Mobile VersionRestrain from Drinking and Consuming IntoxicantsDamage from Drinking Alcohol and Consuming intoxicants in this life time“Just one match can burn down an entire city.Just a small amount of intoxicants can destroy all that we have.”Definition of Refraining from DrinkingAnd Consuming IntoxicantsIntoxicants: In general this means allowing alcohol and drugs being absorbed into the body through drinking, inhaling, insertion, spraying, smoking, and injection.Definition of being MindfulMindful: Refers to careful usage and total abstention.Buddhism is a reasonable religion. Other religions are aware of the danger of intoxicants, so rather than only prohibiting the drinking of the intoxicants, they prohibit the usage of intoxicants for medical purpose and also prohibit any physical contact with the intoxicants. Even a corpse could not be cleaned by alcohol so as to avoid the sin of physical contact to the intoxicant.In Buddhism, Lord Buddha did not prohibit us from al usages of alcohol, yet he saw both the danger in the intoxicants and their medical benefits of the intoxicants. For example: Morphine can help reduce the pain and some medicines can be extracted or mixed with alcohol to induce their medicine effect. Neither the taste nor smell of the alcohol remains. Intoxicants for medical purposes are not smell of the alcohol to induce their medicine effect. Neither the taste nor smell of the alcohol remains. Intoxicants for medical purposes are not prohibited in Buddhism. But some people make the excuse of use alcohol for medical purposes so they can consume alcohol at leisure.In conclusion, we must be mindful of taking intoxicants and refer to the precautions when using the intoxicants for medical purposes. Also totally abstain from any usage of harmful and addictive drugs.Destroys Friendship: causes fighting. Drunkards lose control of themselves.Damage from Drinking Alcohol and Consuming intoxicants in this life timeLord Buddha summarized the damage of taking intoxicants into 6 categories:1. Destroys Wealth: Causes of loss of money. Rather than buying drinks only for themselves, they also pay for others to drink with them as well. Usually, they don’t go to work. Even millionaires can go bankrupt if they are alcoholics.2. Destroys Friendship: causes fighting. Drunkards lose control of themselves. It is quite often seen that violence always arises in a group of drinkers. Even close friends can argue and fight with each other shortly after drinking or taking intoxicants.3. Destroys Health: causes multiple diseases. For example, kidney failure, gastritis, heart disease, stroke, malfunction of the nerve system, cirrhosis.4. Destroys Respectability: causes disgrace. One can get involved with all unwholesome deeds. They can also be insulted or distrusted by others.5. Destroys your Honor: causes embarrassment. Drunkards regularly embarrass themselves without even knowing it. Sleeping on the street, screaming, or exhibitionism in public is one of many embarrassments committed by drunkards.6. Destroys Intelligence: causes brain malfunction while intoxicated and afterwards. They cannot think thoroughly about any subject, nor do they read or speak properly. The heavy drinker can lose his/her mind, lose his/her memory, and develop brain disorders. We call this the Wernicke-korsakow Syndrome.Thus alcohol destroys everything: including money, friendship, health, honorand wisdom.Drinking may bring happiness to the person who is addicted to it, but it is just an unreal type of happiness based upon unrealized suffering. Alcohol can bring enjoyment, but it is the enjoyment that tries to cover sadness. When the effect of the alcohol or other intoxicants decreases, depressive feelings may arise.Destroys Respectability: causes disgrace. One can get involved with all unwholesome deeds.Damage from Drinking Alcohol and Consuming Intoxicants Throughout many lifetimesThe danger of drinking dose not occur only in this life time, but will accumulate and takes effect throughout many lives after the death of the drinker.1. Speech impediment: reborn as a deaf erson. These are people who were drunk and dead like in the past. They were drunk and took intoxicants sometimes until they felt unconsciousness and unable to speak, only able to murmur noises. After they passed away, they went to the hell realm. When they are reborn as a human, the demerit retribution was still attached to them and made them deaf as a result.2. Madness: reborn as people with psychosis. These people, in the present or past life, drank or took intoxicants until seeing hallucinations (delirium). The demerit retribution followed them and made them to be reborn as a person with mental diseases who always hallucinates or hears someone whispering in their ears or tries to kill them.3. Mental Deficiency: reborn as a retarded person. These were heavy drinkers who cannot think through any matter. The demerit retribution of drinking made them to be reborn as a retarded person.4. Reborn as a crawling animal: these people drink so heavy that they crawl along the floor. When they are reborn, the demerit retribution of drinking made them to be reborn as a crawling animal.Drinking may bring happiness to the person who is addicted to it, but it isjust an unreal type of happiness based upon unrealized suffering.Practice to Give-up Drinking and taking Intoxicants Definitively1. See through the dangers of alcohol2. Make up your mind to give up drinking by making a resolution to yourself and a respectable person.3. Avoid contact with anything that induces drinking. Advertisements and samples of liquor should be discarded from the household.4. Be aware off your self-dignity as it will help you to successfully give up drinking.5. Give up associating with your drinking friends; otherwise they will persuade you to drink again. This is quite important, as long as you are friends with drinker it is difficult to give up drinking6. Try to teach your family members about the consequences of drinking alcohol and taking intoxicants.The Benefits of Refraining from Consuming Intoxicants1. Allows us to be sane and conscious2. Prevents us from being a fool.3. Prevents us from brawls or fights.4. Enables us from brawls or fights.5. Prevents us from rebirth as a mad man, a deaf, or a retard person.6. Provides happiness and be respected by others.7. Provides reputation and admiration.8. Reminds us not to hurt our benefactors9. Allows us to be ashamed off and afraid of the unwholesomeness.10. Allows us to have right thought and great wisdom.11. Enables us to attain easily Nirvana.
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