Why Baha’i's Don’t Drink Alcohol – A Health Perspective

by Roya in Common Questions, Opinion on Oct 22, 2012.

I was reading an interesting article on the BBC news website the other day and it talked about the detrimental health effects and the financial cost of alcohol related hospital admissions to the National Health Service in the UK. I couldn’t believe it when I read that nearly £2 billion was spent on alcohol related in-patient hospital admissions in just one year.

As a medical doctor from the UK, a country that has an entrenched culture of drinking alcohol, (in moderation and to excess) I thought it would be interesting to write about the health implications of drinking alcohol.

Having been brought up as a Bahá’í I know that the Bahá’í teachings do not allow the consumption of substances such as alcohol which alter our judgement. In The Most Holy Book, Bahá’u’lláh states:

It is inadmissible that man, who hath been endowed with reason, should consume that which stealeth it away.

When I talk to friends about alcohol, the first response is “Yes, but I only drink wine with food, what’s wrong with that ?” Many would say that there is nothing wrong with that and in fact there are some health benefits to drinking one glass of wine per day, however there are also extensive amounts of study which point to the overwhelming medical and social harms caused by alcohol. The problem is that many people cannot drink in moderation. The religious laws that have been revealed to us which are meant to guide and protect us, refer to the whole human race- all of society, not just a minority of individuals who can drink in moderation. Unfortunately the social, economic and physical harms of alcohol are usually seen in populations of people who are unable to drink ‘just one glass of wine’ a day, and the Bahá’í Faith is not the only religion that teaches abstinence from alcohol, many of the writings from other religions also discuss this topic.

As a Bahá’í, I adhere to the law of abstinence from Alcohol and I don’t feel that I need to be convinced about the wisdom of this law, but as a doctor, I see the wide reaching effects of drinking alcohol on a daily basis – and not just physical, but psychological, emotional, social, and economic. There is an emerging body of evidence and health professionals who are accepting the negative effects of alcohol on health and on the individual , and are consequently actively questioning its place and discouraging is use in society. There are numerous writings and quotes on the subject, but one that refers specifically to the health issues is the following quote by Abdu’l-Bahá:

The drinking of wine is, according to the text of the Most Holy Book, forbidden; for it is the cause of chronic diseases, weakeneth the nerves, and consumeth the mind. (Advent of Divine Justice)

I regularly talk to patients about the harmful health effects of alcohol ,and I thought I would share just five of the many harmful effects that alcohol has on our health, in order to shed some light on this Bahá’í law from a medical perspective.

1. It’s a Toxin

The first point to make is that alcohol is a chemical and a toxin to the human body. When alcohol is ingested it is absorbed into the blood stream and needs to be metabolized and converted to a safe compound that can be then converted to carbon dioxide and water. One of the main functions of the liver is to remove toxins from the blood. When excess alcohol is consumed, it can cause inflammation, cell death and fibrosis of liver cells. This can lead to hepatitis or cirrhosis of the liver, which can in some cases be fatal.

2. Links to Cancer

According to Cancer Council Australia it is estimated that 5,070 cases of cancer (or 5% of all cancers) are attributable to long-term, chronic use of alcohol each year in Australia. Alcohol is known to be a risk factor for mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, bowel (in men) and breast (in women) cancers. There is a dose dependent relationship between amount of alcohol consumption and development of the cancers mentioned above, and for the first time the US Department of Health and Human services has listed alcohol as a known human carcinogen (substance directly involved in causing cancer).There are a number of mechanisms thought to be involved, including the effects of acetaldehyde (the breakdown product of alcohol) , and the induction of certain enzymes (cytochrome system ).

3. Heart Disease

Alcohol can raise triglyceride (trig) levels , as well as leading to high blood pressure (high trig and high BP are risk factors for heart attack and stroke) and heart failure.There is increasing evidence to show that even moderate amounts of alcohol in young adults has a proatherogenic effect, ie it helps to contribute to the formation of atheroma (plaque) in the arteries which leads to heart attack and stroke) Other conditions where alcohol is a causal risk factor include fetal alcohol syndrome, cardiomyopathy , arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.

4. Mental Health

Alcohol use can cause alcohol-related psychosis (delusions and hallucinations , paranoia etc) , and can also increase relapse frequency and severity in Schizophrenics. Alcohol can also lead to dementia, with symptoms similar to those of Alzheimer’s Disease. Alcohol can also cause depression, and also leads to higher rates of suicide and poorer outcomes in patients with depression who use alcohol to try and cope with their symptoms. Alcohol can cause problems with sleep, and general functioning as it is a ‘depressant’ chemical – it slows processes down in the body- brain function being a primary example.

5. Brain Functions

Effects of alcohol on behaviors/brain functioning: Impaired judgment, extreme emotion, and slowed behavior, slowed processing of information, difficulty in learning new material, deficits in abstraction and problem solving, and reduced visuospatial abilities. We have all seen examples of this especially impaired judgement and loss of inhibitions !

As you can see regardless of one’s religious beliefs, strong arguments can be made for the benefits of abstaining from drinking alcohol on health grounds alone. I could go on and on -seizures, gout, anaemia, nerve damage,pancreatitis – but I would rather hear about your thoughts on drinking alcohol, so please feel free to share!

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Oct 23 2012
at 12:31am

Peter says

In your informative article you state that “in fact there are some health benefits to drinking one glass of wine per day.” While this has been noted in some studies, recent research concludes that even one glass may have inimical effects which outweigh health benefits. For example, in a report published in 2009 the French Cancer Institute stated that the consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with an increase in risks of the following types of cancer: mouth, pharynx and larynx, oesophagus, colorectal, breast and liver. The risk of developing these types of cancer increase even at low levels of alcohol consumption, start at one glass per day.

In response to the question: “Does red wine have a protective effect against cancer?” (p:47), the brochure answers: “No, quite on the contrary. No alcoholic beverage, including wine, has a protective effect against cancer (…). The crucial factor is the quantity of alcohol consumed. It is important to stress that, in terms of the prevention of cancers, the consumption of alcohol and notably wine, is not advised.” The Institute also stated that a single glass of wine a day will raise the chance of contracting cancer by up to 168 per cent. According to the Institute, the booklet (distributed to 70,000 French GPs) is based upon the conclusions of 500 studies carried out by acclaimed scientists worldwide.

Of course, research is on going and the matter may not yet be deemed to be settled by the medical/scientific community. I have found research on these issues to be complicated by the fact that the sponsors of research can influenc the findings and also that there are numerous variables to be considered.

Reports of the Institute’s findings can be found in Google.

Finally, in addition to your medical perspective on this issue, I would like to state that there is massive peer reviewed evidence linking alcohol consumption to high positive correlations with billions of dollars annually in costs to businesses and economies globally, accidents, domestic violence and crimes of various kinds due to the disinhibiting effect of alcohol.

Roya Oct 23 2012 at 7:36am

Hi Peter,
Thanks very much for your comprehensive comment! I agree with you re: the damaging effects of even one glass of wine- i was debating whether or not to make this comment (one glass being beneficial). I decided to include it as many people do believe it is (depending on which studies they have read!) and the point i wanted to make was that even if it is, there are still reasons why as a society we shouldn’t drink.
Regarding the other wide reaching detrimental effects of alcohol i agree entirely, and that will be the subject of part two of this post !
Thanks again for your comments and your support of Baha’i Blog !

Oct 23 2012
at 7:42pm

Esther Bradley-DeTally says

Liked the article. I am from my mother’s side of family and although she was the best mom in the world, she, her 5 brothers were major alocholics. My mom, my sister, a year older died at 50 of alcoholism. I drank a lot before I became a Baha’i, never thinking it could happen to me. Alcoholism is a disease, and I adored my mom and my sister. My twin took after my father’s genetic side, and I the other. I became a Baha’i very quickly, after 3 weeks, and I wondered about the drinking. A friend, not a Baha’i then, who had told me of the Faith, said, “Don’t worry about it honey. It will give you up.” But I had to make conscious decisions. I stopped drinking. A couple of slips in the midst of turmoil, but very little.

I have a heightened sensitivity towards everything – the good, the bad, and the lima bean is safe from my consumption. But i feel this sensitivity in the form of addiction and yet far beyond addiction. I am grateful to be a Baha’i, but i am never judgmental of anyone with an addiction. I used to smoke 3 packs of cigarettes a day. Addiction travels. I think the Twelve Step programs help many,and I am grateful to have had such a wonderful mother.

Roya Oct 27 2012 at 4:00am

Thanks very much for your heartfelt comments Esther and for your continued support of Baha’i Blog!

Oct 24 2012
at 4:01am

RonPrice says

My comment below does not add to your succinct paragraph on the subject of mental health and alcohol, namely, that: “Alcohol use can cause alcohol-related psychosis…..and can also increase relapse frequency and severity in Schizophrenics……..Alcohol can cause problems with sleep, and general functioning…….brain function being a primary example.”

But I would like to add some tangential comments on mental health in general, if moderators here will permit the extension of this week’s topic into the vast tract of mental health issues in contemporary society. You can view these comments on mental health at four sub-sections of my website—at this link: http://www.ronpriceepoch.com/MENTAL_HEALTH.html

Roya Oct 27 2012 at 4:02am

Thanks for your comment and link Ron !

Oct 25 2012
at 4:47pm

SERGIO GUTIERREZ says

I have witnessed what alcohol consumption does first hand especially during stressful times and vowed to never do so. I admit I have tried drinking every once in a while, but that lethargic feeling afterwards really freaked me out! I have a very weak tolerance for this type of consumption. I am very appreciative that I have found a community that shares this belief.

Roya Oct 27 2012 at 4:01am

Thanks for your comments Sergio, glad that you have found a community to support your wise choice !

Oct 28 2012
at 7:22am

Shirin says

Thank you for this article! I just wanted to add that I found a relevant journal article just the other day, showing that moderate drinking, as in even below the legal driving limit of many countries, was enough to decrease the number of new brain cells produced in the hippocampus, which is an area that deals with memory and spacial navigation. So even one glass a day with a meal, which most people would consider acceptable, can have a long term damaging effect on the brain.

Here’s a link to a summary of the article. I think you’d need to pay or have university access to get the original paper.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121024164759.htm

Roya Oct 29 2012 at 7:31am

Thanks for the comment and link to that article Shirin! Im sure more and more of these studies are going to surface- its another sign of the changing culture… Thanks for your continued support of Baha’i Blog !

Nov 01 2012
at 10:43pm

avigale bischard says

Thank you for the item on the dangers of alcohol. I lost my father to alcoholism and currently keep in touch with friends now seriously ill due to alcohol consumption. The suffering of these people makes me very sad when it could have been avoided.

Nov 03 2012
at 7:18am

Roya says

Thanks for your comments Avigale, hopefully as more people realise the damaging effects of alcohol future suffering will be avoided…
Take care and thanks for your support of Baha’i Blog.

Nov 06 2012
at 1:40am

Why Baha’is Don’t Drink Alcohol – A Social Perspective | Baha'i Blog says

[...] couple of weeks ago I wrote a post on Baha’i Blog called Why Baha’is Don’t Drink Alcohol – A Medical Perspective, and we there was a great response with a lot of really great feedback. As the title suggested, my [...]

Nov 29 2012
at 12:22pm

daneistis says

………nearly £2 billion was spent on alcohol related in-patient hospital admissions in just one year.And £50 billion income from the taxes for the government!!! hehehehe

Dec 30 2012
at 11:16am

loramacantoch says

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I totally agree that every new habit begins with mental shifts
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Jan 09 2013
at 5:14am

beckey says

Interestingly enough I just today received the american baha’i and there is an article about the use and sale of alcohol. The most concise quote was from Shoghi Effendi dated March 1957 that says “under no circumstancess should Baha’is drink. It is unambiouosly forbidden in the Tablets of Baha’u'llah that there is no excuse for them ever touching it in the form of a toast,or in a burning plum pudding;in fact in any way”

Jan 09 2013
at 6:18pm

Nancy Moore says

In the late 1980s I had a class in Social Work on working with families of alcoholics and we had a guest speaker who told of some amazing research. A friend of his was a neurologist at Columbia University (in New York City) who found through auto paying brains of alcoholics that instead of metabolizing down to sugar & water, in an alcoholic it immediately broke down into the same substance as heroin thus creating an instant, intense and addicting high! I don’t remember any names but those results have always stayed with me as an excellent example of why we’re not to drink – you never know if you may be one to have such a reaction.