1. www.alasr.info www.alasr.info Don’t let your era pass you by! www.alasr.info

2. Alcohol “Voluntary Insanity” ( Seneca, Roman writer, 40 AD)

3. Alcohol is so ingrained into Western culture that it is difficult for Western youth to imagine a social gathering without alcohol. Advertising continually re- enforces alcohol as part of culture and it is an aspect of everyday life that is taken for granted…So why does Islam forbid it? Alcohol “ Our love affair with alcohol has its roots in the earliest days of the Australian colony when settlers were paid in rum… Drunkenness soon became part of life and we have been grappling with it ever since… How can we possibly be surprised at…excessive drinking when alcohol is so firmly embedded in our national psyche?” Former NSW Premier Bob Carr

4. “O you who believe! intoxicants and games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness, the Satan's work; shun it therefore that you may be successful.”…5:90 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ و الْمَيْسِرُ وَالأَنصَابُ وَالأَزْلاَمُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَل الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُون Khamr (intoxicant): that which blocks the intellect. Alcohol- Voluntary Insanity The greatest gift given to man is his intellect It is through our intellect that we attain all our achievements and become better people.

5. O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains! That we should, with joy, pleasance, revel, and applause, transform ourselves into beasts! ~William Shakespeare, Othello Alcohol Blood Level, mg/dL Usual Effect 20 (one drink)Decreased inhibitions, a slight feeling of intoxication 80Decrease in complex cognitive functions and motor performance 200Obvious slurred speech, motor incoordination, irritability, and poor judgment 300Light coma and depressed vital signs 400Death Harrison’s Internal Medicine

6. ”These be fine things, an if they be not sprites. That's a brave god and bears celestial liquor. I will kneel to him…I'll swear upon that bottle to be thy true subject; for the liquor is not earthly.” Shakespeare, The Tempest Once the intellect of the individual is suppressed, then society as a whole can be manipulated. For example, alcohol and other intoxicants were and still are being used as a tool to keep the native Australian population from recovering from the oppression it faced. www.health.nsw.gov.au/.../ats_alcohol.htm

7. Alcohol-A Man’s Best Poison ALCOHOL EXCESS CAUSES: -Epilepsy: Abnormal electrical activity in the brain that results in recurrent, unprovoked seizures) -Loss of brain cells in the cerebellum- the part of the brain responsible for co- ordinating movement -Damage to the Wernicke area of the brain leading to dementia, inability to co- ordinate movement and a number of eye-related diseases. This is one of the major causes of dementia in the US -Cancer of the esophageus and large bowel -Liver cirrhosis- death of liver cells and tissue and transformation of liver into a hard fibrous tissue unable to perform its usual >4000 important functions. Kumar and Clark, Clinical Medicine, 2003

8. pathwayscourses.samhsa.gov/.../aaap_3_pg7-1.gif

9. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Behavior disturbances- esp persistent irritability Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Brain defects- Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy Growth Retardation and Developmental Delay Spinal defects Congenital Heart Disease Abnormally small eyes Broad upper lip Flattened nasal bridge Short nose Poor co-ordination Joint Defects Although this condition is more likely to occur in the children of women who are heavy drinkers, it has also occurred in women who drank moderate or small amounts of alcohol during their pregnancy. This can happen in the early stages of pregnancy when the mother is still unaware of her pregnancy.

10. www.healthofchildren.com “Fetal alcohol syndrome is one of the most frequent recognizable causes of mental retardation in the United States, a tragedy that could be avoided.”… William’s Obstetrics, Chapter 14 Centre for Disease and Prevention Control, USA

11. Alcohol- Social Suicide “The Shaytan only desires to cause enmity and hatred to spring in your midst by means of intoxicants and games of chance, and to keep you off from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. Will you then desist?” 5:91 -Alcohol contributes to : --12% of male suicides and 8% of female suicides --47% of assaults --34% of homicide offenders and 31% of homicide victims are under the influence of alcohol From a study commissioned by the Australian Parliament, can be found at: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/publications.nsf/0/59C1D725AEEF5C42CA256ECF000C8865

12. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

13. -Alcohol plays a role in 50% of domestic physical and sexual violence cases and16% of cases of child abuse. From a study commissioned by the Australian Parliament, can be found at: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/publications.nsf/0/59C1D725AEEF5C42CA256ECF000C8865

14. Alcohol- Social Suicide “They ask you about intoxicants and games of chance. Say: In both of them there is a great sin and means of profit for men, and their sin is greater than their profit.”…2:219 In the US, youth who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than those who never drink alcohol. -26% of all drivers and motorcycle riders killed in a road accident in Australia in 1998 had a blood alcohol content of 0.05 or more. -Approximately 21% of driver fatalities in New South Wales involved a driver with a blood alcohol content of over 0.05, -42% of pedestrian fatalities in 1997 were alcohol-related

15. So why is alcohol still around? “They ask you about intoxicants and games of chance. Say: In both of them there is a great sin and means of profit for men, and their sin is greater than their profit.”…2:219 -The annual retail sales of alcoholic products total approximately $13 billion. -Alcohol-related taxes are a major source of revenue for the government with net government revenue associated with the sale of alcohol in 2000/01 totalling $3.1 billion.

16. Economics of Alcohol-Is it worth it? “They ask you about intoxicants and games of chance. Say: In both of them there is a great sin and means of profit for men, and their sin is greater than their profit.”…2:219 -Just in NSW, the social cost of alcohol use in 98/99 was $7.6 billion: -$225 million – health (net) -$1.875 billion – road accidents -$1.235 billion – crime -$2 billion-intangible costs as the loss of life and the pain and suffering caused by road accidents

17. Loyola Health Univeristy, Chicago, US Press Herald, State of Maine Newspaper, US

18. Yes, but we can drink responsibly? From a public health perspective, one of the causes of alcohol dependence is seen to be excess consumption in society: “ the prevalence of alcohol dependence and problems correlates with the general level (per capita consumption) of alcohol use in a society. This in turn is determined by…price, licensing laws, number and nature of sales outlets, and the custom of society…” (Kumar & Clark, Clinical Medicine, 6 th Edition, p. 1304)

19. ‘No Sobriety in a Sozzled Culture’  “Regularly feeling slightly sozzled becomes normal when there is alcohol at every birthday celebration, after-work catch up, book group meeting and dinner with friends. It is easy to end up drinking just because it is there…”  “15% of people in their 20s drink more than the medical definition of ‘risky drinking’…”  “I am not a big drinker but I have started trying to drink less. In doing so I have discovered that it is against the rules to order soft drinks without a valid excuse. "Are you driving? Pregnant? On a detox?" tends to be the standard response from those who are drinking.”  “So what can be done about all this?...the most important thing we can do is change the drinking culture. Maybe we shouldn't always take a bottle of wine when we go to a friend's place for dinner. And although I know this will make me sound like a dag, maybe we should organize more social events without alcohol, such as breakfasts, picnics and soccer matches. Or else drift into a middle age of red noses, gout, drink-driving charges and sherry in the afternoon.” Lisa Pryor, SMH, June 2 nd 07

20. Running Away from Reality “Alcohol is the anaesthesia by which we endure the operation of life”- George Bernard Shaw- Irish philosopher This is a major reason why drinking is so popular today, especially among the youth. There is a reality that leaves them with a lot of questions and disappointments and with little answers and hope. So rather than trying to grapple with life and find a purpose in it, they would rather forget about it.

21. Not convinced yet? Even after taking into account the alleged positive effect of alcohol on some health conditions, every year, approximately 21500 years of potential life are lost due to the effects of alcohol.

22. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “O Ali, he who leaves intoxicants for other than the sake of Allah, Allah will serve him with the sealed drink of Paradise” So Ali, peace be upon him said: “For other than the sake of Allah?” He (the Prophet) said: “Yes, by Allah, even if it is to protect himself, Allah will thank him for that”

23. www.alasr.info www.alasr.info Don’t let your era pass you by! www.alasr.info