of whether a person abstains or not must never be the criterion for an interest and co-operation in this work. A good deal of work has already been done in this direction and it may surprise many to know that even within the liquor industry in many parts of the world a deal of co-operation is being achieved toward the end of saving people. This, of course, must always remain our goal. It is good that there is a growing interest in these problems within our government and some research is beginning. It is refreshing that the Social Studies graduates of our Universities and the Social Welfare groups in the community are taking a much more active part in the recognition and abolition of alcohol problems. We are not interested in developing a powerful movement for its own sake. It is because we have a theological impetus to our work that we are interested in people and we must go in whatever direction and work with whatever people and organisations such an impetus and interest demands.

      The first of two natural corollaries from our dependence on factual research will be a program of rehabilitation. It is a disaster that there is such a small number of real centres in Australia (and in some States there are none) where it is possible for people to receive counselling and nurture of a rehabilitative nature. A.A., the various Governments through their Mental Health Departments, the Church through its counselling agencies and the Salvation Army through its Social projects, are all doing something. But this something is fragmented and in many cases petty jealousies are preventing the proper development of the work. In the face of the dimensions of the problem all that is being done amounts to fiddling while Rome burns.

      It is necessary that in every major centre of population in the country a counselling and treatment centre be set up. Early recognition of problems and likely problems is essential. Qualified counsellors must be available at all hours. It is likely that a voluntary network of thoroughly trained lay counsellors would prove the most successful. This may seem far away, but it must be attempted and will require the complete, unsuspicious co-operation of all sections of the community. The finance for such a program must come co-operatively from all sections of the community, and without any sense of buying a controlling interest; Temperance, Government, Liquor Industry, Commercial Industry, the Church and the community must attempt and, I believe, will achieve this rehabilitation network, so that those requiring treatment can receive it within the context of the family and the community life and thus be enabled to overcome the problems of living which are driving them away from life itself.

      The second natural outcome of a research program will be a concerted community drive for prevention. In recent years preventive medicine has made great strides and dreaded diseases of even a couple of decades ago which were wiping out 100's and 1,000's of valuable lives or crippling them unmercifully, have today been largely conquered. While curative medicine has

and still does play its part in this work, it is essentially that preventive medicine was employed that our medical history has progressed to the stage where alcoholism is coming to the head of the list as the number one National Health Problem.

      The Temperance Movement still believes rightly or wrongly that legal control and limitation of the facilities for the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages plays an important role in the prevention of associated problems. There is no real evidence that later bar closing hours tends to reduce social welfare problems. It must be stressed however that there is never a stage when control becomes prohibition. It is also tragically evident that the kind of control we have today in any State has not prevented the development of serious welfare problems. The idea of restrictions for the sake of restrictions is valueless. The idea of removing restrictions for the sake of removing restrictions is equally valueless. It is important that people be free to choose either to drink or not to drink. It is important, I believe, that no stigma be attached to any person one way or another. Psychologically and spiritually guilt complexes play a very important part in our personal and communal behaviour, and not always in a desired direction. So a program of acceptance of people end freedom to choose is essential.

      The man who drinks because he is feeling guilty or who feels guilty because he drinks is heading for a fast disaster. This may also be true in other directions of the person who abstains for moral guilt reasons.

      The kind of drinking establishments we have in many places, the false image of an Australian as a man who can hold his beer, the quaint and dangerous custom of drinking in what we call "schools" and the overworked practice of "shouting" all lead toward unwanted and uncontrolled guzzling. Guzzling of anything is always intemperate and when it is alcoholic there is danger also inherent. The liquor industry may have to accept some limitations on advertising. At least there will need to be some investigation made and proper standards set so that there is no slant toward the encouragement of young people to drink. These things can all help toward reducing the consumption of alcohol and therefore reducing the associated problems. But drinking conditions, images, advertising and even trading hours are only of fringe interest. Our real problem does not lie in these things, but in alcohol itself and its relation to people.

      By far the greatest need in a preventive program is for a scientific realistic education campaign. This must be backed and supported by all sections of the community. It is essential that it be factual, honest, and positive. It must be given in the best possible context to allow all people to make and maintain an intelligent and a completely free choice. We must be prepared to publicise not only those facts which suit our own purpose, but to give the whole story.

      The material must be presented to the community at all ages and social levels. We have seen educational campaigns for Cancer, Heart disease and Road Safety. An alcohol problem campaign must be attempted on the same basis and at the same standard. There will never be an acceptance of any anti- or merely negative programme. The Spiritual conscience of the community has progressed beyond the merely condemnatory. Our programme must then be positive and guided by the development and experience of our research and rehabilitation workers.

      There must be attempted a re-consideration

and re-assessment of the values in education at both primary and secondary levels. It is true that we live in an age of specialization, but it is tragic that at the age of about 12 our children must make serious choices and begin their specialisation for life study and occupation. We need a greater emphasis on general education in which the Social sciences and humanism play a significant part. It would have to be recognised of course that this could not be used as a platform for the advocacy of total abstinence nor for the sale and introduction of liquor, but would need to present material of a factual nature in regard to the biological effects of alcohol and the possible personal and social consequences of drinking.

      The Social Welfare of the whole community is so deeply involved that both liquor interests and Temperance Movements should support such a step, even though neither's attitude was being upheld.

      There will be great value in developing and propagating training for clergy, teachers, Youth workers, industrial personnel workers and other key persons, at this level. Regular seminars for the training of these people will prove to be most important. Industrial programmes like that being attempted by the Inter-Church Trade and Industry Mission, Counselling Clinics personal and pastoral contacts for early recognition and referral are an essential part of an education programme. Hoteliers and hotel workers who are in close contact with drinkers must be fully trained in recognising and handling people in whom problems begin to develop. A common attitude which must be dispelled is that drinking is a personal and private thing. That it has nothing to do with anyone else. We used to talk that way about many other things. We used to talk about sex and education for marriage behind closed doors, and in hushed tones as if it was an unsavory subject. Today in this area we are becoming more and more enlightened and this is good. So too we must with drinking problems. Because we are in a closed community where our life and activities affect a lot of people, drinking cannot be a personal and private thing.

      In summary, then, there is no quick and easy way out of the morass, and morass it is. That alcohol related problems can be a serious threat to our well being must be accepted by the whole community. That in proposing our answer each of us must not fail to consider fully and honestly answers given by others. That there must be co-operation and concern by all sections of the community in an attack on the problem. That there is a way forward which is full of challenge and encouragement. That our concern and involvement in the cause of Temperance must be pursued within the context of a wide-ranging social awareness which has as its goal the Kingdom of God on earth and the saving of men, women and children from unnecessary suffering.