DRUNKINESS AND ALCOHOL AT BETHEL

A person who is very close to me served four years in Bethel. He told me that the Bethelites there drank quite a bit. He even told me a story about a time when he and a good Bethelite friend of his drank so much that they would have gotten kicked out of Bethel had a higher up found out about it. His troubles with alcoholism began in Bethel. He later left Bethel to get married. He was appointed elder at 25. Throughout the years he was able to hide his alcoholism from his wife, who's father never drank alcohol.

He was assigned to one congregation not too long ago where he had an immediate clash with an over-righteous elder who didn't like his relaxed attitude. At the same time he was going through some financial and marital problems. It all came to a head and his alcoholism spun out of control. His wife came home to find him passed out drunk at their house on a few occasions. Of course, the elder he was clashing with immediately seized on the opportunity and had him publicly reproved. His problem continued for a while longer. He finally was able to see a therapist and enrolled in Alcholics Anonymous. He claims to now be sober for over a year, and there haven't been any relapses.

He's become very "weak" in the truth as a result of the negative experiences he encountered at his hall, and I'm hoping he can bring himself to just quit the religion altogether, but his wife won't allow it, I'm sure. She married him because of his status as a Bethelite. Her demeanor has completely changed toward him ever since he was removed as an elder and got publicly reproved. However, his whole battle with the bottle began at Bethel, and from the stories he told, he wasn't the only one with that problem. It's a way that a lot of these Bethelites mask the problems they encounter there. They have to put on a happy face every time they're in public. They work at the house of God, afterall

Arthur

I personally, did not drink while at Bethel, and the people that I hung out with didn't drink much either. I did hear of some rather wild stories while I was there. While I was there, one Bethelite got dismissed for getting drunk, and then attempting to climb up the suspension cables of the Brooklyn Bridge. (apparently the NYPD isn't amused with such "playful" activity).

I had also heard of Bethelites going out for beer and spending all of their cash away at the bar. Suddenly remembering that they needed to take the subway home; one of them would distract the Transit Authority employee while the other four would jump over the turnstyles to the subway platforms without paying. I never did figure out how the fifth guy got home.

Some of you may have heard of Paul Blizard. He was a Bethelite and is now a public speaker / Baptist Minister who speaks out on the Watchtower. In one of this talks, he related that when he was at Bethel, he went home to visit his parents for the weekend. His mother found a bottle of Jack Daniels in his suit case. She confronted him with it and asked him: "Is this what you are learning at Bethel?"

And he replied: "No, but it sure helps."

JK666

I was very popular when visiting Bethel. I brought the plastic to keep the pitchers coming.

WooHoo

JK

knock knock

Thank you Arthur, I remembered reading the "no, but it helps" incident but did not remember who it had happened to. I just think it's funny in an odd sort of way.

Stealth453

When I was in, my room-mate drank himself into a coma almost every night.

emptywords

Its not just the brothers, some sisters have problems with wine, one sister complained that she didn't have enough to get her wine, she had run out.

Sad isn't it, you would think that they would be in bliss being at Bethel, all the blessings from Jehovah's spirit, wonder if it is isolated, not normal life I'd hate it.

XBEHERE

The group I rolled with while at Bethel didn't drink much but we had our moments for sure. I remember some Friday night's drinking a ton and being hung over the next Sat for work but it wasnt often. Bethelites in my area certainly have a reputation for being able to "hold their liquor" though.

minimus

All the Bethelites I knew, including BIG SHOTS, loved their booze.

jst2laws

Back in the sixties and seventies it was a big problem. The basement of the 107 building is where they kept hoppers of sorted recyclables. There was always more hoppers of beer cans and beer bottles than anything else. The drinking age then was 18 so it was a problem. This does not mean the WT tolerated it. One of my room mates was DFd for getting drunk. According to Ben Gier the one time vice president, Hayden Covington, was kicked out of Bethel for drunkenness. Not to mention Drunken Joe Rutherford. Perhaps they are more stringent on the problem now. I suspect the hard line GB has tightened up, but have no specific knowledge of it. Steve