In the past, religion's contribution to this debate has been from a moral standpoint about the questions of poor behaviour that are encouraged by the loss of our inhibitions. But the truth is that Christianity has a complex relationship with alcohol, from the beautiful story in John's Gospel of Jesus turning water into rich and special wine, to the brewing of beer by monks and the central sacramental act of billions of Christians around the world when we drink fortified wine from the same cup at the Eucharist. It is perhaps a sign of our times that this debate has been highlighted not so much by a moral anxiety as a medical one. It's the strain on the NHS that's the issue. We are it seems, a society less at ease with ourselves than we could be, for example, taking the edge off social interactions with a drink to alleviate our fear. Moralising judgements don't help here, but recognising that we medicate our misery by taking alcohol will raise deeper questions about who we are and who we want to be."