Islam & alcoholism - I

In these days, countries that allow alcohol are suffering from it and
the number of alcoholics isincreasing rapidly. In the U.S.A.
forexample, the number of alcoholics has increased from four million
in the 1960s to ten million in the 1970s. In Britain thenumber of
alcoholics has increased from half a million to one million. In some
European countries, the percentage of alcoholics is 8% of the
population!
Alcoholic drinks are the only poison that is licensed in those
countries. However, Islam took a clear attitude towards alcoholic
drinks more than 1400 years ago. Islam prohibits such drinks. Any
drink that causes drunkenness is prohibited in Islam regardless of the
matter it is made from and regardless of the quantity.
According to Islam, if too much of a drink causes drunkenness, then
any small quantity of this drink is prohibited, because all alcoholics
start with small quantities, then they become the slaves of alcohol.
Islam does not only prohibit drinking alcoholic drinks, but
alsoprohibits making them. Islam also prohibits carrying, selling,
orbuying such drinks. According to Islam, if something is prohibited,
all means to it are also prohibited. The reason is that it isno use to
forbid something and allow the means leading to it at the same time.
If alcoholic drinks are prohibited, all means to themshould be
prohibited; Islam prohibits the making, transporting, importing
exporting, buying, and selling and selling of such drinks.
However there are some illusions that many people falsely believe
about alcohol. In this article we will try to discuss and refute them
to show the wisdom of prohibiting alcohol in Islam. We will also prove
that Islam does not prohibit a thing unless it is harmful and
dangerous.
Illusions and Facts:
1- Alcohol and Appetite: It was believed that alcoholic drink function
as appetizers, but this is against confirmed scientific
facts.Alcoholic drinks function as appetizers for the first week or
month only, then soon the stomach and other parts of the digestive
system become inflamed. Infections and ulcers begin to show up;
vomiting starts; all appetite is lost.
2- Alcohol and False Warmth: It was also believed that alcoholic
drinks cause warmth in the human body. But facts proved that it is
only a false warmth caused by the widening of outer blood vessels. But
if the drunkardis exposed to cold weather, he loses all his warmth and
energy and may die of cold thinking he isenjoying warmth.
3- Alcohol and the sexual drive: Alcoholic drinks increase the sexual
desire and thus may lead the drunkard to commit strange crimes under
the influence of alcohol because his brain cannot function normally
and in this casesocial values are trespassed. However, continuous
drinking of alcoholic drinks ends up with sexual impotency. This shows
us the wisdom of prohibiting alcohol in Islam.
Alcohol and Health:
Alcoholic drinks, which are prohibited by Islam, have a destructive
effect on the nervous system through the direct toxic effect. Besides,
alcohol may lead to alcoholism with its psychological and mental
troubles such as convulsions and hallucination. Further, alcohol leads
to malnutrition caused by inflammations in the digestive system,
repeated vomiting, loss of appetite, and bad absorption in the
digestive system. To add, some alcohols may cause complete blindness
and heat failure owing to their severe toxicity.
An alcoholic becomes careless, selfish, easily provoked, and
suspicious. He may suffer paranoia. He becomes sexually impotent. He
is hated by his wife and children. He suffers from melancholy. He may
end up committing suicide. An alcoholic may suffer from
hallucinations: he may think he sees unreal ghosts or hear unreal
voices or smell unreal scents.
Alcohol causes decay in the cells of the brain and the cortex. This
may cause alcoholic psychosis and loss of memory. In this stage, an
alcoholic loses the ability to distinguish the concretefrom the
abstract and the real from the unreal. He cannot even know the day or
the place. An alcoholic loses the ability to calculate, to add or
substract the easiest numbers. An alcoholic cannot remember the most
recent incidents in his life.
An alcoholic may become unable to stand up without losing his balance.
When he walks, he staggers. When he speaks, he slurs. He may suffer
from the clubbing and swelling of his fingers. A male alcoholic
developsfemale qualities and female alcoholic develop male qualities
such as the stoppage of menstruation and the complete loss of the
sexual motive.
An alcoholic suffers continual nightmares, where he sees and hears
terrible things. All his life becomes a series of delusions and
hallucinations. He may faint and lose consciousness any time.
The body of an alcoholic soon loses resistance to microbes and thus
becomes an easy prey to anymicrobe. He has troubles in the kidneys,
albumin in the urine, fatal blood acidity, which may end tragically
with heart failure.
An alcoholic does not usually carefor buying food. If he buys food, he
has no appetite to eat it. If he eats it, he vomits what he has eaten.
If he does not vomit, his digestive system cannot function well or
absorb well. Thus an alcoholic soon goes into malnutrition and lack of
vitamins;especially vitamin B. further, this Vitamin B is consumed by
alcoholin the process of oxidization.
As a result of the lack of Vitamin B and malnutrition, the alcoholic
may suffer paralysis in the hands,feet, and legs. He may have
infections in the brain. He may have decay in cortex cells, which
leads to madness. He may have infection in eye nerves, which ends up
with blindness. Alcohol is simply a poison.
A drunkard may fall down under the influence of wine. This fall may
cause a brain shock, a brain pressure, and a breakage in the backbone,
bone breakage, or bleedings.