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"They ask you about intoxicants and games of chance. Say: In both of them, there is a great sin and means of profit for men, and their sin is greater than their profit. And they ask you as to what they should spend. Say: What you can spare. Thus does Allah make clear to you the communications, that you may ponder" (Sura Al-Baqarah, 2:219).
We are suffering at the hands of Western lifestyles in which alcohol is a socially accepted beverage. In spite of all the available information on the negative effects of alcohol consumption, many still do not consider it harmful.
In a study done in South Africa with 1,133 Lesotho high school students aged 11 to 22 years, 50% believed that moderate drinking was possible and that the fun in drinking was getting drunk (HRO, p.2).
The pursuit of happiness by those who are unhappy is a major factor in alcohol drinking. The belief that people should be happy creates a huge obstacle in tackling the problem of alcohol abuse. The situation is bolstered, on the one hand, by professionals who do not view alcohol as a drug and, on the other hand, by those who treat it as a disease itself rather than as a symptom.
Free trade in developing countries opens the door to certain Westernized cultural practices, and increases the number of people who take the quick route to self-fulfillment. However, this kind of journey can be full of shattering illusions and its costs can be too much to bear.
Our materialistic culture is risky because when human beings do not meet its expectations and standards, their inner need to be whole and integrated is not fulfilled and they are left with emptiness. To ease this and make everything just fine, people often seek support in the form of alcohol and what they think it has to offer.
Baum-Baicker, for example, offers five psychosocial benefits for moderate alcohol consumption:
a) Stress reduction, b) mood enhancement, c) cognitive performance, d) reduced clinical symptoms (depression), and e) improved function in the elderly (Brodksy, p.1).
Archie Brodsky of Harvard University Medical School argues that research in the universal relationship of alcohol consumption for moderate drinkers "is thus a part of orientation that includes a range of productive and healthful behaviors that in combination generate positive sensations, health outcomes, and additional reinforcement, including social support and cohesion" (Brodsky p.11).
It has been established that defining moderation in drinking is complicated by the fact that different people possess different threshold levels. In addition, alcohol does not respect motives that affect every cell in the body, especially the liver (as the body's detoxifier), the heart, and the brain.
There is no convenient border between social drinking and alcoholism. The body actually produces an increased tolerance, along with nutritional deficiency. Therefore, one can understand why it is abhorred in Islam, which seeks our all-round fulfillment and development of the faculties of which we are in full control.
Marvin President from the U.S. tried to stop his 10-year old drinking problem. Not even a hospital detoxification program could succeed in helping him in his battle with the bottle - even after he suffered serious liver damage (Associated Press, p.1).
With 50% of alcoholics undergoing relapses in treatment, the U.S. government is pursuing a major study on alcoholism. Dr. Enoch Gordis of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism said, "The goal is to cure. We can't do that yet... But everyday [that] a patient is abstinent and sober is a big step" (Associated Press, p. 2).
It is estimated that eight million Americans are alcoholics who need increasing amounts to feel satisfied. Another six million abuse alcohol, but aren't "deemed" physically dependent on it (Associated Press p.2). Habitual drinkers in the U.S. constitute 18 million of the population. Medical conditions, accidents, and loss of work account for $26 billion in health costs (Athar, p.1).
Drinking alcohol damages all bodily organs. There is decreased testosterone and decreased fertility in women. Worldwide, alcohol-related deaths included 107,104 motor vehicle accidents; 604,485 esophageal cancer cases; 73,209 liver cancer cases; 279,930 alcohol dependence; and 1,047,055 with cirrhosis syndrome in 1989 (HRO, p.1).
Nevertheless, to presume there is a medical cure is to presume that this is a disease. Any cure will have to replace all affected bodily organs; yet still scientists are pursuing the isolation of the relevant genes in the belief that alcoholism is a genetic disease. Genetic or not, it has social roots that effect future generations.
Children of alcoholics are products of dysfunctional households that pander psychologically, emotionally and financially to the needs of the alcoholic. The children feel isolated and uneasy with outsiders or authoritative individuals. They compensate by becoming pleasers, losing their own identity, and taking any personal criticism as a threat. As social beings, they look to adults in their process of social self-developmental training. This is intensified within the structures of a nuclear family.
The children either become alcoholics, marry alcohol abusers, or both. If they escape this, the cycle is widened to include other compulsive behavior patterns like workaholism or an over-developed sense of responsibility towards others while negating themselves. Within relationships, they become terrified of abandonment as their parent or parents abandoned them psychologically and emotionally in their growing years. The problem has intensified in both genders within the last 25 years. Now, the proportion of female to male alcoholics has increased from one in eight to two in five (Lockie & Geddie, p.212).
The role of the nurturing mother has diminished. Pregnant women who are alcohol abusers set in motion a genetic pattern for the unborn child (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) as their blood sugar levels are compromised.
The good news is that the problem can be addressed with abstinence, consumption prevention, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and by stopping the supply of alcohol. It must be taught that self-worth cannot be obtained from a bottle.
When we return to ourselves as human beings, improved interrelations will reduce whatever individual fears we have. Only then will the ills of modern-day society be 'cured'. On this, Shaykh Fadlalla Ha'eri says, "There is only one spirit. It says in the Qur'an, "We created you from one self."
The understanding of Tawhid (oneness) unifies mankind. Otherwise, life is meaningless (Nuradeen, p.222).
Sources:
- Qur'an.
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Associated Press Major Study On Alcoholism Launched.
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Athar, Shahid. The Endocrine & Metabolic Effects of Alcoholism.
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Brodsky, Archie. Psychosocial Benefits of Moderate Alcohol Consumption.
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Green, James. The Male Herbal. The Crossing Press. US, 1991
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Haeri, Fadlalla. Nuradeen. Zahra Publications. London, 1983
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Human Resources Development and Operations, WorldBank. Alcohol-Related Problems: An Obstacle To Human Capital Development.
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Lockie, Andrew & Geddes, Nicola. The Women's Guide To Homeopathy. Hamish Hamilton, Ltd. England, 1992.
Support Material
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Adult Children of Alcoholics World Service Organization. The Problem.
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