The Best A Man Can Get?
It was surely just a matter of time before George Best proved us right. That insatiable thirst would cry out to be slaked, no matter what he said about keeping a lid on it.
By drinking again, hasn't he let everyone down? What about the organ donor whose death allowed him to play extra time in the first place? How come he deserved another liver, when he'd pickled his own?
In fact, any alcoholic can qualify for a transplant, so long as, like the ex-footballer, they abstain for six months first. Three in 20 start drinking again. George Best is not uniquely reckless. He is - not uniquely - ill.
So let those without sin put the boot in first. We've all been unhealthily dependent on something in our time - soap operas, cigarettes, spiritual experiences, work... Some will kill us, some will not. But we can generally try to quit in private.
In missing such an open goal, however, Best has become something of an icon for the anonymous alcoholics who struggle everyday to stay dry in Britain's increasingly drink-soaked cultural climate. The latest faltering steps in a staggering life story might yet, positively, help us all reflect on why so many reach for a drink when we're bored or start to lose our bottle.
Binge drinking is widespread, according to a survey published this month by the Department of Health. More than half of all women between 19 and 24 exceed their recommended three daily units at least once a week, while one in seven men drink at least 51 units per week.
Our society has always liked its drink. But when even the Guardian argues against the proposed extension of our licensing laws (suggesting that 'as a nation we should tell it like it is. We are Britain, and we are alcoholic'), it's worth stopping to think. Can we, as Christians, help to model an alternative?
"If you are thirsty, come to me and drink" said Jesus. "Then you will have life-giving waters flowing from deep inside you." We know the text, and we'd better believe it. But we should remember, too, that these weren't empty words. Jesus was accused of being a friend of drunkards; living water flowed through his relationships.
Too much 'drink', ironically, dries you out. Taking it away, however, won't quench the thirst of George Best. He still needs a tonic.
Brian Draper
Comments
There are currently no comments for this article.
