Abuse of Alcohol by Clergy

The Church is experiencing a growing number of clergy who abuse alcohol, and this has made people to ask whether clergy still embody the image of God or if they are “alcoholics.” I therefore undertook to do a research on this problem to ascertain whether the church creates alcoholics or are alcoholics attracted to the ministry. Questionnaires designed for laity, clergy and the diocesan leadership were given to them to find out if alcohol and alcoholism is a problem to the church and what could be the cause of it. Realizing that the questionnaires may not be sufficient, five case studies were used. With many clergy, the signs were there before ordination and no one picked them up. Though this research was not aimed at stopping priests from being alcoholics, the researcher hopes that it helps the clergy to realize what alcohol do to their ministry, families and themselves so that they can make wise choices when it comes to taking alcohol.