“On the threshold of August, the month of abstinence, we need to rethink the causes of addiction problems, especially alcohol, which hurt our society so painfully,” according to the Appeal of the Team of the Polish Bishops’ Conference for the Apostolate of Sobriety and Addicts for August – the month of abstinence 2021, signed by its chairman, Bishop Tadeusz Bronakowski.
“In our homeland, we notice with great concern that for millions of people the most important + food + are deadly toxic substances or addictive activities, the repetition of which leads to death” – we read in the Appeal.
The chairman of the KEP Team for the Apostolate of Sobriety and Addicts emphasized that as disciples of Jesus we are all called and obliged to be apostles of sobriety. “We are called to pray daily for sobriety for ourselves, our relatives, and our nation. We are also obligated to boldly bear witness that living sober is blessed, ”he wrote.
Referring to the imminent beatification of the Servant of God, Card. Wyszyński, Bishop Bronakowski emphasized that the matter of sobriety was extremely important to him, “because he was fully aware of its role in preserving faith in the nation, in defending Polishness and shaping a successful future for Poland.”
We publish the full text of the Appeal:
Appeal of the KEP Team for the Apostolate of Sobriety and Addicts
for August – the month of abstinence 2021
- “Gathered to the Holy Supper “
The Church in Poland dedicates another pastoral year to the truth that the Eucharist gives life. By accepting this great mystery with faith, we gather at the Holy Supper to listen to the Word of God and to nourish ourselves with the Body and Blood of the Savior.
Today’s first reading from the Book of Exodus reminds us of the extraordinary event when God sent miraculous food from heaven to the Israelites who were murmuring in the desert. This food, manna, foreshadowed the Eucharist. Today the Savior himself says about it: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not hunger, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. We want to use this great gift of love that Jesus Christ gives us in the Eucharist. We are aware that no earthly food can satisfy our souls and open us to the gift of eternal life. Only the Eucharist can do this.
Unfortunately, also in our homeland, we notice with great concern that for millions of people the most important “food” are deadly toxic substances or addictive activities, the repetition of which leads to death.
On the threshold of August, the month of abstinence, we must rethink the causes of addiction problems, especially alcohol, which hurt our society so painfully. Think to better understand the seriousness of the situation and the need to make good decisions supporting the internal freedom of all Poles
- We need a change
Years ago, St. John Paul II asked Mary at Jasna Góra to tell her Son: “Son, they do not have sobriety”. Unfortunately, this painful papal diagnosis from years ago also describes the situation in today’s Poland.
And today we cry out: Jesus, Son of Mary, we are not sober! Instead of joy and joy, our families are filled with sadness and tears. Look at the tears flowing from the eyes of millions of children who live in fear of their parents. Look at the tears of mothers and fathers who weep over the fate of children addicted to alcohol. Count the tears of wives and husbands whose alcohol has taken the loved one away.
Thousands of people die in agonizing suffering and anguish as a result of drunkenness or addiction, and yet the next generations of people do not draw conclusions from their tragedies and enter a similar path of self-destruction and death in installments. During the pandemic, the number of people abusing and addicted to alcohol has drastically increased, as well as other terrible addictions that are harvesting abundant among Poles, especially young people.
Many of our compatriots still disregard the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption. Many do not notice the symptoms of the disease, which slowly but systematically destroys our national organism. These symptoms include domestic violence, irreversible birth defects in children whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy, suicide, car accidents caused by drunk drivers or other mishaps such as drowning, deaths caused by alcohol abuse, and rape under the influence of alcohol. , divorces, damaged youth, and life. Within a year, nearly 20,000 people lose their lives due to the use of alcohol. Poles. One medium town. One football stadium packed to the brim. And we, as a society, as a nation, do not want to see these victims. In 2020, Poles spent as much as PLN 39 billion on alcohol. You can buy over 100,000 apartments of average value. Let’s think about how much good we have wasted.
Considering such an important topic as the sobriety of Poles, let us ask ourselves what a positive change in our customs, characterized by a tendency to drunkenness and other behaviors leading to addiction, may depend on. Let us add that this is a long-awaited change, even necessary for us to survive as a nation. One answer is provided by the National Sobriety Program, which states that recovery may depend on the size and influence of voluntary abstinence groups.
- There is no moderation without abstinence
When writing about voluntary abstinence, experts pay attention to the different attitudes of the social environment to people who do not drink alcohol. Many people who do not understand this idea express surprise, sometimes pity and even indignation. Voluntary abstainers are often suspected of not drinking because they cannot because of their addiction. Abstinence, however, can only be properly understood in the light of the idea of fasting.
History confirms the close relationship between responsible use of alcoholic beverages and the ability to completely abandon their consumption, periodically or permanently. In short – there is no moderation without abstinence. Therefore, it is worth presenting the impact that abstinence has on the people who practice it, as well as on the environment.
First, abstinence is essential salvation for addicts. If a deeply addicted person is to survive, he must persistently abstain. For many, it is simply a choice between life and death.
Secondly, abstinence is a gift for those accompanying the addict. The relatives of the addicted person who decide to abstain completely are great support for them. It is also important that the gift of abstinence is offered to such people by others, e.g. therapists, priests, employers. Then they become a help for them in perseverance, and their authority grows. Abstinence is also extremely valuable for children of addicts, as it prevents them from following in the footsteps of their parents.
Even those who practice moderation, who do not get drunk, need the presence of abstainers in their environment. Staying in moderation is not easy at all, and those who consume alcohol are always at risk of getting drunk. Science confirms that most hazardous and harmful drinkers are found where there are fewer or no abstainers. Abstainers confirm the truth that you can live well and happily without using alcohol. This is what abstainers teach others and that is why they are such valuable teachers of moderation.
The abstinent person is not the enemy of alcohol. He is a true friend of himself and others. He is a brave witness of a sober, responsible, and blessed way of living his daily life.
- Jesus’ disciples are apostles of sobriety
As disciples of Jesus, we are all called and obligated to be apostles of sobriety. We are called to pray daily for sobriety for ourselves, our relatives, and our nation. We are also obligated to boldly bear witness that living sober is blessed. And also to oppose the compulsion to drink and the bad morals we continue to face in many settings. Being an apostle of sobriety means influencing politicians and local government officials. After all, it is their decisions that determine the physical and economic availability of alcohol. Irresponsibly, cynically increasing the number of points of sale, local government officials take great responsibility before God and history, because they destroy the nation. To be an apostle of sobriety today is to oppose the advertisement of this substance, which causes many millions of Poles to suffer drastically. It will vigorously monitor law enforcement when a dealer or someone else violates the law in relation to the sale of alcoholic beverages. This is to influence the media to promote sobriety and highlight the importance of voluntary abstinence in a society where several million people get drunk.
The responsibility of the Catholic Church for the sobriety of our nation is unique. The more faithful we have who give up alcohol for the love of God and people, the more sober adults and teenagers who abstain to grow in grace and wisdom with God and people will be.
However, the family plays the most important and leading role in the process of promoting a sober lifestyle in the nation. It is the family that benefits most when its members are free from addiction. Mutual, sincere, sacrificial, and affectionate love between husband and wife and their common, firm concern for the upbringing of children and youth according to the principles of the Gospel is the best school of sobriety. The family also has the best form of addiction therapy, which is irrevocable love, which must necessarily be tough with alcoholics until they embark on the path of abstinence and radical change of behavior. It is in the family that the gift of abstinence on the part of spouses and parents is most blessed.
In our society, it is important to constantly learn about alcohol-related problems. It is important to show the ways out of addiction situations. People who get drunk should start fighting for sobriety immediately. For alcoholics and their relatives, there is a chance for concrete help in numerous institutions, support groups, and communities. However, they must want this help and use it persistently. Voluntary abstainers should become true apostles of sobriety and animators of joyfully spending time without alcohol in their surroundings. As believers, we must earnestly pray for the sobriety of our nation, invoking the intercession of Mary, Queen of Poland, and our saints, especially the holy apostles of sobriety.
- Pending beatification
The Church in Poland is preparing with great joy for the beatification of the Servant of God Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. The matter of sobriety was extremely important to him, as he was fully aware of its role in preserving faith in the nation, in defending Polishness, and in shaping the prosperous future of Poland. He said that “a drunk nation is already struck down, defeated, just as a drunk person is not aware of his dignity and loses his freedom.” The words of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and his sobriety actions should be constantly recalled, considered, and implemented. They have not lost any of their topicality.
The apostolate of sobriety in Poland cooperates with a wide group of people, communities, associations, various local and state institutions because we are aware of what the Primate of the Millennium emphasized that overcoming the defeat of drunkenness and alcoholism “must begin in the family, but the whole society, the whole nation, Church and state must cooperate with all their strength. ” We encourage all people of goodwill to work together to stay sober.
May August 2021 become a turning point on our nation’s road to sobriety. May the Lady of Jasna Góra bless all good decisions about voluntary abstinence and actions to sober up our nation. We trustingly entrust to her the work of moral renewal of our Homeland.
Łomża, June 12, 2021
Bishop Tadeusz Bronakowski
Chairman of the KEP Team for the Apostolate of Sobriety and Addicts
