Alcohol and intoxicants

Assalamualaikum,

Today I would like to share about alcohol, liquor, beer or any other intoxicants. All of this drinks will be called as 'alcohol in this writing of mine.

Who doesn't know about this drink when taken excessively  can cause a person to be drunk causing the drinker to be physically and mentally impaired. It have so many forms, some are called beer, wine, araq and etc.

1. A person who takes wine moderately will benefit from it.

I totally agree on this. If wine were taken moderately, it will benefit the health of the drinker. But what most of us did not know is the benefit did not come from the alcohol in wine but rather from the grapes which were used to make wine.

A previous human clinical trial at Boston University found that Concord grape juice also increased HDL (good) cholesterol and significantly lowered two markers for inflammation. Historically such benefits have been credited to alcohol -- which, of course, is absent from grape juice -- suggesting that the anthocyanins found in both grape juice and wine deserve closer scrutiny. You do the maths.

By the way, which is cheaper wine or grapes?

2. A person who takes alcohol are healthier.

This is one of the most absurd claim ever. Research shows that people who takes alcohol regardless in small quantity or moderately or in large quantity have less fitness compared to the people who do not take any at all. Health experts agrees that consumption of this beverage carries health risks ranging from dependence to breast cancer to brain damage to stroke.

Up to 4% of breast cancers can be attributed to alcohol. According to a recent study in the British Journal of Cancer, every drink increases a woman's chances of developing breast cancer. In a recent summary of 63 published studies, 65% found an association between alcohol consumption and increased breast cancer risk

If having a few too many has become a regular habit, the brain-health hangover may last a lifetime. St. Louis University researchers published an animal study suggesting several years of heavy drinking could permanently impair memory--and slow down learning ability as well.

With all the ballyhoo over the heart health benefits of moderate wine consumption it's easy to lose sight of the much larger health risks of heavy alcohol consumption--such as dramatically increased stroke risk. Harvard researchers found that men who consume an average of three or more alcoholic beverages a day were nearly 43% more likely to suffer a stroke when compared to abstainers and men who had one to two drinks/day. The more you drink, the more likely you will get stroke!

Alcohol is not only a health hazard, it also causes you to be fat. A University of Buffalo study of 2,300 drinkers found that those who tended to consume their alcohol in 3-4 servings per sitting -- even if such excess was occasional -- tended to have more abdominal fat than those who drank small amounts on a regular basis. When you overload your liver with alcohol, all of the organ's resources are going to burning off the booze.Fat metabolism is put on the back burner, so to speak, the cumulative effect of which is more fat in the liver, under the skin and around other organs.

Not only can liver toxicity lead to excess weight -- excess weight can lead to liver problems, significantly increasing your risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).NAFLD is the most common liver disorder in the U.S., afflicting 25% of the population (while about a third of Americans are obese).By raising LDL (or "bad") cholesterol and lowering HDL (or "good") cholesterol, NAFLD makes sufferers even more prone to heart disease.

Summary is alcohol consumption could cause cancer, memory lost, stroke, bigger waistline and even leads to heart disease.

3. Alcohol and social issues

In a nut shell, alcohol use can affect all areas of a person's life, including family, work and personal relationships.

• Family problems: arguments over someone's drinking can cause family and relationship problems that may lead to break up.
• Work problems: drinking alcohol at work and hangovers can lead to poor performance and accidents at work, while illness can result in absenteeism.
• Legal problems: drink-driving may lead to fines, loss of licence and even imprisonment.

4. Do religion allows or encourage alcohol drinking?

According to Islam, the Quran (translation) 5:90:

O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah ], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful.

According to Christianity, Proverb 20:1

Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls. Those led astray by drink cannot be wise.

According to Hinduism, The Rigveda (8.48.3):

We have drunk Soma and become immortal; we have attained the light, the Gods discovered. Now what may foe man's malice do to harm us? What, O Immortal, mortal man's deception?

All religion are against drinking alcohol, however there are only one religion which really holds on to their scripture and are totally against alcohol are Islam. The Christians and Hindus have gone astray from their scriptures and followed their carnal desire.

Reference:

http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/news/20041119/grape-juice-raises-good-cholesterol-levels

http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v87/n11/abs/6600596a.html

http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/FactSheet/Diet/fs13.alcohol.pdf

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-06/ace-dfj060605.php

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/printerfriendlynews.php?newsid=18580

http://www.dole.com
http://www.mydr.com.au/addictions/alcohol-and-social-problems