Welcome to another chapter! Today I'm going to be talking about a topic that I feel like most of y'all are already familiar with, and that is the harmful effects of alcohol and why I and the vast majority of Muslims don't drink.
In Islam, Muslims are completely forbidden from consuming alcohol and intoxicants. God addresses this topic in several verses of the Quran,
"Oh you who 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." (5:90)
"They ask you about wine and gambling. Say, "In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit." (2:290)
As a Muslim I have come to realize that God does not gives us rules to follow without a valid and just reason behind them. So to help give you some idea of why alcohol is forbidden in Islam, here are some statistics about alcoholism and related drug use in the United States and around the world~
- According to the 2015 NSDUH, 15.1 million adults ages 18 and older (6.2% of this age group) had Alcohol Use Disorder. This includes 9.8 million men and 5.3 million women.
- Alcohol accounted for about 31% of all driving related fatalities in 2014, a total of nearly 10,000 deaths.
- Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States, accounting for about 88,000 deaths annually.
- Globally, alcohol accounted for about 3.3 million deaths a year.
- the World Health Organization reports that alcohol contributed to more than 200 diseases and injury-related health conditions as of 2014, most notably DSM–IV alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers, and injuries.
- Research indicates that alcohol use during the teenage years could interfere with normal adolescent brain development and increase the risk of developing AUD. In addition, underage drinking contributes to a range of acute consequences, including injuries, sexual assaults, and even deaths—including those from car crashes.
-In 2015, of the 78,529 liver disease deaths among individuals ages 12 and older, 47% involved alcohol. Among males, 49,695 liver disease deaths occurred and 49.5% involved alcohol. Among females, 28,834 liver disease deaths occurred and 43.5 percent involved alcohol
-Countless research has shown strong correlations between alcohol use and domestic violence, including child abuse and abuse by an intimate partner. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, 92% of domestic abusers were abusing alcohol not just in their lives, but at the time the abusive incident took place.
-Alcohol may encourage aggression or violence by disrupting normal brain function. According to the disinhibition hypothesis, for example, alcohol weakens brain mechanisms that normally restrain impulsive behaviors, including inappropriate aggression. By impairing information processing, alcohol can also lead a person to misjudge social cues, thereby overreacting to a perceived threat. Simultaneously, a narrowing of attention may lead to an inaccurate assessment of the future risks of acting on an immediate violent impulse
-People with a history of alcohol abuse and aggressive behavior are also more likely to develop suicidal thoughts and attempt suicide.
-The atmosphere in a family in which there is an abuser of alcohol is likely to feature a great deal of stress, tension, high levels of dissatisfaction, and frequent conflict.
-The spouse of a problem drinker may experience a variety of negative consequences such as victimization, injury, emotional and physical abuse, and decreased participation in social and religious activities.
-Children from families in which there is at least one abuser of alcohol are more likely than others to struggle in school, report higher rates of health problems, anxiety, and depression, and are also more likely to become abusers of alcohol themselves.
-The sons of alcoholic or recovering alcoholic fathers were reported to be more compulsive, insecure, fearful, subdued, and detached.
-Adult children of alcoholic parents are less likely than others to get married, and when they do marry, they report higher rates of marital dissatisfaction and marital conflict.
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What are your thoughts on these findings? If you're Muslim, or someone who abstains from drinking completely, do you feel even more grateful that you don't drink? And If you're someone who does drink, how did reading about these studies make you feel?
Overall, did anything in particular shock you or stood out to you? Let me know in the comments!
As usual, if you would like to know where I got my information from, or would like to read more on this topic, check out the sources I listed at the end of the chapter.
SOURCES
Laur, R; Laur, J. (2018). "Chapter 13: Family Crises" in Marriage and Family: The Quest for Intimacy. (pp 290-293). NY, New York. McGraw-Hill Education.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2018). "Alcohol Facts and Statistics." National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (1997). "Alcohol, Violence, and Aggression." National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from: https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa38.htm
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