August-month of soberty

Since 1984, August is considered the month of sobriety. Why August? This month was chosen because of the great celebrations of Mary, as well as important national anniversaries (if only the Warsaw Uprising, as well as the ‘Miracle on the Vistula’). This tradition is still continued. In order not to lose the uniqueness of this month the Church in Poland is calling us to be freed from the scourge of binge drinking through total abstinence undertaken at one month.

The most common intoxicant is alcohol. Drinking is ubiquitous, present in social life, as well as professional. Accompanied joys, sorrows, anger. We drink when a child is born, when we get married, when someone dies, at every opportunity. We drink at the weekend, on weekdays and in different circumstances. We drink too much, too often, and from an early age. The age limit of the first initiation of alcohol significantly decreases, and thus the faster the society acquires habits discharge of emotions by drinking alcohol. Since alcohol abuse is conducive to perpetuating unemployment, increased violence, crime and law, and public policy, breach of the law by drunk drivers, infringement of the rights associated with the marketing of alcohol by minors and intoxicated sale. Ask yourself - what am I as a citizen of this country can do to alcohol does not collect such ‘crop’, especially among young people, and I cherish in your family sick traditions such as toasts on various occasions with the consent of the parents erected by children or even singing ‘who of us does not drink .....’ etc.?,!.

The August call for voluntary abstinence is one of the many activities that take church. In a pastoral letter of the Polish Episcopate for August 2013, we read: ‘Request for abstinence is not directed only to people who are struggling with alcohol problems. The August appeal is not a moral blackmail against those who do not abuse alcohol, but do not see anything wrong with moderate social drinking during the holidays. It is a call for freedom, joy and life values. Our witness to the August abstinence we can show that we care about the sobriety of another man and the whole nation. At the same time to themselves, we can prove that we can live without alcohol, without it we can withstand these few weeks of August’.

So maybe this is an opportunity for instantaneous (and maybe longer ...) changes in habits? You can also use some variety? Try to refrain from alcohol this month - it is not that difficult, and many of the phenomena can be observed from a different perspective ....