Sobriety concerns not only alcohol consumption, but also any addictions, Patriarch Kirill said on Sobriety Daytranslated

Sobriety should be observed not only in relation to alcoholic beverages, but also in relation to any addictions, Patriarch Kirill said this on the feast of the Beheading of the Holy Prophet and Forerunner of the Lord John the Baptist and the All-Russian Day of Sobriety.

“Sobriety concerns not only the use of intoxicating drinks, but also any addiction: a person who is unable to tear himself away from a smartphone or a computer game is also captive of harmful attachments and habits and needs to strengthen his will,” the Primate noted in his address on the occasion of Sobriety Day.

In this regard, Patriarch Kirill pointed out the importance of realizing “how grave the consequences come from intemperance, making a person a slave to sin and killing the soul.”

That is why, Patriarch Kirill continued, “The Church invites us to join the centuries-old rich ascetic experience of the holy fathers.”

To everyone who treats the sin of alcoholism condescendingly and frivolously, Patriarch Kirill reminded the warning of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, who warned that the devil loves nothing more than luxury and drunkenness, since no one fulfills his evil will like a drunkard (On true Christianity).

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