Each year the holidays bring with them an increase in both the consumption of alcohol and concern about drinking’s harmful effects. Alcohol abuse is no laughing matter, but is it sinful to drink and make merry, moderately and responsibly, during a holy season or at any other time? As a historical theologian, I researched the role that pious Christians played in Read more
New Zealanders commonly drink too much. The proportion who drank more than recommended limits on at least one occasion in the past year ranged from 40 per cent for those aged 55 to 64 to 80 per cent for those aged 18 to 24. While for some this may be infrequent, for too many New Read more
In May last year, chief coroner Neil MacLean revealed that at least a dozen teenagers had died from binge drinking since July 2007. One was only 13. Other research shows that tens of thousands of teenagers a year are injured through drinking, or are diagnosed with alcohol problems, while the damage from unprotected sex, lost Read more