Is it worth it?
negin March 27th, 2008
Imagine that there existed a single substance in the world that was behind:
- 75% of violent crimes
- 50% of rape cases
- 30% of child abuse cases
- 25% of suicides
- 33% of fatal traffic accidents
Wouldn’t you hope that society — it’s leaders, politicians and scientists — would do everything in their power to control it, perhaps even to eliminate it?
The unfortunate truth is that there is, and it goes under the name of Alcohol. Deeply rooted in many cultures as an essential feature in social gatherings – and in some households a part of everyday life – I believe that people’s view on its role in tragedy, crime and illness has become clouded.
Within health care, patients with diseases caused by alcohol can be found in almost every division: gastrointestinal diseases, brain-damage, cancers, blood pressure, mental disorders etc. Many people have heard of the scientific studies that have shown that alcohol (red wine) in limited amounts can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. While this may be true, alcohol has other effects on the heart that reduce the benefits.
What is also clear is that whenever the “positive” findings are put against the negative effects of alcohol, the negative effects outweigh the positive.
In addition, the inherent quality of alcohol as an addictive substance — not unlike other addictive drugs — makes it difficult for many people to consume it in limited quantities. Thus, the argument that it has benefits when used in a defined amount is a theoretical one, and not always applicable to reality.
Yet, the physical damage caused by alcohol is not as striking to me as the social and spiritual harm. Apart from enjoying the taste, many people drink moderately because they want to relax and enjoy the moment — possibly a harmless motivation. However, the consequences of a free alcohol trade and its social acceptance are far from harmless. In my medical work, almost on a daily basis, I meet children that are in crisis, youth that get in trouble and jeopardize their future, families that split up, and individuals that cry in regret of how they have wasted their lives because of the addiction. And I can’t help but wonder: is it really worth it?
Baha’u’llah, the Divine Physician, tells us that society today would benefit from eliminating the use of alcohol as it is the cause of much harm. He has described human beings as spiritual beings endowed with the gift of reason and the ability to acquire noble qualities. Anything that distances us from that nobility is harmful for us, and thus for society as whole. In the Hidden Words, He tells us:
O Son of Spirit!
I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.
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- Baha'i Concepts , Society
- Comments(8)
I just stopped by your blog and thought I would say hello. I like your site design. Looking forward to reading more down the road.
Robert Michel
And don’t believe the evil idiots who tell you that wine is good for your health. Grapes and grape juice give your body those health benefits. And chocolate has several of the same (theorized to be mood-lifting) chemicals as you find in wine. All without the evil effects of alcohol.
Very well written discussion and a compelling argument.
I was trying to find figures for alcohol consumption worldwide in order to ascertain whether there is a tendency for consumption to reduce as well as to understand if there are regional and socio-economic variations. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to locate a reliable source for the information that I was looking for.
I do suspect, however, that there may be some reduction in alcohol consumption in some parts of the world, particularly in the so called “first world”. My reasons for saying this have to do with advertising restrictions, a greater variety of soft-drinks (including non-alcoholic beer) and finally a better understanding of harmful effects caused by heavy alcohol consumption.
Although alcohol still consists as a central component to the western world’s socializing behaviour, recent campaigns to raise awareness about drink-driving and society’s greater sensitivity towards healthy living may also lead to lower consumption. For example, in recent years there has been a greater availability and variety of non-alcoholic beer in response to public demand.
Of course, my assumptions are just hypothetical. However, my concern is that alcohol may becoming an increasing problem in impoverished and developing parts of the world where the population may not yet have gained some of the insight available to us regarding the harmful effects of alcohol consumption. Those who could really do without “more problems” may be the ones who are, at the end of the day, most affected as markets shift and companies seek new costumers.
I have an interesting story to tell about an experience in Africa which I observed over dinner, during a business trip. I’ll leave that for another occasion.
Robert Michel; thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoy what you read!
“anonymous”; thanks for you comment. Yes, I also have no doubt you can find the health benefits of wine in other, less harmful, substances. It is all a part of that “clouded outlook”, I guess.
Nuno; thanks for your contribution. There is naturally a variation regarding statistics in different parts of the world. The figures in the article are taken from the report of WHO (2004), and mainly represent the situation in the west.
The increasing consumption of alcohol in develping countries is of course a big problem, and complicates many other issues, such as crime, HIV/AIDS and corruption.
Regarding the situation in the “first world”, I’m not sure about other countries but in Sweden, where I live, the consumption is unfortunately not decreasing, and even increasing among some groups. Youth start drinking at a lower age, it’s easier to smuggle cheap spirits across boarders and the general deterioration of people’s mental health are seen as contributing factors.
There is a raise in awareness, but as long as there is a free trade and a social acceptance it is difficult to bring about a change.
Hi Negin, thanks very much for your insight. You are probably right. Of course, in your medical profession you gain a greater visibility and exposure to these issues.
I wonder whether in the future alcohol consumption may meet with a similar fate as smoking (i.e. bans, reduced number of smokers, etc.). Of course, one of the motivations behind governments’ decision to impose smoking bans (apart from public health concerns) is to reduce the costly consequence on the national health care system.
I wonder whether alcohol consumption similarly imposes an excessive cost burden on national health care systems. Do you have any thoughts or figures you could share on this matter?
Oh yes, of course all these problems and damages cost health care, as well as the rest of society, loads of money. Taking care of crime and destruction, health care costs, unemployment and “illness certificates” etc etc. The figures I find (for Sweden) range between 30 billion to 120 billion SEK (5-20 billion USD) per year, which is comparable with the amounts that are invested in basic education. More exact figures for specific countries can be found at http://www.who.int/globalatlas/DataQuery/default.asp
A real eye-opener… Thanks very much for your insight and info.
Norman D. Kerry…
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