AFC Newsletter Spring 2025
Dear Friend:
In my last newsletter I mentioned that we had plans to considerably expand our operations in the next year or two. We are excited and hopeful about this endeavor. We ask that you fervently pray for us about this undertaking.
This will be a monumental task but we believe we can do it. We will be attempting to go from a shoestring operation to needing a well-funded operation. We believe this is vital to increase our work because of the vast destruction resulting from alcohol use in America that needs to be addressed. That destruction is validated in the information later in this letter titled “WE HAVE A CRISIS.”
This destruction from alcohol seems to be ignored by almost everyone since we don’t see much, if any, effort to counter it. I was encouraged to find there are some organizations addressing this problem, some of them worldwide. We will be making an effort to contact those organizations and work with them in any way possible. However, there does not seem to be the kind of local grassroots movement that will be necessary to correct some of the major problems with alcohol consequences. That is where we hope to come in and make a difference.
With our planned expansion we will be attacking the principal tool Satan has used almost since the beginning of time, alcohol. This will not be easy by any stretch of anyone’s imagination. All kinds of opposition will rise against us if we succeed even halfway in what we hope to accomplish.
We have already proceeded with a couple of things. We have been planning one project for awhile but just hadn’t had the ability to follow through because of time constraints as well as inadequate finances. However, one of our supporters recently passed away and left a substantial donation to Arkansas Family Coalition.
This person was one of our most ardent supporters both financially and through her encouragement in other ways. For the past thirty years she has believed strongly in the work we have done and did all she could to be supportive of Arkansas Family Coalition work. Not only has her generosity been essential in the past, but her generous gift at her death is crucial for the expansion we have planned. We absolutely could not have considered such an expansion without this person’s gift.
RADIO ADS
The project we have been planning for a couple of years is radio ads to educate the public on the severity of the problem with alcohol and encouraging them to join us in our efforts to address this problem which affects every one of us in America.
We just began our first ads in the middle of April on two local radio stations here in Jonesboro. This is a pilot project to determine how effective these ads might be. If they are effective then we will expand to other stations.
This will be very costly and we want to be sure we spend our finances in the most economical way. Though these ads will use up funds very quickly we believe it a necessary method of informing the public and are hopeful that those who hear the ads, and understand how important this work is, will ultimately help us spread the word.
PODCAST – “Sobering Truths”
Another project that we are already working on is the creation of a podcast. We plan to call this podcast “Sobering Truths.” We have the building ready. We have a friend who has a podcast of his own who guided us in the purchase of the equipment. We have it all purchased and he has the studio set up and ready for broadcast.
This is definitely a new venue for us and it will take us some time to get oriented to this method. If we succeed with this podcast we could possibly be broadcasting not long after you receive this letter.
This podcast will be almost solely dedicated to the issue of alcohol and the consequences of its use and how it is destroying so many lives and costing all of us so much money. We will likely hit a few other important issues as we feel necessary, but at least ninety percent of the time will be dedicated to this critical subject of alcohol.
All of you who have received our newsletter for awhile know what serious problems alcohol is causing in this country. As I said in a previous newsletter, this is not only a problem in America, but the whole world struggles with this problem.
I personally call this an unacknowledged crisis. According to Webster, a crisis is a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger. If the following information does not indicate a national crisis, I don’t know what would.
WE HAVE A CRISIS
When…
…there are an estimated one in eight adult Americans who are alcoholics.
…40% of child abuse is alcohol-related.
…every man, woman, and child in America is robbed of $807 each and every year so others can drink.
…75% of teens say alcohol is easy to acquire.
…alcohol is the number one drug problem among young people.
…70% of teenagers admit to drinking alcohol.
…people who begin drinking before age 15 are 4 times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin at age 21 (NIAAA).
…youth who drink alcohol are 7.5 times more likely to use any illicit drug, and 50 times more likely to use cocaine than young people who never drink (CASA, 1994).
…4 out of 5 college students drink alcohol.
…more than 690,000 college students ages 18–24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
…118,000 incidents of family violence will be linked to excessive drinking.
…140,000–175,000 deaths each year are attributable to excessive alcohol use — one of the leading preventable causes of death in the U.S.
…alcohol is a direct cause of 7 forms of cancer, increasing healthcare costs for everyone.
…11% of total healthcare expenses are for treating problems caused by excessive drinking.
…analysis says even moderate consumption is a risk (American Society of Addiction Medicine).
…40% of violent crime is alcohol-related.
…over 3 million cases of violent crime annually are traceable to alcohol.
…73% of all felonies are related to alcohol use and abuse.
…41% of rape cases are alcohol-related.
…81% of wife-battering cases are alcohol-related.
…alcohol is connected to 72% of stabbings and 83% of homicides.
…the average cost per inmate was $31,286 in 2010 and $33,274 in 2015.
…the nationwide prison population has grown by 500% since the 1970s.
…over $100 billion is lost every year repairing property damage caused by drunk driving.
…30% of Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related car crash during their lifetime.
…more than 40% of all fatal auto accidents are alcohol-related.
…10,000 people die on our highways each year from alcohol-related crashes.
…alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. have surged by 30% in recent years.
…1 in 8 deaths among U.S. adults ages 20–64 is attributable to excessive drinking.
…nearly 3 million U.S. teens and adults self-identified in 2022 as having Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), including 753,000 youths ages 12–17.
Each one of these statistics represents individuals, families, neighbors, and friends who are impacted in a very negative way by alcohol use and abuse. The financial cost is unbelievable, and the human pain and suffering is incalculable.
First Goal
Our first goal is simply to educate the public on the scope of the problem so they can take steps to deal with this problem. I am convinced that most people do not have a clue as to the extent of this problem. The reason I believe that is because I personally did not have a clue. I learned the extent of the problem while working with local pastors to try to stop “private clubs” from being placed in Jonesboro and Craighead County beginning in 2003.
This period gave reason and time to do research on the problems with alcohol. What I discovered was shocking. Consequently, I had to conclude that few people knew the extent of the problem — otherwise, why would they not be outraged about it? That is when I knew there had to be an attempt made to educate the public, including the Christian community, so they could, and hopefully would, make a strong effort to address what I refer to as a “national crisis.” Based on the information above, how can it not be a national crisis, or very close?
Are We a Civilized Nation?
My question is, “How can we consider ourselves even a civilized nation, much less a Christian nation, if we allow this to continue with no effort to stop it?” Can any rational person say we should not do what we can to stop as much of this as possible? I personally do not understand why there seems to be no outrage about this already.
We must ask ourselves several questions regarding this problem:
Do we care about the safety of our families, neighbors, and friends?
Do we care about the children being abused, the families breaking up, the poverty caused by alcohol use?
And many more…
The question is, can we do anything about this problem? Absolutely! But we must first realize the scope of the problem. If it is in our hands to do something, and it certainly is, then it is our responsibility to do something.