Baha’i Perspectives

Archive for the tag 'alcohol'

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.