Why Not Alcohol?

If you had a dog that bit out one out of every four people who came to your house would you keep it?

About one in five people who use alcohol for social or recreational purposes become alcohol dependent for part of their lives. In the US about 30% of those who drink alcohol do so excessively, and excessive drinking is the third leading direct cause of death killing 75,000 people a year.

Alcoholism constitutes the number one drug problem in America. Alcoholic beverages are legal, socially accepted, and relatively inexpensive, but they are not harmless.

Alcohol molecules are tiny and soluble in both fat and water. They easily permeate almost all parts of the body.  Alcohol irritates the lining of the digestive tract and increases the risk of oral and liver cancer, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis, and gastritis. A large-scale analysis showed that women having two or more drinks a day increased their risk for breast cancer by as much as 41%.

At low doses alcohol acts as a stimulant and lessens inhibition but it is classified as a depressant because at moderate to high doses it actually depresses brain activity. Even one drink can cause reactions to slow, clouding judgment, increasing mistakes and not recognizing that they are making them.

Perhaps that is why alcohol is linked to 40% of industrial injuries and 50% of all driving fatalities. The brains frontal lobes, the centers for emotions and planning are especially susceptible to alcohol damage.

Quitting alcohol helps the brain to recover often with marked improvement in two years. Alcohol can damage brain tissue, even in socially acceptable amounts.

A number of studies indicate that light to moderate amounts of red wine consumption lower the risk of heart attack and fatal heart disease. However, there are also numerous studies that question the extent of red wines benefits or question if the benefits outweigh the risks. I say the risk outweighs the benefit or we would not be told to leave it alone in the Bible and SOP.

Proverbs 20:1 – “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

“Tea, coffee, tobacco, and ALCOHOL we must present as sinful indulgences…tea, coffee, tobacco, beer, wine, and all spirituous liquors--are not to be taken moderately, but discarded.” 3SM 287 (1881) {LDE 81.1} 

 The Adventist health study has shown that a diet rich in antioxidants and dietary fiber from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans, plus regular exercise improves heart and immune function, lowers stress, high blood pressure, stroke, dementia and cancer risk. It also adds years of quality life without the risk of brain and organ damage cancer and addiction linked alcohol.

Articles on the so-called French paradox touting alcohols heart health benefits have been widely published, but British research has found no evidence that drinking red wine provides any protection against heart disease. Death rates from ischemic heart disease and the French were linked to their low consumption of saturated fat in the past and high consumption of more healthful fats for more than 30 years.

In addition, some illnesses considered to be cardiovascular in Britain are not considered to be cardiovascular diseases in France, thus seriously skewing study results. Important reviews have shown serious and substantiated flaws in studies that suggest drinking is healthier than nondrinking.

A 21 year study of nearly 6,000 Scottish drinking men showed that there was no clear relation between alcohol consumption and death from coronary heart disease - but there was double the risk of stroke when moderate drinkers were compared with nondrinkers.

 In addition, researchers concluded that drinking even small amounts had no increased health benefit.

In fact, at levels commonly seen in social drinking, even levels being safe for driving alcohol prompts a sharp increase in destructive free radical activity linked to a wide array of chronic diseases, including liver and heart disease.

Finally, according to Dr. Robert Superko, director of the cholesterol genetics and heart disease Institute in Berkeley California. The cardiovascular benefits of alcohol have been greatly overstated. He calls heart health studies with alcohol quite biased and that insight to the considerable role alcohol plays in the alarming obesity epidemic in the United States, he says that a highly unflattering picture of alcohols cardiovascular effects emerges. Indeed, alcohol avoidance, along with increased physical activity, and the elimination of simple sugars from the diet, ought to be at the core of any strategy to reduce the obesity problems.

Alcohol is very calorie dense; one glass of wine contains as many calories as a Snickers candy bar, about as many as burned in a 1 mile walk.

DID JESUS DRINK ALCOHOL? Jesus did drink wine, the pure blood of the grape, or fresh grape juice. It was no tailgate party at the wedding feast in Cana where He turned hundreds of gallons of water into sweet fresh juice. Such succulent beverages were highly prized among the ancients and had the blessing of God. As the new wine is found in the cluster do not destroy it for a blessing is in it.

Our word for wine always means a fermented beverage, but the Greek word for wine can mean either fermented or unfermented juice. The Scriptures warn us that alcohol attacks the user with a vengeance and at the last has the death bite of a poisonous viper.

For optimum heart health, you may want to grab the grapes. Plant compounds in grapes are thought to be one main source of benefit because they may dilate blood vessels apart from the alcohol.

So here's the latest word from the grapevine. The pure blood of the grape the unfermented juice with its blessing in the wholesome cluster is undoubtedly the safest, wisest, and most wholesome way to receive the health promoting benefits of grapes.

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