A major celebrity appears to be destroying himself with alcohol before the eyes of a nation, and his antics become comic fodder, fueling an endless thirst for celebrity voyeurism.
What is obscured among the ridicule being heaped upon Charlie Sheen is our own discomfort in confronting alcohol addiction.
The star of the hit TV show Two and a Half Men elicits laughter for attacking those who seek professional treatment as "trolls" lacking the "tiger blood" to beat the disease themselves. But he also points up powerful contradictory attitudes about alcoholism that scholars say can prevent alcoholics and their loved ones from seeking help.
Shame lies at the heart of addiction, said Robert H. Albers, a professor of pastoral care at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and the author of Shame: A Faith Perspective.
"The pervasive resistance to help on the part of those affected and afflicted is due in part to the ingrained belief that if we were strong enough, we could overcome this malady. ... Deep down inside, many of us do not believe that addiction is an illness," Albers wrote in an article in the Journal of Ministry in Addiction & Recovery. "Denial and the conspiracy of silence are no mystery when it comes to addiction. The power of shame shackles all of the people who are adversely affected by addiction."
Religion can be both help and hindrance in the battle against alcoholism, research suggests.
Fewer problem drinkers
Religious institutions have differing perspectives on alcohol use, from general prohibitions among some evangelical denominations and groups such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the use of wine in the Eucharist by groups such as the Catholic Church.
There is, however, almost a universal teaching against alcohol abuse, and research tends to consistently show people who are active in their faith are much less likely to be problem drinkers.
Some 100 studies have suggested religion has a positive effect on preventing alcohol-related problems, researchers Christopher Ellison, Jennifer Barrett and Benjamin Moulton noted in an article in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion on "Gender, Marital Status, and Alcohol Behavior: The Neglected Role of Religion."
In perhaps the most consistent finding, the researchers said, individuals from conservative Protestant and sectarian religious communities, along with people from all groups who worship regularly, are less likely to use or abuse alcohol.
In their analysis of 15,424 respondents to the General Social Survey from 1977 to 1994, Ellison, Barrett and Moulton found a particularly strong relationship among religious conservatives married to one another.
Compared to unmarried nonconservatives, men in conservative unions were nearly 80 percent less likely to be problem drinkers than abstainers, the study found. Women in conservative marriages were 86 percent less likely than single, nonconservative women to be potential problem drinkers.
For all individuals, people who attended services regularly were much less likely to abuse alcohol, the study found.
A study involving a telephone survey in 1995, 1997 and 1999 of more than 5,000 Hispanics also indicated positive effects from frequent attendance and being a member of a denomination that objects to alcohol use.
Among Catholic respondents, for example, 16 percent who attended services weekly or more -- compared to 42 percent of those who did not attend services -- were likely to have reported binge drinking in the past month. Sociologist Julie Ford of the State University of New York-Brockport, reported the findings in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
When it comes to dealing with the disease, however, many religious communities are less successful.
Overcoming shame
The role of religion in addressing alcohol abuse "may be sort of a double-edged sword," said Ellison, a sociologist at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
The strong norms against alcohol abuse, particularly in conservative congregations, might deter a lot of people from admitting they have a problem and seeking help.
"It's very difficult to talk about. If you do have a problem, who are you going to?" Ellison said.
It is especially difficult to seek help from groups that emphasize alcoholism as a problem of human sinfulness that can be overcome by free will, he said. Religious groups that are more understanding of genetic and social factors that contribute to the disease may be more open in confronting alcoholism.
In his journal article, Albers noted that the belief that addiction is a weakness is a powerful contributor to the conspiracy of silence on alcoholism: "In a society that idolizes the strong, the tough, the independent, and the self-made and self-saved person, succumbing to the power of addiction is an obvious manifestation of weakness."
Even family members of alcoholics often isolate themselves out of fear of what people will think. "So the family gradually disappears from the social arena of community and church," Albers wrote.
Yet research indicates being part of caring communities can help both alcoholics come to terms with their addiction and provide family members and friends with critical support.
So what are we to make of all the snickering attention devoted to Charlie Sheen, the piling on of shame and ridicule that only reinforces the fears and silence of millions of Americans dealing with alcoholism?
Duh. Losing.
David Briggs writes the Ahead of the Trend column for the Association of Religion Data Archives.
Follow David Briggs on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ReligionData
Alcoholics Anonymous: America's State Religion?
This is a much more complicated than described in the article and quoting stats always sends me off the deep end. You never know the facts about the statistics. Who paid, what were the questions, who interpreted the data? How did they come to the conclusion?
Enduldging in Alcohol or any drug is important not to destroy the body and mind because the are the vehicles to the Spiritual World.
Me, I have reached the spiritual world and body and mind are of not much use. As the testify for that themselves
Conservative theology is a tricky subject because you are diving into people's personal beliefs. However, its important to remember that several denominations also practice a "things in moderation" doctrine. This allows the believer to live and enjoy life, as long as it does not harm their life or their walk with God.
The alcohol made him abusive, short tempered, and irritable. A man otherwise capable of great charity, humor and wisdom, made a quite good Dr. Jekyl who quickly drank his change to Mister Hyde. God had mercy on my mother and none of her children had the predisposition to become an alcoholic. He scarred us in ways only children of alcoholics can grasp.
I am sure that the author would rather we see religion as the savior of the alcoholic/addict, but is the author willing to get to the underbelly and expose religion's contribution to addictions.
Will there be a real discussion, or denial, the hallmark of addictions, thus enabling them?
How does/has religion participated in the underlying anxieties of addictions?
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"Heterosexual women bear the brunt of narcissistic heterosexual men's hostility, while heterosexual men, gay men and lesbian women provoke a softer reaction, according to psychologist Dr. Scott Keiller from Kent State University at Tuscarawas. This is likely to be due to women's unparalleled potential for gratifying, or frustrating, men's narcissism, the author concludes. They are crucial players and even gatekeepers in men's quests for sexual pleasure, patriarchal power and status.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100728121329.htm
And you do understand that religion can also be abused by narsissistic men? And women can be misogynist?
If religion/God never existed, and never will exist, social ills would/will still exist.
Using Occams razor to rid ourselves of God/religion doesn't rid us of addictions, or abuse.
What it might do, will do, is force mankind to take responsibility for the social ills of societies, but that's highly unlikely.
God is a scapegoat, "the" scapegoat of evil, wrong doing, and irresponsible societies. The Old Testament is filled with such examples. "God did it", and when that fails, well, there is something wrong with "you", it's "your" fault, not societies. "You" made these decisions all on "your" own, the Garden of Eden, all that BS.
Karma, reincarnation was/is another foundation of societal ills.
Have you noticed that there is always a crisis of late in the world? Something to keep people on edge. Do you actually think that is coincidence? I don't. Do you think it's ignorance that the USA refuses to address our southern border, knowing that cartels are spilling over into the USA, and the violence and drugs?
For some people, God may be the only answer they know, and the only one who actually cares about them. That God is imagine or real, is redundant in such a society.
I come from a drinking family, some of us drink stronger beverages, others like beer, and a few like wines and of course, some don't drink at all. Of course some of us have issues, with Alcohol, but from My point of view, most were never shown, how to drink versus being alcoholics.
Most of theses faith based group who run theses programs, consider you a alcoholic if you have more then one or more drinks, at any event or even at home. I say a alcoholic, is someone who cannot control how much they drink, no matter where they go, or whom they are with.While I feel for anybody with substance abuse issues(even food), we need to call it like it is,a weakness, not genetics.
It doesn't discuss for instance the following: (Understanding that, Patriarchal power is not and never was, an Abraham invention, but preexisted those inventions and thrived in many cultures)
Heterosexual women bear the brunt of narcissistic heterosexual men's hostility, while heterosexual men, gay men and lesbian women provoke a softer reaction, according to psychologist Dr. Scott Keiller from Kent State University at Tuscarawas. This is likely to be due to women's unparalleled potential for gratifying, or frustrating, men's narcissism, the author concludes. They are crucial players and even gatekeepers in men's quests for sexual pleasure, patriarchal power and status.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100728121329.htm