Islam and Alcoholism - II
13/09/2006| IslamWeb
The Digestive System:
The effect of alcohol is not limited to the nervous system. Alcohol destroys all the parts, passages, and organs of the digestive system as well.
1) The Alcoholic’s Tongue: The tongue of an alcoholic is covered with a dirty cover, where microbes grow and multiply. The tongue becomes infected and unusually red. Some alcoholics have white spots on their tongues and these spots are would be cancer growing on the tongue.
2) The Alcoholic’s Mouth: His mouth may develop some infections, which are severely painful. Further, some microbes get attached to the throat and cause a severe infection which makes swallowing and breathing extremely difficult.
3) The Alcoholic’s Stomach: The gastro scope shows that nay-small quantity of alcohol causes an inflammation in the inner membrane of the stomach. Some people believe that a little of alcohol has no harm, but this is scientifically not true. Further, as we know, all alcoholics started with small quantities, then they found themselves chronic cases of alcoholism.
A person who drinks occasionally may become an alcoholic under the pressure of any psychological shock or emotional problem or social crisis. This shows us the wisdom of Allah: in Islam, all alcoholic drinks are prohibited no matter how small the quantity is.
Alcohol, if drunk repeatedly, causes stomach inflammations and the death of stomach cells. As a result, stomach acids decreases and results in bad digestion. Furthermore, many microbes pass without being destroyed by the acid, which is destroyed by alcohol itself. The decrease of the stomach acid leads to a decrease in vitamin B 12 and causes sever anemia. This chronic inflammation of the stomach is accompanied with paleness, fast pulse, and heart failure. Further, this stomach inflammation may develop into stomach cancer.
4) The Alcoholic’s Head: An alcoholic usually has a headache. So he takes a great deal of aspirin and its derivatives. Besides, the alcoholic usually smokes, and his case pushes him into a vicious circle of emotional anxiety. So, aspirin plus cigarettes plus anxiety plus the toxicity of alcohol itself cause a stomach ulcer to the alcoholic.
5) The Alcoholic’s Liver: A person who drinks alcoholic for ten years will most probably have problems in his liver. In the liver, the alcohol hits the nucleus of the cells there first. When the nuclei of the liver cells die, the cells die and cease to multiply. Besides, the liver fails to oxidize fats, which therefore gather in and around the liver. This gathering will end up with the complete failure of the liver.
Because of alcohol, the liver cannot transform carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fails to remove poisons from the body especially ammonia. This will cause the increase of the ratio of poisons in the blood. These poisons affect the activity of the brain and disturb the drunkard’s emotions, behavior, and mental abilities. An alcoholic person soon fails to write well; his handshakes; his breathing becomes difficult; his belly swells; his temperature rises.
Alcohol and the Brain Damage:
Alcohol hits the brain mercilessly. Firstly, it has direct destructive an aesthetic effect on the brain. Secondly, the brain is damaged by the lack of blood that reaches it owing to the hardening of blood vessels and heart failure. Thirdly, the brain suffers the anemia that accompanies alcoholism. If the brain is damaged, all problems begin to rise. Thus alcoholic drinks affect and damage all the systems of the body.
If a driver is drunker, he cannot control his speed or react to emergency cases. When a man is drunk, he cannot observe, judge, or react well. A drunken person loses much of his mental and physical efficiency, no matter how small the drunken quantity of wine is.
A person who has drunk alcohol loses some of his abilities and senses: he cannot see, taste, or smell as a normal person does. His comprehension ability and muscular balance fall off too. Research has shown that 50% of death cases in some countries are caused directly or indirectly by alcoholic drinks.
Alcohol Leading to More Alcohol:
Alcohol leads to more alcohol. It may easily push its drinker to the catastrophe of alcoholism, which is a fatal blow to both the mind and the body.
What kind of life will a person lead if he has infections, inflammations, ulcers, and cancers everywhere in his body? What kind of life is it when a person loses memory, appetite, mental abilities, and lives in hallucinations?
For all these reasons, scientists and governments now do their best to solve the problem of drunkenness and alcoholic drinks.
Islam did not wait for scientific research to prove the destructive effects of alcohol on human body and human mind. Once you believe in Allah, you accept and submit to His orders, all your problems are solved.
In Islam, the principle is simple, clear and logical: prevention is better than cure. Simply, in Islam, alcohol is not allowed and problems are not given the chance to occur.
Islam guides us to the right way. Allah gave us mind with which we have to choose and bear responsibility. Thanks to Allah, who guided us to the right path.