Also at issue is the Navy's chaplaincy system, which plaintiffs say is unfairly tilted toward Catholics and members of mainline denominations. The director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism calls alcohol the most widespread and damaging substance we have in society. The May 7 U.S. News has an 8-page article showing, among other things, how alcohol alters brain chemistry. New science uses new imaging techniques and shows how alcohol can rewire the circuitry of the brain, eroding its ability to feel pleasure and act wisely, and replacing it with a locus for intense craving and destructive behavior. It says excessive drinking can ruin lives through betrayal, broken promises, lost jobs, car accidents, and a host of other personal tragedies.
Bingers can suffer impaired concentration, slowed reflexes, disrupted sleep and high blood pressure.
For active alcoholics, drinking trumps reason. It distorts judgment. It severs the connection between behavior and consequence. It lays waste to marriages, friendships, and careers. It leaves children stranded.