Alcoholism in the Keralite Community

Have you ever been to a Mallu celebration where alcohol is not served? Pretty dry....boring even. Ppl are just not very lively, and no matter the occasion (grad party, wedding, anniversary) there is an endless stream of speeches which everyone feels obliged to deal with.

But take that same event and throw in an open bar...and well things really get kicked up a notch. Are ppl more lively?...not necessarily. Is there a better exhibition of culture? Nope. But do things get more fun? Depends on your perspective.

Now I would be remiss if I neglected to point out that I am one of the few ppl I know who is not a drinker. I don't have a taste for beer, don't care for wine or liquor, and just don't see what all the hub-bub is about. I don't get the taste....and I'm not one of those ppl who need it to held me "unwind". In a year, I can probably count on one hand the amount of "drinks" I've had...which admittedly makes me an 'odd bird'.

But if you look within the mallu community, I believe that collectively, they more than make up for the scant amount of brain cells I'm killing. Drinking is an enormous problem with our people in America, and sadly the situation is getting worse...not better.

In most minds, it's communities who are down on their luck who take to drinking...in order to drown their sorrows. We all have images of poor Americans in the ghettos sitting on the street corner with a bottle covered by a paper bag. We generalize and think of these drunkards as lazy; having given up hope to better their conditions.

In our Keralite communities, it's striking how the image is almost the opposite. Individuals from all educational backgrounds and ages, who just don't know how to act around alcohol. Having received the plenties of being able to come to this country, we allow ourselves to drown our happiness in endless glasses of the stuff. And what is our excuse? Is there a valid one?

Anyone who is a second generation Indo-American can relate to this in one way or another. College Indian parties are synonymous with drinking and fighting. Indian Weddings are not usually better, the exception being that the plus 40 crowd is also then present. It's truly an embarassment that our communities don't spend enough time addressing amongst ourselves.

Reconciling this private behavior with the outward declaration of one's religion is very hard...at any age. Unfortunately, collegiate and young professionals of the church operate under the guise of some sort of age-qualified immunity. As if you get a freebie or pass for those years of your life in terms of your behavior and morality. But Orthodoxy requires a constant preparation for the coming of the Lord....and getting drunk just doesn't jive with that important fact. Perhaps that isn't the most popular route to take...but if you honestly choose to be Orthodox (or any religion for that matter), your willingly submitting yourself to an unpopular lifestyle. One based on rationality..and not what culture deems as acceptable. Our God is a forgiving God, but we have to at least try....

I'd really like more courage in the leadership of our church towards addressing the drinking issue. Our young people can't continue to think that it's ok to get smashed on Saturday night...and show up for service on Sunday morning. There can be no burying our heads in the sand...this is a social issue which requires immediate action.