The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-10-26
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE.
PSYcHoTHERAPY IN TEMPER
ANcE WORK.

greatest usefulness, according to the
Catholic Encyclopedia, is in alcohol
ism, he should be satisfied to see it's
effects rather than ask for it's defini-
ton. But he must not expect too
much from it in temperance work,
for the writer in the Encyclopedia
says:
There Is no remedy that will cure
We have had, during the
past half century, hundreds of ad-
vertised cures; we know now, that
all Of them owed their success to in
fiuences on the patients mind. When
a new cure is first announced many
are benefited by it. Afterwards it
sinks to the ordinary level and comes
physical treatment with a strong men
tai factor attached When the pa
tients are in the midst of the attacks
of alcoholism their physical state
makes them crave some stimulation.
At this time they must be given other
than alcoholic stimulants, and must
be under such surveillance as shall
help them to keep away from liquor.
After variable time-from week to
two or three weeks-they are quite
capable of resisting the craving by
themselves, if they really want to-"
"The cure of alcoholism is easy,
when they want to be cured" writes
Father Landing in the Pittsburg OBJ
server. But if they don't want to be
cured? "But relapses are easier still"
than cures, because the patients think
that they can take glass and 60 no
further: When they are tired or
chilled, or fear that they are going to
catch a cold, or when friends suggest
it to them, they indulge in glass and
then a second and third, and the old
habit has to be broken again." And
the last state of the patient is worse
than the first. 1--WE have any num-
Der of examples, however, of men
who have not drawn a sober breath
for ten, twenty, or thirty years who
have resolved to drink no more and
have kept their resolutions. If a
man inclined to alcoholism is put in
the way of temptation or puts him.
self in the way of temptation, or
temptation is put in his way, "he will
almost surely fall. He is more sus-
ceptible than otherwise; he must be
kept from contact with it in every
way, and then it is comparatively easy
for him not to relapse into the habit"
Does he mean to remove the saloon
if necessary to keep the poor fellow
from contact with liquor? For if
they will not keep away from it, per-
haps it might be kept away from
them. "Probably the most helpful
factor in the treatment of alcoholism
is for the patient to have some
friend, physician or clergyman, whom
he thoroughly respects, to whom he
turns with confidence in moments of
trial"
1t is easy enough to say what would
be good thing when one is writing
far away from the scene of action.
If one were out among those who
stand in need of cure, he might ex-
perience the truth of the old saw:
Every man can cure the sick horse
but the man that has him" 1t is so
easy to give advice, just as it is easier
for physician to prescribe for than
to cure a patient There is no rea-
son, except in case of distinct dete-
rioration, why he should not be COM
pletely cured; but no drugs, but mem
tai influence and will power is the i'm
portant remedy. Moral factors mean
nh
tents want to, it is not, as a rule,
hard to correct the habits" It is
back again to where we started: 'If
they want to-" Will some one give
us an efficacious means of getting
them to want to-" with the avarice
of the liquor traffic giving as many
opportunities as possible to the poor
unfortunates to procure the drink
their depraved appetite is craving?
The worth of psychotherapy or any
other remedy for the drink habit is
not to be undervalued; but when one
sees how very seldom cures are ef-
fcacious, it emphasizes the old adage
that can ounce of preventive is worth
a. pound of cure" If we wish to pro-
mote sobriety, one, or two, of two
things should be done. Teach young
men to be sober" Organize those
who do not drink and increase their
number, is the first thing to be done;
then, to the more surely keep them
from drink, keep drink from them by
cutting down the number of places
where it can be got to the minimum
or abolish them entirely. If one does
not want to be total abstainer, let
him not do anything that might be
construed as discouraging it in others,
OF as discouraging the lessening or
abolishing entirely of the places where
drink can be got. And write over the
ones left what Dante saw written over
the gates of hell: "All hope abandon
We who enter here"