Thepreventable Tragedy

Alcohol Abuse THE PREVENTABLE TRAGEDY

and YOU

Sebire Yenbon Silas Contents Chapter Page One A STRAIGHT LOOK AT ALCOHOL What is alcohol Breakdown Further on Physical Effects of alcohol Social Effects of alcohol Two DEVELOPMENT OF ALCOHOL DEPENDANCE What is alcoholism or alcohol dependence Causes of alcoholism or alcohol dependence Prevalence Health consequences Treatment of alcoholism Science is emphatic: Alcohol kills! Your child and alcohol: The dangers Three THE BIBLE AND ALCOHOL The word wine in the Old Testament Did Jesus turn water into alcoholic wine? Biblical word wine and it’s usage Relevant questions to the discussion What the Bible Says about drinking Where do you get your joy Four A CRITICAL LOOK AT ALCOHOL The deceitfulness of liquor The killer is glamorized and glorified

Only Jesus can quench that thirst Liquor devil God’s curse is on the drinking Bars Five FINAL WORDS Quotations and observations The world needs you Stop press Over to you PREFACE This book is a contribution towards the need to educate the rising generation on the damaging effects of a narcotic drug. Alcohol use remains the preferred drug use for the majority of adults. The alcohol use patterns of many people are irresponsible. Frequent heavy drinking, drinking to purposely get drunk, drinking on the job, and drinking while driving are but a few of the irresponsible ways in which adults drink. The use patterns today by young adults may tip the delicate balance for achieving satisfaction and social integration and use of alcohol as an agent for disruptive and life-threatening behaviour. It is interesting to hear people who take in alcoholic beverage come out with outrageous statements to defend their drinking. A statement like Jesus turned water to wine at a party is commonly used. Another interesting statement is that Paul allowed Timothy to use alcohol to cure his stomach ache. Why are these statements interesting? The fact: They have identified the fact that a perfect and great person in their reason. FACT: They have ignored the numerous places where the consumption of alcohol is criticised in the Bible. FACT: They are well aware that alcohol is not good for their health. FACT: It is a way of rationalizing their act of drinking alcohol. FACT: Wrong is always wrong no matter the personality committing it. FACT: A lie is a lie no matter how long it has been told. I am writing this material because I feel the truth of matter should be made plain and leave no room for compromisers of truth. I desire a rescue for perishing souls. I have witnessed some of my family members drink their lives to places unimaginable. It is pathetic to see say your brother, sister, father, mother, etc, lie helplessly on a refuse dump. May be if you are lucky you see him talk carelessly to the house and not finding his way properly. How can you bear it when your dad is being followed and mocked by all children in your vicinity because he is drunk? Despite the psychological trauma, your basic needs are not met and you have to yet still show respect to your dad or mum etc. I am writing this because youth like me are getting into this habit of drinking not because they like it, but they have come to the point where the only way to cope is to get drunk like the parent. This will cause a great impairment in our development us a community and nation. I am writing this because the greatest part of the problem with drinking is that the poor are much involved than the rich. This is a reason for the lack of growth in the northern part of this country. I want to see the gab between the north and the south close up. I am writing this to clarify the misconceptions of some church-goers who want and have always justified their drinking habit, which makes it difficult for them to get out of it. Their acts corrupt God almighty and make evangelism difficult. My prayer is that this material will help the compromisers to change their way for the better. My desire also is that growing Christians will have a solid understanding of what alcohol is and the stand of the WORD OF GOD. Lastly I believe by the time this material is well understood faithful followers of the TRUTH will take actions to see the over throw of the Booze manufacturing company.

A SHORT STRAIGHT LOOK AT ALCOHOL What is Alcohol? Alcohol (Arabic: al-kuhul), term applied to members of a group of chemical compounds and, in popular usage, to the specific compound ethyl alcohol, or ethanol. The Arabic word denotes kohl, a fine powder of antimony used as an eye makeup. The word alcohol originally denoted any fine powder; the alchemists of medieval Europe later applied it to essences obtained by distillation, and this led to the current usage. Types of Alcohol Kind Manufacture Uses Methyl (wood alcohol, methanol) By destructive distillation of wood. Also by synthesis from hydrogen and carbon monoxide under high pressure. Solvent for fats, oils, resins, nitrocellulose. Manufacture of dyes, formaldehyde, antifreeze solutions, special fuels, plastics. Ethyl (grain alcohol, ethanol) By fermentation of sugar, starch, or waste sulfite liquor. Synthesis from ethylene or acetylene. Direct hydration of ethylene. Solvent for products such as lacquers, paints, varnishes, glues, pharmaceuticals, explosives. Also as "building block" in making high-molecular-weight chemicals. Isopropyl (isopropanol) By hydration of propylene from cracked gases. Also as byproduct of certain fermentation processes. Solvent for oils, gums, alkaloids, resins. Making acetone, soap, antiseptic solutions. Normal propyl As a coproduct of air oxidation of propane and butane mixtures. Solvent for lacquers, resins, coatings, films, waxes. Also as brake fluid, in manufacture of propionic acid, plasticizers. Butyl (n-butanol) By fermentation of starch or sugar. Also by synthesis, using ethyl alcohol or acetylene. Solvent for nitrocellulose, ethyl cellulose, lacquer, urea-formaldehyde, urea-melamine plastics. Diluent of hydraulic fluids, extractant of drugs. Isobutyl By synthesis from carbon monoxide and hydrogen at high pressure, then distillation from products formed. Solvent for castor-oil-base brake fluids. Substitute for n-butyl alcohol in making urea resins. Secondary butyl By hydration of 1-butane, formed in petroleum cracking. In making other chemicals such as methyl ethyl ketone. Solvent in nitrocellulose lacquers. Production of brake fluids, special greases. Tertiary butyl By hydration of isobutylene, derived from petroleum cracking. In perfume making. As wetting agent in detergents. Solvent for drugs and cleaning compounds. Amyl (pentyl) By fractional distillation of fusel oil, a coproduct of ethyl alcohol manufacture by fermentation. Solvent for many natural and synthetic resins. Diluting brake fluids, printing inks, lacquers. In medicinal products. Ethylene glycol By oxidation of ethylene to glycol. Also by hydrogenation of methyl glycolate made from formaldehyde and methanol.Deicing fluid, antifreeze, brake fluid. In production of explosives. Solvent for stains, oils, resins, enamels, inks, dyes. Diethylene glycol As coproduct in manufacture of ethylene glycol.Solvent for dyes, resins. Antileak agent. In gas drying. Softening agent in adhesive printing inks. Triethylene glycol Coproduct in manufacture of ethylene glycol. Air disinfectant and dehumidifier. Production of resins, plasticizers. Glycerol (glycerin; 1-, 2-, 3-propanetriol) From treatment of fats in soap making. Synthetically, from propylene. By fermentation. In alkyd resins, explosives, cellophane. Tobacco humectant. Pentaerythritol By condensation of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde. In synthetic resins. As tetranitrate in explosives. Also as drug for treatment of heart disease. Sorbitol By reduction of sugar, usually corn sugar, with hydrogen. In foods,

pharmaceuticals, in chemical manufacture. Conditioning agent in paper, textiles, glue, cosmetics. Source of alcohol in resin manufacture. Cyclohexanol By catalytic hydrogenation of phenol. By catalytic air oxidation of cyclohexane. Intermediate in making chemicals used in nylon manufacture. Stabilizer and homogenizer of soaps, synthetic detergents. Solvent. Phenylethyl By synthesis from benzene and ethylene oxide. Principally in perfumes. Microsoft ® Encarta ® Reference Library 2005. © 1993-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Effects of Alcohol BAC (%) Effects 0.02 Mild alteration of feelings, slight intensification of moods. 0.05 Feelings of relaxation, giddiness, lowered inhibitions. Judgment and motor skills are both slightly impaired. 0.08 Muscle coordination and reaction time impaired. Face, hands, arms, and legs may tingle and then feel numb. Legally intoxicated in Canada and some U.S. states. 0.10 Clumsiness, uncoordinated behaviour. Impairment of mental abilities, judgment, and memory. Legally intoxicated in most U.S. states. 0.15 Irresponsible behaviour, euphoria. Some difficulty standing, walking, and talking. 0.20 Motor and emotional control centres measurably affected. Slurred speech, staggering, loss of balance, and double vision can all be present. 0.40 Drinker is usually unconscious. 0.45 Respiration slows and can stop altogether. 0.50 Death can result. Source: National Safety Council and California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs BAC: Blood Alcohol Concentration Breakdown WHAT DRINKING DOES Why do we dance on tables when drunk, and why do we feel so, so awful the next day? What makes you feel drunk? When a person drinks an alcoholic beverage, about 20% of the alcohol is absorbed in the stomach and about 80% is absorbed in the small intestine. One of the most rapid affects of alcohol is on the central nervous system (CNS), which controls a range of vital body functions including speech, muscles, sense organs and sweat glands. Usually the CNS receives information from organs such as the eyes and ears, analyses it and then responds, perhaps by contracting a muscle. However, alcohol impairs our CNS functioning which, in turn, causes the usual symptoms of being drunk. These include disturbed balance, slurred speech, blurred vision, excess sweating and the dulling of our sensation of pain. Alcohol also affects the outer layer of the brain (the frontal cortex) that is concerned with conscious thought. This is why people under the influence of alcohol often lose their inhibitions and dance on the tables. What makes you feel so lousy? Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic. This means it encourages the body to lose more water than it takes on by halting the production of the body's anti-diuretic hormone. This means you feel the need to pee excessively, thus speeding up the loss of fluid from the body that leads to dehydration. Alcohol also attacks our stores of vitamins and minerals, which need to be in the correct balance for the body to function normally. Dehydration caused by drinking can affect the balance by draining potassium from the body, resulting in thirst, muscle cramps, dizziness and faintness.

The shakes: When a person drinks, they take in large quantities of increased glucose. Their body responds to this by producing more insulin, which removes the glucose. Once the process has started, the insulin carries on working removing glucose from the blood. Low blood glucose levels are responsible for the shakes, excess sweating, dizziness, blurred vision and tiredness. The break down: The liver is the main organ that gets rid of alcohol by breaking it down. It metabolises about 90% of the alcohol in our body while only about 10% is excreted through either our urine or breath. The liver metabolises alcohol at the rate of one to two units per hour, sometimes less than that in women. The liver needs water to get rid of toxins from the body but, as alcohol acts as a diuretic, there will not be sufficient amounts in the body, so the liver is forced to divert water from other organs including the brain, which causes the throbbing headaches. The liver also produces more toxins in the body as a by-product during the breakdown of alcohol. When the liver is metabolising alcohol it produces acetaldehyde, a substance which has toxic effects on our liver, brain and stomach lining, resulting in severe headache, nausea, vomiting and heartburn (aka hangover). Sleep: Alcohol interferes with sleeping rhythms, while dehydration reduces the quality of rest we get. Alcohol also relaxes the muscles in the back of your mouth, increasing the likelihood of snoring. The Morning after: If your alcohol consumption was fairly high the night before, then you will be greeted with more than a common hangover the next day. You could have one or all of these: The toxicity of alcohol can irritate the stomach causing gastritis (chronic stomach upset) often leading to vomiting. Alcohol can cause inflammation of the oesophagus, the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach, causing heartburn. Alcohol often affects bowel movements. The small and large intestines reabsorb salt and water but alcohol interferes with this process often causing diarrhoea. FURTHER ON PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is present in varying amounts in beers and wines, and in distilled liquors such as whiskey, gin, and rum. When a person consumes alcohol, the stomach and intestines rapidly absorb it. From there alcohol travels in the blood throughout the entire body, affecting nearly every tissue. Moderate and high doses of alcohol depress the functions of the central nervous system, including the brain. The higher the alcohol level is in the blood, the greater the impairment. As blood passes through the liver, enzymes break down alcohol into harmless byproducts, which are eliminated from the body six to eight hours later. But the rate at which alcohol accumulates in the body may be faster than the rate at which the body eliminates it, resulting in rising alcohol levels in the blood. Consequently, alcohol remains in the body, producing intoxicating effects hours after the last drink was swallowed. Small amounts of alcohol may relieve tension or fatigue, increase appetite, or produce an anaesthetic affect that numbs pain. Larger quantities inhibit or depress higher thought processes, bolstering self-confidence and reducing inhibition, anxiety, and guilt. As a person becomes intoxicated, painful or embarrassing situations appear less threatening and, as drinking progresses, speech may become loud and slurred. Impaired judgment may lead to incautious behaviour, and physical reflexes and muscular coordination may become noticeably affected. If drinking continues, complete loss of physical control follows, ending

in stupor, and possibly death. The pancreas also has a role in digesting the food we eat. Long-term heavy drinking can lead to pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. This condition is associated with severe abdominal pain and weight loss and can be fatal. Refer to table on Alcohol effects for summary of physical or physiologic effects SOCIAL EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL Throughout most of history, society has viewed people who drink to excess as irresponsible, immoral, and of weak character. Punishment of drunkards was considered necessary to protect the community. By the early 1900s, experts conceded that alcohol dependence may result from tissue changes caused by the action of alcohol. These changes produce a continued need to drink, such that the individual seeks larger amounts of alcohol at more frequent intervals. However, society still regarded taking or rejecting a drink as a matter of personal decision, thus all excessive drinking was considered a voluntary act. The individual, therefore, was held responsible for his or her behaviour. Although a consensus is growing among health professionals that alcohol dependence is a disease, society’s attitudes toward individuals with drinking problems remain ambivalent and confused. Until the mid-20th century, the typical picture of the alcoholic was of someone without steady employment, unable to sustain family relationships and most likely in desperate financial straits. But this stereotype was largely dispelled when highly respected people publicly admitted their alcohol dependence and shared their successful recovery stories. Particularly critical in changing the way Americans view alcohol-use disorders were New York broker William Griffith Wilson (more familiarly known as Bill W.) and Ohio physician Robert Holbrook Smith (Dr. Bob). In 1935 these two recovered alcoholics developed a program to promote their successful philosophy for recovering from alcohol dependence. The program, which became known as Alcoholics Anonymous, has spread around the world, helping millions of members to avoid alcohol use and rebuild their lives. In the late 1970s Betty Ford, the wife of former U.S. president Gerald Ford, disclosed her struggle to recover from alcohol dependence. She helped raise the public’s understanding about alcohol dependence through her open, honest revelations and her creation of a groundbreaking treatment centre for substance abusers in Rancho Mirage, California, now known as the Betty Ford Centre. Intoxication threatens not only the individual who drinks but also the surrounding community. Therefore, societies around the world have attempted to control excessive use of alcohol. Temperance societies in the 19th and 20th centuries pushed for laws ranging from arrest and jail sentences for public drunkenness to prohibition of the manufacture, distribution, and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Drunk driving is no accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "A motor vehicle crash is considered to be alcohol-related if at least one driver or non-occupant (such as a pedestrian or pedal-cyclist) involved in the crash is determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 gram per decilitre (g/dL) or higher. Thus, any fatality that occurs in an alcohol-related crash is considered an alcohol-related fatality. The term 'alcohol-related' does not indicate that a crash or fatality was caused by the presence of alcohol."The statistics reveal that most fatal alcohol-related crashes do indeed involve drunk drivers and far fewer of these fatalities involve intoxicated pedestrians or "bicyclists and other cyclists". Alcohol addiction causes so much suffering in marriage. Besides being physically and emotionally harmful to alcoholics themselves, addiction is also harmful to those whose lives touch them. Addiction makes people insensitive to the feelings of those who care most for them, and they will stop at nothing to feed their addiction. Alcoholics commonly engage in their most painful habits while under the influence.

Acts of infidelity are common. The fact that he or she is drunk at the time is no consolation to a grief-stricken spouse. It can require a lot of strength for children to resist peer pressure and media influences. When it comes to alcohol and drugs, the most useful weapon that your children can have is facts and knowledge, instead of scare tactics and threats from their parents. Children's trust in parents can go way up on the scale when they actually researched the topic of drugs with their parents. Many successful parents decide that one of the best ways to avoid their children being drawn into drugs, is to educate them, and learn together, rather than simply condemning the topic out of hand. If you do not want to create that taboo effect in your household, while you do not wish to condone alcohol and drugs, you should make sure that your kids know that they can talk to you about these issues at anytime they wish. Although many parents may disagree, but other say that if their kids are going to try alcohol then they might as well try it in safety at home. One advantage of this liberal approach is that in children's minds, if it does not seem like things are "off limits" then they will not be attracted to doing it just because they are not supposed to. Children can be influenced from a very young age, and carry their experiences into their adolescent years. Growing up around alcohol can encourage them to drink, and vice versa. However, many parents ponder the issue of how much exposure to alcohol is too much and how much is not enough. Total abstinence of alcohol could lead to intense curiosity and therefore crazy experimentations. Total exposure can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. Thus, the best method would be a balance between the two, with the adults of the family setting good examples, and with schools educating children on alcohol thoroughly. Over the past 20 years, modern methods of evaluating medical therapies have been increasingly applied to alcohol treatment. Alcohol treatment centres use both counselling and medications to help a person stop drinking. With support and treatment, many people are able to stop drinking alcohol and rebuild their lives. Alcohol treatment programs work for many people. But just like any chronic disease, there are varying levels of success when it comes to alcohol treatment. Some people stop drinking and remain sober on their own. Others have long periods of sobriety with bouts of relapse. With alcohol treatment, one thing is clear, however, the longer a person abstains from alcohol, the more likely he or she will be able to stay sober. DEVELOPMENT OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE What is Alcoholism or Alcohol Dependence? It is chronic disease marked by a craving for alcohol. People who suffer from this illness are known as alcoholics. They cannot control their drinking even when it becomes the underlying cause of serious harm, including medical disorders, marital difficulties, job loss, or automobile crashes. Medical science has yet to identify the exact cause of alcoholism, but research suggests that genetic, psychological, and social factors influence its development. With medicine alcoholism cannot be cured yet, but various treatment options can help an alcoholic avoid drinking and regain a healthy life. People tend to equate any kind of excessive drinking with alcoholism. But doctors and scientists recognize that disorders related to alcohol use lie along a continuum of severity. They prefer to use the term alcohol dependence instead of alcoholism to designate the most severe of the alcohol-use disorders. The terms alcohol abuse and problem drinking designate less severe disorders resulting from

immoderate drinking. The alcoholic drinks alcoholic beverages at a level that interferes with physical health, mental health, and social, family, or occupational responsibilities. Alcoholism is divided into 2 categories: dependence and abuse. People with alcohol dependence, the most severe alcohol disorder, usually experience tolerance and withdrawal. Tolerance is a need for markedly increased amounts of alcohol to achieve intoxication or the desired effect. Withdrawal occurs when alcohol is discontinued or intake is decreased. Alcohol dependents spend a great deal of time drinking alcohol, and obtaining it. People who are dependent on or abuse alcohol continue to drink it despite evidence of physical or psychological problems. Those with dependence have more severe problems and a greater compulsion to drink. Alcohol dependence develops differently in each individual. But certain symptoms characterize the illness, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a United States government agency that is part of the National Institutes of Health: Alcoholics develop a craving, or a strong urge, to drink despite awareness that drinking is creating problems in their lives. They suffer from impaired control, an inability to stop drinking once they have begun. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that other behaviours common in people who are alcohol dependent include seeking out opportunities to drink alcoholic beverages—often to the exclusion of other activities—and rapidly returning to established drinking patterns following periods of abstinence. Alcohol-use disorders develop in a predictable pattern. Health professionals use three stages to describe this progression. Each stage is defined by a set of symptoms that are used in early diagnosis and treatment. In this stage, individuals drink alcohol primarily as an accompaniment to social situations. Drinking at this stage is not the central focus of a person’s activities. Social drinkers (Stage 0ne) then progress to stage two. In this early stage of a drinking problem, many people do not show any signs of illness. But often, more severe problems develop with time and continued heavy drinking. Activities that focus on drinking may take up increasingly larger amounts of time in the person’s life, and as problem drinking progresses the alcoholic’s intoxicated behaviour may become disagreeable and antisocial. A person may resort to drinking to relieve the physical discomfort of withdrawal symptoms. Most often, attempts to avoid the discomfort result in morning drinking to offset symptoms that develop after a bout of drinking the night before. As drinking continues, drinkers cannot acknowledge that drinking and intoxication have become goals in themselves. Drinking may become a technique for coping with problems, many of which have been brought about by alcohol use. Drinkers may neglect responsibilities to their family, seriously damaging relationships with their partners and children. Their productivity at work declines, and often results in job loss. Despite numerous negative consequences experienced as a result of their drinking, they remain in denial about their problem. They continue to claim to friends or family that they can stop drinking any time they want to. But in actuality they find it increasingly difficult to control their alcohol use. Stage three is the final stage of alcohol dependence. In addition to suffering from many of the problems experienced by individuals in stage two, an individual in stage three can no longer control his or her drinking. This impaired control, in which the compulsion to drink is overwhelming, is the key identifier that health professionals use to diagnose people who have progressed to alcohol dependence. CAUSES Scientists do not know precisely what causes alcoholism. The experts suspect that a combination of factors is involved, which may explain why some people who drink become alcohol dependent while most do not. Physiological Causes

Scientists have explored the chemical action of alcohol among both normal individuals and individuals who suffer from alcohol-use disorders, particularly alcohol dependence. Some studies suggest that some people may have a physical trait that enables them to drink large quantities of alcohol before feeling its intoxicating effects. These people have an enhanced tolerance for alcohol. Scientists are unsure if this trait causes excessive drinking or develops as the result of such drinking. Studies show that alcoholism runs in families—alcoholics are six times more likely than non-alcoholics to have blood relatives who are alcohol dependent. Researchers have long pondered whether these familial patterns result from genetics or from a common home environment, which often includes alcoholic parents. Studies of twins attempt to identify if alcohol dependence develops as the result of genetic factors, shared environmental influences, or a combination of both. Laboratory studies compare the genetic structure in people who are alcohol dependent with those who have no personal or family history of the disease. Studies of twins in the 1980s showed that patterns of alcohol dependence differed among identical twins, who share identical genes, and fraternal twins, who are genetically different. If one twin becomes alcohol dependent, an identical twin is more likely to develop alcohol dependence than a fraternal twin. While these studies suggest that a genetic factor plays a role in alcohol dependence, the results are difficult to interpret. Many of these studies assumed that all twins share a similar home environment. But more recent studies revealed that the home environments of identical twins are more alike than the environments of fraternal twins. That is, as children, identical twins are more likely than fraternal twins to play and study together and to share friends. And as adults, identical twins are more likely than fraternal twins to stay in close contact with each other, possibly resulting in the development of similar behaviours. Scientists are conducting further twin studies that take into account differences in home environments. Scientists now recognize that alcoholism is a polygenic disease—that is, many genes are involved in increasing an individual’s risk for developing alcohol dependence. In addition to family studies that establish a broad genetic influence on alcoholism, scientists perform laboratory studies to try to identify the specific genes involved in the development of alcohol dependence. One method scientist use is to look for genetic markers related to alcoholism. A genetic marker is a gene that produces an observable trait and has a known location on a chromosome, the rod-shaped structures that carry genes. Once scientists have identified genetic markers, they attempt to determine if the markers are inherited in people with alcoholism. If the marker is inherited along with alcoholism, scientists know that the genes that cause alcoholism are likely located close to the genetic marker on the chromosome. In 1998 researchers moved closer to the goal of finding the genes for alcoholism when they identified locations on four chromosomes where these genes are likely to be. Some experts speculate that these genes may not be specific for alcohol dependence, but rather may determine temperament or personality traits that increase a person’s vulnerability to alcohol-use disorders. Environmental Causes Scientists recognize that alcohol-use disorders likely results from a complex interaction of biological influences and environmental factors. Environmental factors that may affect the development of the disease include personal behavioural skills, peer influences early in life, parental behaviour, societal and cultural attitudes toward alcohol use, life stress, and availability of alcoholic beverages. Once a person has established a drinking pattern, environmental factors combined with physical changes induced by heavy drinking may reinforce the continued use of alcohol. Psychological Influences Many experts believe that a loss of control over drinking is as much psychological as it is physiological. Studies show that alcohol-dependent individuals will drink

excessive amounts of a non-alcoholic beverage if they believe it contains alcohol. Moreover, when they are given an alcoholic beverage that they believe is alcoholfree; their drinking behaviour is similar to that of persons not dependent on alcohol. Many drinkers develop a psychological condition known as denial, in which they are unable to acknowledge that alcohol use lies at the root of many of their problems. Denial was long thought to be a personality trait shared by all persons who suffer from alcohol-use disorders. Recent research suggests that denial may be a psychological response to negative feedback people receive about their drinking. Some studies indicate that when approached with objective information about their drinking and its consequences in an empathetic and non-confrontational manner, many persons with significant drinking problems do not demonstrate denial. Prevalence Alcohol dependence affects a broad cross section of society around the world. Statistics show that alcohol dependence touches successful business executives, skilled mechanics, labourers, homemakers, and church members of all denominations. Scientists have not identified a typical alcoholic personality, and they cannot predict with absolute certainty which drinkers will progress to alcohol dependence. Alcohol use varies depending on an individual’s social, cultural, or religious background. Some individuals do not drink at all—about one-third of adults in the United States who are 18 and older, for example, abstain from alcohol. Others drink as part of social custom. Still others drink frequently and in substantial amounts. Those suffering from alcohol dependence drink to appease an uncontrolled craving for alcohol or to avoid experiencing the unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal. W.H.O. estimates that nearly 62 million people worldwide suffer from alcohol dependence. The prevalence of the illness varies in different countries. Men are three times more likely than women to become alcoholics, while people aged 65 and older have the lowest rates of alcohol dependence. In Canada, close to 600,000 people, or 1.9 percent of adults aged 15 and older, are alcohol dependent, and the number of male alcoholics is double that of females. The highest rate of this illness occurs in Canadians between the ages of 20 and 24. In Canadian surveys about one in five current and former drinkers admit that their drinking harmed them at some point in their lives, affecting their jobs or financial position. Alcohol dependence has reached critical proportions in Russia, where 40 percent of men and 17 percent of women are alcoholics. Alcoholism is a punishable offense in Russia. Alcoholics who refuse hospital treatment can be imprisoned in labour camps. After their release they typically find it difficult to find employment, and if caught drinking again, they are returned to prison. Periodic efforts by the government to control drinking by closing distilleries, breweries, and bars have backfired. Instead of solving the problem, such tactics only created a widespread black market for liquor—as well as a country of people who hide their drinking problems. In Asian nations such as Japan, alcohol abuse has become a social concern over the last decade. In these countries, drinking almost is required when conducting business. Bars are an extension of offices, places where key decisions are made. A person who declines an invitation to drink after work, risks being passed over for promotion within the company. Alcohol is readily available in Japan—vending machines along the streets of Tokyo dispense cans of beer and sake. Over the past 30 years alcohol consumption has nearly doubled in Japan.

HEALTH CONSEQUENCES Cirrhosis of the Liver can be one of the complications of alcoholism. Blood flow through the liver before going back to the heart. If this blood carries alcohol,

it may kill liver cells as it passes through. In cirrhosis, dead and damaged liver cells are replaced by fibrous tissue, which can accumulate to form masses of scar tissue. Peter Arnold, Inc./SIU While some studies have found that moderate use of alcohol has beneficial health effects, including protection from coronary heart disease, heavy and prolonged intake of alcohol can seriously disturb body chemistry. Heavy drinkers lose their appetite and tend to obtain calories from alcohol rather than from ordinary foods. Alcohol is rich in calories and can provide substantial amounts of energy. However, if it constitutes the primary source of calories in place of food, the body will lack vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. Prolonged use of large amounts of alcohol may cause serious liver damage. In the first stage of liver disease caused by alcohol, fat accumulates in the liver. This stage of the disease is known as fatty liver. Most people do not notice symptoms of fatty liver, although in some people the liver becomes enlarged and tender. Some people with fatty liver develop hepatitis, which inflames and kills liver cells. Hepatitis is marked by jaundice, which gives a yellowish tint to the eyes and skin. Others may develop cirrhosis, an irreversible condition in which normal liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue. The scarring prevents blood from travelling freely through the liver, building blood pressure in the veins that run from the intestine to the liver. Consequently, the Liver can no longer process toxins efficiently, causing poisons to build up in the blood. This build-up can be fatal. Heavy drinking also damages heart muscle. Nearly half of all cases of cardiomyopathy are caused by alcohol abuse. In this heart disease, the heart muscles, particularly the right and left ventricles, enlarge and become flabby, reducing the heart’s blood-pumping efficiency. This inefficiency reduces the flow of blood through the kidneys, which normally filter excess salts and water out of the blood. Eventually the blood volume rises, causing a potentially fatal backup of fluid in the lungs. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a set of birth defects caused by heavy consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Children with this condition typically have a disproportioned head, facial deformities, mental retardation, and behavioural problems. F.A.S. is the leading known cause of mental retardation in the Western Hemisphere. Corbis/David H. Wells Alcoholics tend to have high blood levels of the hormone epinephrine and deficiencies of the mineral magnesium. This combination produces severe arrhythmias, or heartbeat irregularities, a common cause of sudden death in heavy drinkers. Chronic drinkers typically develop hypertension, a leading cause of stroke. In some cases, alcohol withdrawal may lead to delirium tremens (DTs), which produces increasing confusion, sleeplessness, depression, and terrifying hallucinations. As this delirium progresses, the hands develop a persistent and uncontrollable shaking that may extend to the head and body. Women who drink excessive amount of alcohol while pregnant run a high risk of having a baby born with foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the leading known cause of birth defects. FAS results in a combination of mental and physical defects, such as retardation, a small head, and poor muscle tone. Some babies exposed to alcohol during foetal maturation develop foetal alcohol effect (FAE), which produces more subtle symptoms, including behavioural problems, difficulty paying attention, or the inability to think abstractly. TREATMENT OF ALCHOLISM OR ALCOHOL DEPENDANCE The best methods to treat alcohol dependency vary, depending upon an individual’s medical and personal needs. Some heavy drinkers who recognize their problem appear to recover on their own. Others recover through participation in the programs of Alcoholics Anonymous or other self-help groups. Some alcoholics require long-term individual or group therapy, which may include hospitalization. And still others do not seek treatment at all. These people do not seek treatment as the result of

a combination of factors, including ignorance of the symptoms of alcohol-use disorders, the social stigma that still surrounds these disorders—that is, the fear of being labelled an alcoholic—and an unwillingness to accept lifetime abstinence from alcohol as a treatment goal. Numerous studies indicate that simple, brief interventions can be effective in changing drinking behaviour in those who are not severely alcohol dependent. In brief interventions, a problem drinker meets with a health professional for one to four sessions, with each session lasting from a few minutes to an hour. During these meetings, the health professional makes the person aware that his or her current drinking patterns or medical problems are related to alcohol abuse and could progress to alcohol dependence. Using a warm, reflective, and understanding style of delivery, the health professional employs a variety of strategies to encourage the individual to change his or her drinking behaviour. The goal of brief interventions typically is to help people moderate their drinking rather than resort to complete abstinence. Brief interventions also have been used to motivate alcoholics to enter specialized treatment programs and work toward complete abstinence from alcohol. For some alcoholics, treatment begins with detoxification, which safely rids the patient’s body of alcohol while treating any physical complications that develop from severe withdrawal symptoms, such as delirium tremens. Detoxification normally requires less than a week, during which time patients usually stay in a specialized residential treatment facility or a separate unit within a general or psychiatric hospital. These facilities also offer extended treatment programs to help alcoholics in their recovery effort. Recovery also may involve individual counselling and group therapy to help a person who is alcohol dependent adapt to a new way of life, one that is not driven by alcohol. Throughout the United States and Canada, public outpatient and inpatient clinics offer a variety of treatments for alcoholics. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) has affiliates in many cities that help people who are alcohol dependent find appropriate treatment programs. Many public mental hospitals and Veterans Administration hospitals, as well as private clinics and hospitals, treat alcohol dependence. Physicians may prescribe medications to help prevent alcoholics from returning to drinking once they have stopped. The drug disulfiram (sold under the trade name Antabuse), interferes with the way the body processes alcohol. Taken in pill form daily, this medication generally has no noticeable effects until a person drinks alcohol. The alcohol and drug interact to produce an extremely unpleasant reaction, including nausea, dizziness, headache, heart palpitations, and other problems. Alcoholics then associate illness with drinking and, in many cases, avoid alcohol use. Naltrexone (ReViva) is a narcotic approved for use in alcohol treatment in 1995. Although scientists are not certain how this medication works in the brain, it reduces an alcoholic’s craving for alcohol, most likely by blocking the positive effects the individual gets from drinking alcohol. Naltrexone is most effective when it is used in combination with counselling programs. Most treatment programs effectively help alcohol-dependent persons stop drinking for a period, but they are less successful in preventing a subsequent return to drinking. Treatment programs typically contain a component that focuses on helping alcoholics understand the situations, feelings, and interpersonal interactions that trigger drinking. These programs teach people how to cope with these factors without returning to drinking. In addition to formal treatment programs, other widely available community resources include vocational rehabilitation, family guidance, and religious counselling. Many countries, including Poland, Finland, and South Africa, and some U.S. states have compulsory treatment programs for alcoholics who have committed crimes. Mutual-help organizations, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Rational Recovery, provide a free and effective method to cope with recovery. IN SHORT: SCIENCE IS EMPHATIC THAT ALCOHOL KILLS

Although many people who drink can not be labelled as having a drinking problem, there are many teenage alcoholics. A lot of alcoholics either deny having a drinking problem or claim that their constant drinking would not be the cause of their death. But they are in denial, because a lot of them do not realize or do not want to acknowledge the fact that their lives are at risk. Just drinking alcohol on a regular basis drastically reduces the chances of living a long, healthy life. "I am against drinking, but many people think that drinking is a way to fit in with other peeps," says Balkis Nasery, sophomore. "I mean I know it sounds a little trite, but to me, in a sense, they think that." If people who drink think that it is a good outlet to express their "coolness" or increase their popularity, or just a way to have fun, they should research their addiction. What they find out will make them think twice before taking another drink. A long period of heavy drinking can cause scarring of the liver, which can keep it from performing its many vital functions. A damaged liver can no longer clear the blood of bodily poisons, which usually injures other organs. Heavy drinking can cause the lining of the pancreas to swell, causing chemicals to digest the pancreas itself. This brings on abdominal pain, vomiting, and even death. Alcohol messes up the chemical messages that brain cells send to each other, which enable sober people to act and think sensibly. Once these messages are distorted, thoughts become jumbled, judgment becomes impaired, and the brain centres that control vision, balance, and speech stop functioning properly. This loss of control allows people to become involved in numerous unfortunate situations. Alcoholics may act violently, lose control of their cars and possibly kill people, wake up in strange places and not know how they got there, and even have unprotected sex with anybody, risking pregnancies and the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases (such as AIDS). Heavy use of alcohol over the years can cause high blood pressure, damage the heart muscles and pressure the heart to grow bigger, causing it to work harder. Unable to pump enough blood for the needs of the body, the heart also begins to beat irregularly. Alcohol can do major damage to other muscles (besides the heart). Severe alcohol use can cause weakness by not allowing muscle cells to absorb calcium, which is needed by muscle cells to contract. Alcohol also irritates the lining of the stomach, which can cause vomiting. Longterm use of alcohol can cause stomach cancer and cancer of the oesophagus. Your Child and Alcohol: The dangers of it Children are challenged at younger ages than ever before to try drugs. Use of tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine are serious problems. However, one of the most abused drugs in our society is alcohol. Alcohol is a drug because it acts as a depressant on the nervous system and is very addictive. Though it's illegal for people under age 21 to drink, we all know that most teenagers are no strangers to alcohol. Many of them are introduced to alcohol during childhood. Alcohol is often the first drug that young people try. Some parents may breathe a sigh of relief when they find out their teen is "only" drinking alcohol. Since alcohol is legal and found in most homes, parents may think it isn't dangerous. Not true. Alcohol can be very harmful. Childhood drinking begins early, often between 11 and 13 years of age, and sometimes even younger. Alcohol is often called a "gateway drug." When young people like the feeling they get from alcohol, they may be interested in trying other drugs later. This can lead to multiple drug use, which is very dangerous. The use of alcohol, by itself or with other drugs, can harm your child's normal growth and development.

Even if a teenager only drinks occasionally, intoxicated behavior can be lethal. Just one drink can impair decision making and slow down reaction time in any situation. Alcohol is linked with a variety of risky behaviors, such as: • Crime and serious violence. • Early sexual activity, multiple partners, sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS, and unintended teenage pregnancy. • Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. Drinking during pregnancy can cause a baby to be born with major birth defects. No one knows exactly how much alcohol is too much during pregnancy, but the more a mother drinks, the greater the risk to her baby. • Drunk driving. It is the leading cause of death for young adults, aged 15 to 24 years. In one study, an estimated 6 percent to 14 percent of drivers under 21 years of age who were stopped at roadside checkpoints had been drinking. This agegroup makes up only one fifth of the licensed drivers in the United States, yet they are involved in almost half of all fatal car crashes. With a current emphasis on the dangers of underage drinking, you may wonder why young people continue to drink alcohol. There are a variety of reasons: • Curiosity. They have heard that getting drunk is fun and they want to find out for themselves. • They see drinking as a "rite of passage" – something to be experienced on the way to adulthood. • To get drunk. This explains why they often drink until they are out of control. Binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks in a row for males, four for females) is alarmingly common. Sixteen percent of 8th graders, 25 percent of 10th graders, and 30 percent of seniors have reported binge drinking. • To fit in with friends who are already using alcohol. • To feel relaxed and to boost self-confidence. • To escape problems, such as depression, family conflict, trouble in school or with a boyfriend or girlfriend. In addition to these factors, young people today are surrounded by messages in the media that drinking alcohol is normal, desirable, and harmless. Alcohol companies spend billions of dollars every year on advertising and promoting their products on TV, in movies and magazines, on billboards, and at sporting events. In fact, alcohol products are among the most advertised products in the nation. Young people are the primary targets of many of these ads. Alcohol companies and advertisers never mention the dangers of alcoholism, drinking and driving, or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Most ads show drinkers as healthy, energetic, sexy, and successful. Help your teenager understand the difference between these misleading messages in advertising and the truth about the dangers of drinking. THE BIBLE AND ALCOHOL The word "wine" in the Old Testament There are 637 references to wine, drink and drinking in the King James Version of the Bible. Most people think in today’s terms, believing that when wine is mentioned it refers to alcoholic wine. Actually, that is not necessarily true. Thirteen different words are translated "wine" in the King James Version of the Bible. The word "wine" has a wide range of meaning in the Bible, covering everything from grape juice, to concentrated grape syrup to alcoholic wine. To understand what the Bible has to say about drinking, we need to look at several of these words: Non-Alcoholic Alcoholic Juice still in the cluster or recently squeezed out. Fresh or unfermented juice Boiled juice or juice concentrated to syrup Fermented, intoxicating Mixed with drugs to enhance effects or mixed with sugars to increase the alcohol content Yayin

A general term for every drink made from grape juice (Nehemiah 5:18) Deuteronomy 28:39 Isaiah 16:10 Jeremiah 40:10 Jeremiah 48:33 Proverbs 9:2, 5 Proverbs 20:1 Proverbs 23:29-32 Proverbs 23:30 Proverbs 5:22 Chemer Foaming from the vat Dema Juice (literally “tears”) Sobe Juice concentrated to a syrup Shekar Strong drink made from a variety of products, such as grapes, dates, or barley Deuteronomy 32:14 Isaiah 27:2 Exodus 22:9 Hosea 4:18 Isaiah 1:10 Leviticus 10:9 Numbers 6:3 Numbers 28:7 Deuteronomy 14:26 Proverbs 20:1 Proverbs 31:4-7 Isaiah 5:11 Isaiah 28:7 Isaiah 56:12 Isaiah 5:22 Tirosh Grape juice Proverbs 3:10 Isaiah 65:8 Joel 2:24 Numbers 18:12 Deuteronomy 7:13 Asis Fruit Juice Song of Solomon 8:2 Amos 9:13 Clearly there are different meanings of the word ‘wine’ in the Bible; however, Proverbs 20:1 plainly condemns intoxicating beverages…"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." People must be informed that the alcohol intake is not supported by the BIBLE. The only solution therefore for alcohol drinkers and the ‘would be’ is total abstinence. Jesus and Wine Did Jesus turn water into “alcoholic” wine? Did Jesus drink alcoholic wine? It is assumed by a great many that He did. Let’s examine this for a moment. Do you know how much wine Jesus made during His first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana? He made 6 firkins, or about 150 gallons. Now, of course, the New International Version (NIV), which never changes anything of significance (yea, right), says by implication that Jesus did this “after the GUESTS had too much to drink”. You do understand that Jesus was a GUEST, don't you??? So, let me understand this correctly, Jesus was at a party where the guests were drinking to excess, Jesus was one of the guests, and He supplied a few extra kegs to liven things up a bit after they had already drank to excess. Is that your Jesus? Jesus Sinned? The King James Bible (KJB) rendering which states they had "well drunken" If you take the rendering in the KJB, which I do, you have to conclude the guests had drank their fill of wine. If this wine was alcoholic then it is likely that they would not be ready for another 150 gallons of alcoholic wine. Think about it.

How many glass of wine would this be? If you figure 4 ounces to a glass, 128 ounces to a gallon, you get 32 glasses of wine per gallon and a grand total of 4,800 glasses of wine. Now I do not know how many people were at this feast, but surely 500 would be a large number for such an event at this time. If this wine was alcoholic, then Jesus did cause all who were there to drink to excess. This is clearly a sin in the Old Testament. Not only would His excessive drinking have been a sin, but causing others to do so is also a sin. Every Jew present at this wedding, and they were undoubtedly all Jews, would have known Him to be a sinner because of this verse, and many others: "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also..." -Habakkuk 2:15 Now my liberal (apostate) friends are quick to assert that Jesus drank alcoholic wine, as a tea totter of course, but are often shocked by the implication this has in John 2. Some have suggested that Jesus didn't drink any, and that the guests did not have to drink all that he made. These are interesting thoughts, but I think it is clear from context that the guests had drank their fill and were now given a great deal more to drink. I think it is also abundantly clear from context this was not alcoholic wine. Biblical Word Wine and Its Usage The word "wine" is mentioned 231 times in the King James Bible. Let us look at these 3 Hebrew words that are all translated as “wine” in the Old Testament. • YAYIN: Intoxicating, fermented wine (Genesis 9:21). • TIROSH: Fresh grape juice (Proverbs 3:10). • SHAKAR: Intoxicating, intensely alcoholic, strong drink (often referred to other intoxicants than wine) (Numbers 28:7). The New Testament, translated from Greek, uses the word “wine” for both fermented and unfermented drink. Look at these 2 Greek words for wine the New Testament. • OINOS: Wine (generic) - Matthew 9:17 -- unfermented, Ephesians 5:18 -fermented. • GLEUKOS: Sweet wine, fresh juice (Acts 2:13). The context reveals the type of wine as in Proverbs 20:1,”Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise”. If grape juice is substituted for the word wine, the verse doesn't make sense. The Bible is full of prohibitions about using alcoholic wine. It was forbidden for priests and for those who took the Nazarite vow. It was forbidden for kings and princes (Proverbs 31:4-6) and pronounced woe upon anyone who provided his neighbour alcoholic wine and made him drunk (Habakkuk 2:15). It would be inconsistent for the Bible to speak against alcoholic wine and then have Jesus ignore it. Relevant Questions to the Discussion Didn't they use fermentation to preserve wine? How much alcohol content does naturally fermented wine have? Did they ever water it down? Is granulated sugar important to fermentation and alcoholic content? Was fermentation the only way to preserve grape juice? Fermentation, Preservation and Alcoholic Content One must have a clear understanding of fermentation to see the unlikelihood of the above contention. First, naturally (no additives) fermented wine has a low alcoholic content. Until the advent of widely available granulated sugar, strongly alcoholic wine was rare. To make wine strongly alcoholic like what we have today (10%-15%) you must add a lot of sugar and yeast. These are the two key components to fermentation, and they are not present in large enough quantities naturally to create the strong wine we have today. Alcoholic wine during biblical times, which was much weaker than the wine of today, was often watered down for drinking. They basically only had water and wine. Like Pepsi or Coke today, wine was consumed by adults and children alike as a tasty substitute for water. Watering down wine was something they did and they drank it this way regularly.

Also, boiling it down to syrup was frequently done for preservation. This boiling killed the yeast that would cause fermentation. The syrup could easily be reconstituted later for drinking purposes. A third form of preservation was by straining out the yeast to prevent fermentation. The Myth of Natural Fermentation Nature NEVER forms spirituous liquors. The fruit (grape) may rot and turn sour but it takes ART to convert juice to alcohol. The indispensable conditions for vinous fermentation are exact proportions of sugar, yeast or gluten and water with air temperature between 50 and 75 degrees. Chemical science forbids vinous fermentation when heat exceeds 75 degrees and assures the acetous (vinegar). Since the Middle East is well above that even at night most of the year, something had to be done to preserve the juice (wine) for the year, or else it would all turn to vinegar! To assume it was all turned to alcoholic wine is a ridiculous assertion and flies in the face of historical fact. Josephus, famous Jewish historian declares that he has seen provisions at the Jewish fortress Masada including grapes and fruits, kept fresh to last for 100 years!!!! Pliny the Roman historian confirms this. Don't let anyone tell you that grapes have to be kept by making alcoholic wine so they can last the year!! So we see that the portrayal that grape juice was only preserved by fermentation is utterly false. Unfermented wine was the most common wine in biblical times. It was not what we know as wine today which is always alcoholic. You cannot defend wine drinking today on the basis of biblical times because the two are totally different. Argument from the Passover Some will still say that Jesus Christ indeed drank alcoholic wine and we know this by the Passover (which was the last supper - Mark 14:14-17). There is a difference of seven months grapes between the harvest and Passover. They will say “they didn't have refrigerators, so to keep the grapes from souring, they were fermented”. As we have shown above, the seven month time span would not have been a problem due to the multitude of frequently used preservation methods, all of which easier than fermentation, available to the people at that time. Furthermore, in Matthew 26 it was "the fruit of the vine” (verse 29) they drank. This is also in Mark 14, Luke 22, and 1 Corinthians 11. The “fruit of the vine” would be grapes, and when the grapes are crushed they do not make alcoholic wine. You do know that God calls it wine while the juice is still in the grape don't you? Isaiah 65:8 Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster.... If you have ever seen a painting of the last supper you will know that Jesus was depicted holding up a cluster of grapes at the last supper, not a Budweiser. Argument from the Good Samaritan Another contention about Jesus drinking alcoholic wine stems from the story of the Good Samaritan. The Greek word for wine used here is oinos. The claim is that it is alcoholic here because the Good Samaritan used it as an antiseptic. This is the same Greek word used in John 2, so it is contended that Jesus did turn the water into alcoholic wine. If you know anything at all about Greek you know that oinos can refer to fermented or unfermented grape juice. The word oinos is used at least 33 times in the LXX to translate Tirosh the Hebrew word for grape juice. The word “wine” not only in Greek, but in Old English, in Latin, and in Hebrew is a generic term including all kinds of wine, unfermented and fermented. In the 1828 Webster’s dictionary wine is defined as unfermented and fermented juice. Only by context can one know whether the wine in question is fermented or not. Thus, the fact the wine made by Christ at Cana is called oinos offers no grounds for concluding that it was fermented wine. It is interesting that the new versions, which claim to have up-to-date language, still translate all these original language words as wine since the definition of the English word "wine" has changed in the last 100 years. Where the KJB is

accurate in its translation given the definition of the word in 1611, the new versions misrepresent the true meaning of these Hebrew and Greek words when they translate what is by definition juice in the Old Testament (Tirosh) and clearly presented as such in context in the New Testament. It is a false private interpretation of these passages in the NIV that the guests, including Jesus, were drunk and then Jesus made more to further the intoxication. The fact is that the context tells us otherwise. By the simple fact that the governor of the feast noted that He had saved the good wine until last. If they had been intoxicated the governor would not have been able to tell it was the best because his senses would be dulled. The argument from the Greek word oinos is completely invalid.

Argument from the Pharisee's Accusation Another contention about Jesus drinking alcoholic wine comes from what our Lord said about the Pharisees. The Lord was demonstrating how it was impossible to please these arrogant theological intellectuals. No matter what you did they could find it to be wrong somehow. Jesus gives the illustration like this: For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. Matthew 11:18-19 The argument from this passage goes like this: "Jesus must have drank alcoholic wine or they would not have made the accusation". That is an interesting comment, one that I considered very closely. However, if this argumentation is correct it must be applicable to the former comment about John the Baptist. For them to accuse him he must have been possessed by a devil (maybe just a little one and only infrequently). The obvious implication of this analogy is that neither is true. John was not possessed of a devil, and Jesus did not drink alcoholic wine and therefore could not have been a winebibber. It also bears mention that the Pharisees also accused him of breaking the Sabbath by healing the sick, and of blaspheming God by making Himself equal with God. Neither of these accusations were true since helping the sick on the Sabbath does not fall under the category of work (Mark 3:3-5), and He was equal and co-eternal with the Father (John 1:118). What the Bible Says About Drinking? Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again. Proverb: 23:29(KJV) I know, I know, you guys that drink alcohol never drink too much do you? Sure you don't. I was around people who drank this stuff a lot before I was saved and I know from experience that someone who drinks almost always does it to get a buzz from it. Do your eyes behold strange women when you drink? Do you utter perverse things, like curse words, or dirty jokes when you drink? I am convinced that most of the fornication going on out there is at least partially attributable to alcohol consumption. Even the worldliest people consider it a sin product.

Keep justifying it in your mind, but remember this verse: There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12(KJV) Is Wine Destructive? As I have demonstrated, nowhere in scripture do we find Jesus drinking alcoholic wine. Alcohol is destructive and addictive. It is a depressant drug that actually attacks the brain cells and destroys them. Twenty percent of all patients admitted into mental hospitals have a problem with alcohol. Alcohol has caused numerous health and social problems. In addition to this a majority of traffic fatalities and accidents can be directly attributive to alcohol. Drunkenness destroys lives and relationships. It is not just a disease. It is a sin. Notice the damage alcohol did in the lives of these Bible characters: • Noah - It brought shame (Genesis 9:21). • Lot - His daughters committed incest (Genesis 19:30-36). • Nabal - God killed him (1Samuel 25:36-37). • Elah - Was murdered by Zimri (1Kings 16:9-10). • Belshazzar - The Assyrians take his kingdom (Daniel 5) • The Corinthians - During the Lord's Super God kills some (1Corinthians 11). Where Do You Get Your Joy? Some people seek their happiness, comfort and peace in a bottle. The Lord will always be the Christian's source of joy. Jesus said in John 15:11, "These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full". 1John 1:4 reminds us, "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full". God has given us His Word to provide comfort and to maintain joy in our lives. The Christian's happiness does not come in a bottle. It comes in a book -- the Bible! Consider that others are watching our example. What example are we setting? 1st Thessalonians 5:22 warn us, “Abstain from all appearance of evil”. To conclude; did Jesus turn water into alcoholic wine? No! Some people may allege that Jesus turned water into alcoholic wine; but nothing could be further from the truth. I think Pastor J. Vernon McGee says it best... "There has always been a controversy about the "wine" in the New Testament being an intoxicant. It is my firm conviction that the Lord Jesus did not make an intoxicating drink at the wedding in Cana of Galilee (see John 2). Anyone who attempts to make of Him a bootlegger is ridiculous and is doing absolutely an injustice. Folk like to present the argument that in the warm climate of Israel all one had to do was to put grape juice in a wine skin and in time it would ferment. Yes, but in the miracle at Cana, the Lord Jesus started out with water, and in the matter of a few seconds He had "wine." My friend, it didn’t have a chance to ferment. And we must remember that the wedding in Cana was a religious service, and everything that had to do with leaven (which is fermentation) was forbidden. This is the reason that at the time of the Passover and the institution of the Lord’s Supper the wine could not have been fermented. Fermentation is the working of leaven, and leaven was strictly forbidden in bread and in everything else. The bread and drink could not have been leavened. Intoxicants are condemned in the Word of God, and here is a verse for it: "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Today many folk are being trapped by this type of thing. America is becoming a nation of drunkards. I am not impressed when the news media lets us know the

tremendous amount of taxes that comes from the liquor industry. What they forget to tell is the cost of the hospitals, the mental institutions and the accidents— the people who have been maimed for life—as a result of drinking drivers. That kind of cost is not reported. I understand that any derogatory news is suppressed because one of the biggest advertisers is the booze industry. We hear about how bad drug abuse is today; but remember, alcohol is a drug! A law enforcement officer told me that at the beginning of the drug craze the liquor interests helped to fight the drug traffic, because they were afraid it would hurt their business. They would much rather have kids become drunkards addicted to alcohol than to have him become a drug addict. That is really generous and big-hearted of the liquor industry, don’t you agree? However, young people began making comparisons. I have had young folk in youth groups tell me they don’t feel they should be reprimanded for smoking marijuana by a crowd that sits around drinking cocktails. And I agree with the young folk. Let the adults stop drinking liquor before they talk to our young people about the evils of marijuana. The hypocrisy of those outside the church is lots worse than the hypocrisy inside the church! Drunkenness was the undoing of Noah, and it has been a problem from that day to the present hour. Alcohol is valuable for medicinal purposes, but the minute it is used as a beverage it becomes dangerous. The number of alcoholics is increasing every year. It is one of the greatest tax burdens we have to bear. But you don’t learn of that through the news media. In fact, it is dangerous to lift your head against this hydra-headed monster. I predict that it will not be missiles but liquor that will destroy our nation." -Pastor J. Vernon McGee (SOURCE: THRU THE BIBLE WITH J. VERNON McGee, Proverb 20:1). Jesus fully knew the evils of alcohol. Don't you tell me that Jesus didn't see the broken families, the drunkard fathers, the battered wives, the neglected children--all because of alcohol. The world hasn't changed that much in 2,000 years. In fact, alcohol was a problem back in Genesis, evidenced by Noah's drunkenness (Genesis 9:21). Alcohol has historically been used to induce sexual sins (Genesis 19:31-36). Alcohol is LIQUID DEVIL, because the Devil uses alcohol greatly to destroy people's lives. When a person drinks alcohol, and loses their mind, the Devil takes control.

THE DECEITFULNESS OF LIQUOR! "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" Proverb 20:1(KJV) I've known many believers to foolishly argue that Jesus turned water into intoxicating liquor (coincidentally all of those believers drank alcohol). Though I have tried to convince them otherwise using the Scriptures, they had already made up their minds. The bottom line is that YOU CAN'T ARGUE WITH STATISTICS. The Bible tells us in Proverb 20:1 that "strong drink is raging." One needs only listen to the news to realize that God's Word stands true. Death after death is caused because of liquor. God knew what He was talking about when He put Proverb 20:1 in His Word. We also read that "Wine is a mocker." Wine is being personified here; it sits back and laughs at it’s victims. Read Proverb 20:1 again, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." The word "deceived" in Hebrew means "to reel in" or "to cause to go astray, mislead." Just as you would reel in a fish, so does the devil reel in the unsuspecting with alcohol. Liquor by nature has an element of deceit inherent to it--This is what the Bible teaches. You can argue about what Paul meant when he said "a little wine for the stomach's sake," but you can't argue with Proverb 20:1. Wine is a mocker, it scorns and

laughs at it's foolish victims. Intoxicating drink is raging, it has unstable tendencies. When consumed by mortal men and women, liquor consumes. "Deceit" is the keyword when the Bible speaks of liquor. If you drink beer, you are being deceived! Liquor is an accident waiting to happen! Mr. David J. Stewart says: I stood at a gravesite, over the bodies of a dead mother and her unborn baby--both killed by a drunk driver. I watched their coffins lowered into the ground. I saw the husband and remaining children cry with unforgettable tears. Yes friend, this is what the devil doesn't want you to see. This is what Miller, Budweiser (Bud Stupider), and all the other evil beer manufacturers DON'T want you to see. The devil always shows folks the front yard, not the back yard. Listen friend, you cannot eat at the devil's table without being poisoned. You cannot play with fire without being burned. Liquor is "deceitful." Do you think any youngster says, "When I grow up, I want to drink beer and kill someone with my car?" No, but it happens doesn't it? Why? Because beer is deceitful! Do you think any man says, "Today I want to get drunk and beat my wife?" No, but it happens doesn't it? Why? Because Liquor is deceitful! I watched a man at work years ago run a knife right through his hand while trying to cut a rubber hose--he had one drink too many before work. The same man was drinking and driving with a "buddy" of his in a pickup truck. There was an accident. The "buddy" sued his friend and was awarded $19,000 in garnished wages. No one in their right mind would want this to happen! But it happened! Why? Because liquor is deceitful. I watched a neighbour years ago smash out the front windows of his house. His wife came out with black and blue marks all over her face. The drunken man stumbled out to the street and drove away. The greedy sin-loving beer companies don't want anyone to see this. By the way, I am sickened by the new "drink responsibly" propaganda. So then let’s Gamble, Smoke, Drink and Die --Responsibly, Please! Liquor is "liquid devil." As I've already mentioned, you can't argue with the facts. The statistics are disheartening--16,000 people killed in 2001 by alcohol related deaths. Many of the people who were devastated by the World Trade Tower attacks fail to realize that 500% more people were killed by alcohol last year alone on our roadways. Would to God that liquor were abolished completely. I hate beer and all such. By the way, God does too! Jesus never made intoxicating wine--it would be a violation of proverb 20:1. Sadly, some ministers ignorantly try to justify their drinking of alcohol by exploiting the Bible. Listen to the solemn words of Proverb 31:4, "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:" Wine dulls the thinking and liquor diminishes the thinking integrity. Is not a believer higher in heaven than an earthly king or a prince? Most definitely, yes! Is not a child of God to have clear thinking? Absolutely! "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" (1 Peter 5:8). If you look for the word "sober" in the New Testament, it appears over and over concerning believers--we are to be sober (alert). The word "sober" means that we are to avoid ANYTHING that dulls our thinking or makes us vulnerable to satanic attack. No believer has any business drinking alcohol. The Bible warns that the devil has it in for us--Satan wants to make us disappear, he wants to destroy us. Liquor is a very effective tool of the devil. All beer drinkers say the same thing, "You have to drink responsibly!" Oh, then why are there so many tragedies? Why so many lost jobs and beaten families? Again, the Bible warns us about the DECEITFULNESS of liquor in proverb 20:1. Turn if you will to Proverb 20:17, "Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel." My friend, God is NEVER wrong. Sin is fun, the Bible acknowledges it so: "Bread of deceit is SWEET". BUT, your mouth will be "filled with gravel" afterwards. Liquor will fill your mouth with gravel. I always think of a joke I heard, "What's the difference between one beer and another?" Answer: about 20 minutes! That's about how I feel about beer. Beer is disgusting, it is trouble, it is better left alone. The element of deceit is too

great. No youngster says, "When I grow up I want to be a bum, laying on a park bench in my own vomit." But it happens! Why? Because liquor is deceitful! "You can't take two drinks of beer, if you don't take one."--Pastor Jack Hyles Brother Hyles hit the nail right on the head; we should stay as far away from sin as possible. If sin brings death, then we must avoid sin. If temptation brings sin, then we must avoid temptation, and so forth. If liquor has the power to destroy us (and it surely does), then we should NOT drink it at all. We should avoid alcohol like we would avoid a deadly rattle-snake. If you drink beer, champagne or wine--you are being deceived. The devil is laughing his head off in mockery of all those fools who drink alcohol. The element of deceit is that "everyone thinks they can handle it." Statistics prove that many, many people cannot handle alcohol. This means that there are a great number of people who sincerely think that can handle liquor but are in for a horrible surprise. If you have any sense at all, you will leave alcohol alone. It's a shame that so many believers have been dubbed by the devil. If liquor was sinful during the prohibition years, then it still sinful today. Most people laugh and think it's a big joke when someone speaks out against liquor. This is because they've never lost a loved one to a drunk driver--a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, etc. THE KILLER IS GLAMORIZED AND GLORIFIED! The alcohol industry spends lots of money every day, week, month and year advertising and glorifying the killer! By age 18, the average child, have seen an estimated 100,000 beer commercials! They innocently watch as their favourite heroes glamorize and glorify killer alcohol. 'You only go around once in life, so grab for all the gusto you can', they proclaim. But what they don't tell you is-every single day--at least 10 young people die because of drinking alcohol! God have mercy on these athletes, who prostitute their God-given athletic ability, sacrificing our young people on the altar of alcohol! Great men and women of our country have drunken themselves to death. What happen to the music artists, the film actors and the numerous business men and women? Would this not be the best advertisement for alcohol? BET YOU NEVER SAW THAT PICTURE! NO, THEY DON'T SHOW YOU THE END OF 'HAPPY HOUR'! People ask what are we going to do about AIDS? What I want to know is-- what are we doing about those thousands of innocent people who are 'LAMBS LED TO THE SLAUGHTER' on the highways by drunk drivers! Some gullible parents are actually relieved that their children are drinking alcohol instead of using other drugs. But, what many parents don't know is--the number one killer of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 is ALCOHOL-RELATED AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS! Next time you buy that drink. Next time you buy that six- pack. You are footing the bill for the murder of somebody's loved one, somebody's little child! JUST MAYBE--YOUR OWN! Next time your wife and children go to the grocery store, next time your husband goes to work-- BEWARE; it just may be the last! THERE'S A VICIOUS KILLER STALKING THE HIGHWAYS! The President and the law makers have spared no expense, nor effort, to 'get guns off the streets.' You cannot turn to news on the net or satellites without hearing the horror of 'guns and youth.' And what's more, in nearly all youth related shootings--killer alcohol helps 'pull the trigger'. As one youth convicted of attempted murder, said, "most of the times we didn't think about planning drive-by shootings, 'cause we had all been DRUNK." Ghana is becoming more like America. Professionals are given in to alcohol. Sports men are victims yet children take them as mentors an try to be like them. Teachers are the worst of group who drink alcohol especially in the northern part of Ghana. What are they telling the students? What are they teaching them? Can they stand the chance of correcting students who engage in drinking? I thought health professionals will know better. Why are some nurses and doctors alcohol-addicts? What will be their advice to alcoholics? What effective roles can they play in the health care delivery system at all?

Well there are over 18 million alcoholics in America. Thanks to killer alcohol, cirrhosis of the liver kills over 30,000 each year and is rising. Over 50 percent of the people on welfare are due to killer alcohol. Over 80 percent of all fire deaths are due to killer alcohol. 65 percent of the drownings, 22 percent of home accidents, 77 percent of falls, 36 percent of pedestrian accidents. And over 80 percent of all arrests are linked to killer alcohol! Violent behavior attributed to killer alcohol accounts for approximately 65 percent of all murders, 40 percent of all assaults, 35 percent of all rapes, 30 percent of other sex crimes, and 30 percent of all suicides. And one of the most disturbing statistics of all-- 60 PERCENT OF ALL CHILD ABUSE IS DUE TO KILLER ALCOHOL! Let's wage a war on crack, on cocaine, on heroin, and marijuana! BUT DON'T DARE EVEN MENTION KILLER ALCOHOL! A 16-year-old in Buffalo, N.Y. kills his father after drinking some beers with friends...A drunk father in South Carolina, cuts off the head of his baby. In jail, he's screaming, 'How? How could I do such a thing? I loved my baby!'...A drunken husband pours gas on his wife and then sets her on fire. In jail, he's crying, 'Why? What came over me? I loved my wife!'...Cari Lightner, a 13-year-old girl, killed by a drunk driver, as she walked to a church carnival...4 year-old, David Gunderman run over by a drunk driver as he stood on the sidewalk waiting for the ice cream man...And killer alcohol keeps killing! ONLY THE NAMES CHANGE! Killer alcohol can make an otherwise, faithful man or woman forget their marriage vows. Currently, 2 out of every 3 marriages end in divorce--and 2 out of every 3 adults drink alcohol! A Miami judge recently 'shocked' the news media when he stated that a WHOPPING 90% OF ALL DIVORCES WERE CAUSED BY DRINKING PROBLEMS! Killer alcohol has destroyed our homes! 85% of all the children in foster homes are there, thanks to killer alcohol! God only knows the thousands of women and children beaten black and blue--thanks to killer alcohol! God only knows the rivers of tears wept--thanks to killer alcohol! Mental illness and the homeless are in epidemic proportions. A panel of 20 doctors and scientists was asked in Pageant Magazine, what is the greatest single cause of insanity in the U.S.? THEY ALL REPLIED WITHOUT EXCEPTION -- ALCOHOL! You've heard it said, one or two drinks won't hurt you, or an occasional drink may even be good for your health. NOT ACCORDING TO THE LATEST RESEARCH! An article in U.S. News and World Report states, 'Alcohol begins to alter the functioning of virtually every organ from the moment it enters the body...experts believe even OCCASIONAL DRINKS CAN BE DANGEROUS.' According to studies, you have at least a 1 in 10 chance of becoming an alcoholic with each sip! Research states, "Everytime you take a drink you are playing RUSSIAN ROULETTE! Any given 'sip' you may pull the switch that will change your metabolism and turn you into a chronic alcoholic and destroy your life." And 1 out of every 10 alcoholics commits suicide! You'd better think about that before you take that 'OCCASIONAL' DRINK! The Bible gives a perfect description of alcohol in Proverbs 23: "(29) Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? (30)They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. (31)Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. (32)At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. (33)Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things." THANKS TO KILLER ALCOHOL . . . • There are over million alcoholics • Cirrhosis of the liver which kills over 30,000 each year and rising • 50 percent of the people on welfare are due to killer alcohol • 80 percent of all fire deaths are due to killer alcohol • 65 percent of the drowning • 22 percent of home accidents • 77 percent of falls • 36 percent of pedestrian accidents • 65 percent of all murders • 40 percent of all assaults

• 35 percent of all rapes • 30 percent of other sex crimes • 30 percent of all suicides • Over 80 percent of all arrests are linked to killer alcohol! And one of the most disturbing statistics of all - 60 PERCENT OF ALL CHILD ABUSE IS DUE TO KILLER ALCOHOL! Let's wage a war on crack, on cocaine, on heroin, and marijuana! BUT DON'T DARE EVEN MENTION KILLER ALCOHOL! Nobody opens their mouth against killer alcohol! Nobody makes a sound! Who speaks out for over 7 million young children that live a life of child abuse, incest, and torture? Their little life is a hell on earth because of killer alcohol! YOU'D BETTER THINK ABOUT THAT BEFORE YOU TAKE THAT "OCCASIONAL" DRINK! Once again, the Bible gives a perfect description of alcohol in Proverbs 23:"Who hath WOE? Who hath SORROW? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? THEY THAT TARRY LONG AT THE WINE; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it BITETH LIKE A SERPENT, AND STINGETH LIKE AN ADDER. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things." The Bible says, ". . . at last it biteth like A SERPENT." Do you know what a serpent bite is? POISON! Did you know that alcohol is poison? Every major organ in your body is poisoned by alcohol. According to The Birmingham News (Nov. 19, 1990), "Scientific data show alcohol is THE MOST PHYSICALLY DETERIORATING drug there is. It causes more organic damage than any other drug. . ."Why is it when people get drunk, they have a tendency to vomit? Because your stomach knows POISON when it comes down! When a man is drunk, he is INTOXICATED. Do you know what a TOXIC is? IT IS A POISON! A drunken man is a man who has LITERALLY POISONED HIMSELF! Scientists have only recently discovered the physical process that creates the slurred speech and drunken stupor. Once in the blood stream, alcohol causes a coagulation of the red corpuscles referred to as "sludging". The blood thickens so that it cannot flow freely and clogs the metabolic exchange of life-giving oxygen. And when cells are deprived of oxygen - THEY DIE! And because brain cells require a high oxygen supply continuously, they are particularly vulnerable! And brain cells are the only cells that do not reproduce! Brain cells destroyed are never replaced! Autopsies performed on drinkers, often reveal hollow cavities in the skull, where ENTIRE CONVOLUTIONS OF THE BRAIN HAVE DISAPPEARED! And according to studies by Dr. Melvin H. Kinsley, brain damage occurs progressively from THE VERY FIRST DRINK! The next time you see that man staggering drunk - YOU ARE WATCHING A MAN LITERALLY DESTROYING HIS BRAIN! I've had people tell me several times, Jesus drank wine. . . The Bible makes a clear distinction between fermented liquor and new wine, or grape juice. Speaking of fermented liquor, Proverbs 23 says, "Look not thou upon the wine when it is red (speaking of fermentation), when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright (speaking of the bubbling and carbonation). At the last it BITETH like a serpent, and STINGETH like an adder." A description of new wine is found in Isaiah 65:8, "as the NEW WINE is found IN THE CLUSTER." Not in a bottle! You can't get FERMENTED LIQUOR from a CLUSTER! Fermented LIQUOR is placed in a bottle, with yeast and allowed to FERMENT. Genesis 40:11 gives a clear picture of new wine, "I took GRAPES and PRESSED them in Pharaoh's cup." People say Jesus drank wine at the Last Supper with the apostles. HE DID? In Matthew, Mark and Luke where the account of the Last Supper is found, the word "wine" is never even mentioned. The Bible very carefully says they drank - "FRUIT OF THE VINE!" What about when Jesus turned the water into wine at the marriage in Cana. If Jesus Christ turned water into fermented liquor, he directly disobeyed Habakkuk 2:15,

"Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also . . ." And, if Jesus disobeyed Habakkuk - HE WAS A SINNER! The Bible makes it very clear in 1 Peter 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, and other verses - THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS WITHOUT SIN! God has placed a very strong warning in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, "Be not deceived: NO DRUNKARDS, . . . shall inherit the kingdom of God." IS ALCOHOL WORTH IT? Friend, alcohol will never satisfy that unquenchable thirst, burning inside of you. ONLY JESUS CHRIST CAN QUENCH THAT THIRST! Jesus said in John 7:37,"IF ANY MAN THIRST, let him come unto me, and drink." John 4:14 says, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him SHALL NEVER THIRST; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." Why don't you let the Lord Jesus Christ satisfy that thirst in your soul today? OH, HOW HE LOVES YOU! He's been waiting for you a long time, friend. Why don't you trust him this very minute? You'll never regret it! You may not have a drinking problem. But, if you've never trusted Jesus Christ, there's an unsatisfied thirst and longing in your soul - and YOU KNOW IT! The Bible says in Proverbs 27:20, ". . . the eyes of man are never satisfied." LIQUID DEVIL "Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine." Proverb 23:29-30(KJV) Fermentation is the process by which leaven becomes intoxicating wine. The term "mixed wine" in the Old Testament refers to intoxicating alcohol. Sugars or other drugs were added to the juice concoction to create booze. The Word of God condemns drinking such mixed wines which contain alcohol. The Word of God goes to great lengths to avoid any misunderstanding concerning the use of juice in the Lord's Supper, using the term "cup" instead of "wine"... "After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me" (1st Corinthians 11:25). Leaven was strictly forbidden in the Jewish diet. It was a ceremonial law given to Old Testament Israel. Since leaven pictured corruption, God used it as a constant reminder to Israel that they were to be sanctified unto the Lord. Intoxicants are condemned in the Word of God. Booze has well earned the nickname, "Liquid Devil." Distillation was not discovered until about 1500 A.D. Strong drink and unmixed wine in Bible times was from 3% to 11% alcohol. Since wine has 9 to 20% alcohol, you should not drink wine. Brandy contains 15 to 20% alcohol, so that’s out too. Hard liquor has 40 to 50% alcohol (80 to 100 proof), and that is obviously excluded! What about beer? Someone will say, "Since beer is only 4% alcohol, IT’S OK FOR A BELIEVER TO DRINK BEER, RIGHT?" The answer is NO! Here’s why ... All alcoholic beverages used in our culture fall under the biblical classification of STRONG DRINK and are; therefore, forbidden. The least ratio of water to wine mixture used in Bible times was 3 parts water to 1 part wine. That produced a subalcoholic drink that was 2.5% to 2.75% alcohol. Normally, the ratio was even higher, up to 20 to 1. There is NO BIBLICAL SUPPORT FOR CHRISTIANS DRINKING THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES OF OUR DAY! What early believers drank was sub-alcoholic by today’s standards. Pastors and deacons were cautioned to steer away from wine (1st Timothy 3:3, 8). Romans 14:21 warns ... "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or

is made weak." 1st Corinthians 6:12 tell us that we are not to "be brought under the power" or to be controlled by anything. The only exception is the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Alcohol is clearly a powerful substance (Proverbs 23:35). Because alcohol is addictive, we should choose not to drink alcoholic beverages. One drink has always led to disaster. Possession and Alcohol Beer is 100% LIQUID DEVIL! In Revelation 21:8, the word "sorcerers" is translated from the Greek "pharmakeus," which means "a drug, i.e. a spell-giving potion; a druggist (pharmacist) or poisoner." Interestingly, the modern word "pharmacy" comes from the SAME Greek root word as does the word "sorcerer." Thus, there has always been a direct connection between demonic possession and substance abuse. People throughout history who have entered the occult have abused alcohol and drugs to increase their levels of cultic consciousness. The taking of alcohol or drugs is absolutely essential to the practice of witchcraft and Satanism. Drinking alcohol opens demonic doors because a weak mind is the Devil's workshop. To come under the influence of alcohol is to LOSE one's capacity for reason and control. Many rock-n-roll performers have openly admitted to writing some of their music while high on illegal-drugs. Listen to what Brian Wilson, lead singer of the Beach Boys stated... "We were doing witchcraft, trying to make witchcraft music." -- Brian Wilson quoted in Nick Kent's The Dark Stuff (pg.27.) "About a year ago I had what I consider a very religious experience. I took LSD, a full dose of LSD, and later, another time, I took a smaller dose. And I learned a lot of things, like patience, understanding. I can't teach you, or tell you, what I learned from taking it. But I consider it a very religious experience." -- Brian Wilson, Look! Listen! Vibrate! SMiLE!, (pg.167.) "We smoked pot and hash when originally creating those songs [in the late 1960s]. It helped us get into the songs." -Brian Wilson Alcohol IS A DRUG!!! It affects the entire body. Actually, a driver can be impaired with a U.S. blood-alcohol level as low as .03. When you drink alcohol, it goes straight from the stomach to the bloodstream. Alcohol can be detected in the blood as fast as five minutes after drinking, and it's effects -- most obvious in the central nervous system -- peak in about 30 to 45 minutes. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system which, in turn, impairs motor function, motor performance, and speech and eye movements. These skills are not only slowed down, they are performed more inaccurately. Alcohol also affects the ability to think and reason clearly. This is prime opportunity for Satan to sift you as wheat ... Jesus warned Peter in Luke 22:31, "...behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat." The Devil wants to kill, steal, and destroy your life (John 10:10) --why make it easier for him by drinking booze? Truly, consuming beer is risky business.

GOD’S CURSE IS ON THE DRINKING BARS "I tell you that the curse of God Almighty is on the saloon." —Billy Sunday "Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." -Galatians 5:21 God hates alcohol! Alcohol has led many unsuspecting victims into the SIN of drunkenness. Alcohol destroys lives and families!!! I stood over the grave of a mother and her child, both murdered by a drunk driver. The drunk driver lived,

but he killed a pregnant mother and her unborn child. That man is a cold-blooded murderer! He should receive the death penalty. Alcohol is inherently EVIL! Alcohol MUST be outlawed, banned completely because it is a deadly poison! I thank God for organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) who are doing their best to fight against the evils of alcohol; but God is Against more than just drunk drivers... GOD HATES ALCOHOL, THE SALOON, AND THE ENTIRE BEER INDUSTRY. "The saloon is the sum of all villainies. It is worse than war or pestilence. It is the crime of crimes. It is the parent of crimes and the mother of sins. It is the appalling source of misery and crime in the land. And to license such an incarnate fiend of hell is the dirtiest, low-down, damnable business on top of this old earth." -Billy Sunday (Quoted from the sermon, The Curse of the Saloon) Billy says: “Beer is extremely dangerous because it contains less alcohol than stronger drinks such as whiskey. Beer drinkers are under a FALSE sense of security and are likely to consume much more alcohol. The alcohol barons are liars and won't tell the truth to the public. Most deaths caused by alcohol are directly the result of BEER drinking; not hard liquor. In addition, most alcoholrelated accidents involve drivers with a BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) under .08 (the legal limit). A 13-year old girl was recently struck and killed by an alcohol-impaired driver in our neighbourhood. His BAC was .06, so legally he couldn't be charged with drunk driving, even though he was stumbling from his car and talking in mumble. ALL types of alcoholic drinks need to be banned from American society, because alcohol has PROVEN to be a menace to our society. America needs Billy Sundays to rise up all across this once great nation, preaching uncompromisingly hard and loud sermons against the evils of drinking alcohol. Truly, alcohol has earned the name LIQUID DEVIL.” The age old excuse for drinking alcohol is that it is a "medicine." Oh boy, please stop! You've got to be kidding me. There are drug stores and supermarkets all across the United States where you can obtain Parecatamol or other medications, such as Valium, if you need something to help you sleep. Every fool looks for an excuse to justify his folly. I actually heard a female porn star trying to justify her sins to the news media, by saying that Adam and Eve were naked in Eden. Yeah, and they were the only two people on the planet at the time. There is no justification for pornography! You can repaint sin in any colour you want; but it is still sin. You can repackage evil to make it look wholesome and good; but it's still rot and evil. You can try to recreate God in your own image all you want; but God is unchanging (Malachi 3:6). If alcohol is a drug, let it be prescribed, let it be in the drugs store. Or was it an accident? If our government leaders know these horrifying statistics and do nothing to prevent it, then they are ACCOMPLICES! Government leaders at all levels are guilty of murder. It is insane. Now you who read this if you do nothing about alcohol, the word hypocrite is less for you. Let’s stand against the liquor traffic, willing to go on fighting that damnable, dirty, rotten business with all the power at our command. "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." -Luke 21:34 So many people turn to alcohol to escape their problems. "Wine, women, and song" is the old saying. Today, the saying is "Sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll." Well, God is against immoral sex, drug abuse, and satanic music. God is against alcohol because of what it does to society. Do you foolishly think God would actually approve of such a dangerous substance? Perhaps you say, "This is a free country and people need to face the consequences of their actions, you can't make everything illegal." I would agree with that wholeheartedly; however, people have not faced the consequences of their actions. Drunk drivers rarely receive life in prison for murders committed. It is disgusting to read the beer industry's propaganda about how wonderful alcohol is. The beer industry crows about contributions to society by supplying

jobs, economic development, and charitable donations. For the beer industry to attempt to paint a pretty picture of their wickedness is an abomination unto God. It would be like Hitler saying that the holocaust was good because it provided many Germans with jobs, soap, wigs, and less traffic during rush hour. It is insanity for the beer industry to whitewash their works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). Liquor, booze, alcohol, beer, whiskey, Jack Daniel's, Smirnoff...call it whatever you want...IT'S ALL STRAIGHT FROM HELL! God is against drunk drivers! God is against all drunkards! God is against alcohol being used as a means of having fun. And we all know someone with an alcohol problem who continually refers to their sinful habit as "medicine." No, it's LIQUID DEVIL! Accurate information about alcohol and alcohol problems is necessary for the public to get a true picture of what role alcohol plays in the health of the public. QUOTATIONS AND OBSERVATIONS Alcoholics could account for quarter of all new hospital mental cases -Michael Meacher Alcohol, tobacco, pot, L.S.D., heroin, are all drugs. Some are more harmful than others. And there’s another thing. If you are a slave to one of them you’ll never be able to help cure a person who is a slave to any of them. -the black and white Book, Blandford Press. Alcoholics do not represent any single group in our population. There are professional people, Government officials, trades-men, executives, skilled craftmen, and workers. Alcoholism cuts across all lives, reaches all segments of society. Community Service Committee Without exception, nations that have high alcohol consumption levels have the greatest prevalence of alcohol-related illness. The more people there are in any society who drink – even though most may drink moderately – the more alcoholics there will be, and the greater the incidence of alcohol-related damage. There is simply no country in the world this equation has been upset. H. David Archibald, recent Director Addiction Research Foundation, Canada. The alcoholic is a sick person. He can no no more control his compulsion to drink than a diabetic can control his reaction to sugar. When he sobers up, the alcoholic intends to stay sober. But a single drink can start him on the same downward spiral. C A parent alcoholism must often have far reaching effects onthe personality development of his children. The alcoholics unpredictable attitude and behaviour necessitates a continual readjustment by all those living close to him. Dr. M. M. Glatt, MD., M.R.C.P.,F.R.C.Psych., D.P.M Russian Roulette is a game for psychopaths. Every chamber of the a revolver is empty except one; the player puts the pistol to his head and pulls the trigger, betting his life that he will win against one bullet. Isn’t that what a man does when he begins to drink?...The chances are nine-to-one that he will not suffer the terrible disaster of alcoholism or addiction. But that one chance is there! The order of the sons of temperance, ‘temperance Notes.’ THE WORLD NEEDS YOU

Are you concerned about the fact that: Alcohol lowers the resistance to disease. Alcohol related diseases are preventable while others. Yet time, money and care have to be given equally to both. What are priorities? You could be on a train, bus, tube, plane controlled by someone whose hands and brains are controlled by alcohol? London Transport, backed by a national newspaper, where rather worried by what they found. Decisions made by those in management, unions, and government could be different ig they were completely free from the effects of alcohol at all times? Alcohol plays significant role in the cause of ‘secondary poverty’? Primary poverty is the result of the total earnings of a family or individual being insufficient to provide the minimum necessities to stay alive. Secondary poverty is that where the total earnings are sufficient, but where part of the income has been spent unwisely, or wasted. Alcohol plays a very significant part in causing secondary poverty Well knowledge of the physiological facts may lead an individual to abstain in order that he or she can produce the most constructive results, at home, in employment and recreation. The question that must be answered, however, is “can a man live to himself?” There are many who would like to think so, but individuals are accountable for the society in which they live, for the part play in its creation. What an individual says and does is taken notice of, is seen or heard by someone else. Ultimately their action will affect others. The alcohol drinking habit is practised by many, taking note of by many, and copied by many. The tragic thing is that those who copy are invariably the young who are quiet unaware of the many potential dangers. Note: 72% of the adult Eskimo population in Alaska were classified as alcoholics (“Alaska Eskimos”, Progress, spring 1980, p.3) STOP PRESS The media should be stop from alcoholic ads. Two alcoholic drinks a day can be the unsuspected cause of diarrhoea, headaches, insomnia and irritability, reads a report by Dr. R. Shropshire of the university of Wisconsin, USA, writing in ‘America Family Physician’. In some cases relatively low alcohol intake may cause even more serious disorders, including high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats. Development in Africa is, in many respects, an accelerated version of the development history of the West. This is exemplified in the drinking habits of many African countries. In Ghana about 75% of the population’s lives, are centred on drinking home brewed beer around the village fire. Increasing the quantities of the staple crop such as maize and cassava is used to produce beer, leaving less for consumption in an already depleted diet. Brewers have not been slow in exploiting the situation and the increase in marketing outlets extending deep into the rural areas through beer parlours, coupled with an advertising campaign which equates alcohol consumption with social status, sexual prowess, manliness, etc., has a marked effect on the population. The power of the printed word on a relatively newly literate community also makes advertising more effective. With an increase in drunkenness has come crime and disruption of family life and a re-emergence of malnutrition in areas where this had been largely eliminated. Money is spent on alcohol rather than on food for children Industry, commerce, agriculture are all affect through lower productivity resulting from absenteeism, lowered efficiency and increased accident rate. On what is often a precarious economy this can prove disastrous.

In this country education is greatly in danger of being markedly affected through excessive drinking of teachers and even students. President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia – himself a total abstainer – declared more than once “unless the people of this country control their drinking and drunkenness is reduced, I shall resign as President. I refuse to preside over a nation of drunkards” OVER TO YOU “If you want to solve a problem, live the answer. ‘I believe this is the only way to tackle the problem of alcohol addiction. I should not drink at all. The people to whom I speak measure my own commitment on this problem by my own habits and actions. During the year you may attend a number of parties, weddings, official functions, and cerebrations were alcohol is served. If the group number is over thirty they are likely to be at least two people with a drink problem or with a developing one. You may never know who those people are. How can you help? The most things to do are for you to show you care by the examples you set. The individual with a drink difficulty, may well be looking for someone to identify with, who is not drinking alcohol you could be the one who by the non-alcoholic drink you take give others the courage to say no. It is very difficult for me to effective, if I am anyway involved with a habit that I am trying to help others to overcome. I can sit down and look at those people you and I know who are suffering from the effect of alcohol or I can stand up and offer a solution if I stand up when the majority are sitting down it means I become a force for attention. What have I got to offer when that happens? A life must have a sharp edge if it is going to cut out fear, frustration and inadequacy that can offer lead to all kind of addiction. There are two necessities required in answering the problem. The exploiters need to change from getting what they can to giving what they have. Those who are living under the slavery of addiction need to find something bigger than them to live for. Russia tries to solve the problem by increasing the price of Vodka, America tries to solve the problem by finding billions of dollars on researching programs. The only research necessary is perhaps into the human heart. Chartered in the mind of so many will be the fear of what others think, the desire to succeed, the refusal to fight for absolute morale standards (for example honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love) that set man free from all kind of addictions. We might be a minority but it is possible to accept the challenge to think and live for the majority if we choose to. There are no special talents required. But just remember that we need to start with ourselves. The ordinary man can do the extra ordinary thing if he will let God show the way. Help; let’s kick ALCOHOL out of Ghana. God loves you. Be blessed.