Our senior member of the Alcohol Problems Council of Wisconsin is Rev. Ray Bayley. He has served on the Council for over 50 years, and he has seen our organization evolve its focus from the early days of policy lobbying and public education programs, to our current role which is serving as a granting agency and information clearinghouse to the faith community in Wisconsin.
Ray certainly has a way with words; he has written Poetry, Songs, Public Letters, and Opinion Pieces. We have compiled here nuggets from his writings and even off-the-cuff remarks. Readers will appreciate these thought-provoking concepts about alcohol, its dangers, and its effects — as well as a little random humor which showcases his likeable personality. We affectionately call these pithy sayings “Ray-isms”, in honor of this man who has given much of his life to our cause and continues to contribute with his healthy mix of passion, clear thinking, and invaluable humor.
A collection of “Rayisms”:
Just for fun . . . I was on the High School basketball team (until the first cut). The older I get, the more I tend to dribble and pass.
If you make a decision to abstain from alcohol, you only have to make it once; if you don’t abstain, you have to make that decision over and over again.
Speaking of the “legal limit” for blood alcohol. The blood alcohol percentage is not the legal limit, because you can be found legally drunk with less in your blood if other corroborating factors prove that you are drunk.
We in Wisconsin use the phrase “Alcohol and other drugs” while other states use “Alcohol and drugs.”
No one says, “I want to become an alcoholic.”
They choose to be a moderate drinker.
But 10% of moderate drinkers become alcoholics.
And it is the moderate drinkers who are attractive to those who first choose to drink. Those who choose first to drink are not emulating drunks.
Prevention is better than treatment.
I would like to see an emphasis on safety rather than punishment— safety for the public at large.
Over the years, at least a half-million HS students were presented by the APCW or related organizations with the idea that not drinking is a viable option.
Prohibition was poorly written, and miserably enforced. Still yet, incidence of cirrhosis of the liver plunged during Prohibition. It took 30 years after repeal for cirrhosis to reach its former level.
I prefer the phrase “Self-abuse with alcohol” to the common phrase “alcohol abuse.” Alcohol is the instrument of the abuse, rather than the victim.
