The Problem with Alcohol

Drinking Motives

“Why do people drink too much?” is a question many people ask. In Stauros we asked over 200 people and we found some interesting answers. The majority of people, almost three quarters (74%), said they drank because all their friends drank socially, but over two thirds (69%) said they never felt pressurized into drinking. Drinking was a shared activity among these people, as they wanted to conform to the peer group they identify with. Very high percentages of Stauros people drank to over come shyness (79%) and to help them relate to other people in a social context (87%). Sometimes individuals felt the need for confidence in a social context. Many Stauros people drank because it made them feel good (95%), indeed 80% reported they drank because it made them feel better about themselves. But many also said they drank to take away negative feelings. Over three quarters (76%) said they drank because their mind was troubled, and even more (82%) because their feelings were troubled. Many Stauros people use alcohol as a coping mechanism. Many said they drank to cope with their insecurities (82%), with stress (71%) or to help them forget the past (68%).

• Pray for people who lack confidence and who drink because it makes them feel better about themselves. • Pray for people who drink because they are unhappy for one reason or another, that they will find courage to share their problems and be set free in Christ. • Pray for those who live in places where drink is the prevalent culture, for those who find it difficult to escape its influence.