Happy St Brigid’s Day!  Today marks the third stage of the Bishops’ Pastoral Letter “Alcohol: The Challenge of Moderation” which was launched this time last year.  Following on 
from the publication of this Pastoral Letter, a DVD for senior cycle secondary pupils was launched in Tallaght Community School on 15 November last, entitled: “Find the Balance: 
Dare to Dream”.

Cardinal Seán Brady, along with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and myself, launched this DVD to 150 students, staff, public representatives and members of the media.  Since then this 
DVD, with accompanying teachers’ notes, has been distributed to 875 post-primary schools across the island.

It is worth reminding ourselves of Cardinal Brady’s opening words from that launch, when he said: “To young people .... I want to say, first of all, that this DVD is about you. 
You are all young, bright individuals whose unique gifts are going to be of great benefit to yourselves and to society at large. This DVD is about your right to dream.  To dream 
about the exciting, positive opportunities that lie ahead for you and your friends.  It is about your right to live a happy and healthy life.  Yes, a life full of fun and excitement 
but also a life full of meaning and purpose.  This is the balance which protects your dreams and keeps you free from slavery of addiction.  The core message of this DVD is that to be 
happy in life - we need a balance in life.  To be really happy we need self-control as well as self-determination.  Above all, you need self respect. You need a sense of your own 
dignity and of your own worth. We cannot believe in a God who loves, if we don’t, first of all, love ourselves. Every human being is a child of God – Jesus came to tell us that. 
This sense of our own dignity – of our own worth – is one of our most precious possessions.”

This morning we are going to hear the reactions of some of the young people to the DVD Find the Balance: Dare to Dream and also we will benefit from their suggestions and advice 
regarding how best to deal with the issue of young people and alcohol, in practical ways, into the future.  In this regard, I very much appreciate the attendance today of the 
teachers and pupils from Tallaght Community College, Our Lady’s College Greenhills Drogheda and, Holy Family Secondary School Saggart, Co Dublin.

I am also delighted to welcome this morning the well known RTÉ broadcaster and columnist Joe Duffy.  Joe has helpfully agreed to facilitate the discussion with the students present 
regarding the DVD and on the topic of alcohol and young people.

While the DVD was distributed to schools throughout the country, I am happy to announce today that Find the Balance: Dare to Dream is now freely available on the world wide web.  
By going to Bishops’ Conference homepage on www.catholiccommunications.ie and then by clicking on the “Lent 2008” link, an option appears to view the DVD on the YouTube website.

Briefly, as well as the DVD, this Lent 2008 special feature on our website also hosts:
-	Pope Benedict’s message for Lent;
-	The Bishops’ Pastoral Letter – Alcohol: The Challenge of Moderation
-	Our submission to the Government’s Alcohol Advisory Group

As we approach the beginning of Lent, may I put a challenge to all of us to go teetotal or cut down by one third in personal use of alcohol during Lent.

It is easy for the likes of me or indeed anyone else to ask people to take part in an alcohol fast but from the evidence on our streets and in our hospitals, the message of “moderation” 
is not being heard by enough people.  

Having reduced our alcohol intake, by a third, I would be interested to hear how people found this fast and if they succeeded or failed. 

It’s only by listening closer to people and trying to find solutions together that we can get to grips with our excessive drinking culture.  The Church and her pastoral agencies has 
many years of experience in this area.  We will continue help, in any way, so we can best apply our knowledge and resources to those in need.  To help us achieve success, we need 
feedback from the public on the use and misuse of alcohol in our society.  

For example, on one day, in one paper last week there were several horrific stories arising from alcohol abuse: a teenager drinking bottles of vodka daily; a woman whose inquest heard 
she had poisoned herself on an alcohol binge; and, reports of a christening where young children were left in corners of a pub while adults used a baptism as another excuse for heavy 
drinking. 

Whilst there are few people not aware of the negative impact of alcohol on society, there seems to be a reluctance to accept personal responsibility for the wider problem, such as a 
failing to face up to the fact that what was previously considered socially acceptable levels of drinking, could in fact be killing you. This is why the Bishops have decided to repeat 
for Lent 2008 last year’s Lenten message on alcohol.

I am appealing to people to consider reducing their alcohol intake as part of this year’s Lenten Fast.  Like doing anything, it is easier to get groups of 5-6 to undertake the challenge 
together, so as to encourage and support each other and share the struggles.  

When the fruits of fasting are directed to those in need, out of love of God and each other, then it becomes the spiritual unity of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  It becomes more than 
self-discipline coupled with humanitarian aid.  To quote Pope Benedict in his Lenten Message:‘Almsgiving is more than mere philantrophy, but rather a concrete expression of sharing, 
involving an interior conversion to love God and our neighbour.  It is love that gives almsgiving its value’.

Whatever initiative that is undertaken as part of the Lenten Fast, either as individuals or as a group, we should evaluate the difference it makes to the personal quality of our life 
during Lent and also measure as best we can the benefits that our actions brings to others in our lives.

Any feedback on personal or group experiences would be most welcome and can be forwarded to the Irish Bishops Drugs’ Initiative at ibdiinfo@gmail.com or IBDI, Clonliffe College, 
Clonliffe Road, Dublin.

As well as taking personal responsibility to reduce alcohol consumption in our own lives, I believe that at a macro level something should also be done to radically shift alcohol away 
from the mainstream cultural position that it currently occupies in Irish society.  A good starting point would be to break, once and for all, the link between sport and advertising 
alcohol.  We need to do it with the same vigour and determination as the effort to remove advertising for tobacco from sports.  The stakes are high.  The quality of life of whole 
families and communities is what is at risk.

Thank you for listening to me and for your attendance today.  I shall now pass you over to Joe and the students for a discussion reviewing the DVD and on the role of alcohol in society.

ends 

Veritas Head Office, Dublin – 11:00am 1 February 2008