The most widely used and the oldest drug in the world is alcohol. It has killed more people, wrecked more lives, broken up more families and wasted more money than any other drug. It is not the taste of alcohol that makes it popular, as by any account, the flavour of alcoholic beverages is unpleasant. But liquor is popular as it affects the user's mood. Under the influence of alcohol, the intellectual functions of the brain are suppressed which removes the natural inhibitions and enables a person to say and do things that he or she would refrain from when sober.

Public speakers may at times have recourse to a drink to overcome stage fright. Their fears may be removed but their intellectual functions are so depressed by it that what they say may not be as sensible as it would have been had they been in full control of their mental faculties.

There are also people who resort to liquor to stifle their conscience. A timid, insecure person who has experienced the psychological effects of alcohol, finds it easy to have regular recourse to it. It makes him feel bold and confident. But once the effect of liquor wears off, he again feels timid and insecure, perhaps even more so on account of the foolish things he may have done in his state of intoxication. Thus, though the alcoholic starts drinking to get rid of his problems, he is in the process becoming the greatest problem.

The harmful effects of alcohol are as under:-
It impairs the nervous system and causes slow reactions, poor vision, blurred speech and loss of judgment.
It causes abnormal behaviour such as giggling, crying, aggression and rowdyism.
It results in lack of muscle co-ordination so that the person stumbles, falls, or drives vehicles carelessly.
Alcoholism can develop into delirium tremens, due to damage of the brain cells, and the victim may suffer from frightful hallucinations.

Drinking intoxicating drinks is not wrong in itself. But when one begins to drink, he often loses his control over its use and soon becomes physically dependent on alcohol. Moreover, once drunk he is unable to use his reason for quite sometime. Drunkenness also leads to fights and indecent behaviour. Alcoholism disrupts not only the life of the alcoholic but also the lives of his family members and has grave social consequences.

You may hear people argue in favour of alcohol on the ground that it is easier to make friends if you offer somebody a drink and this is a social device for removing inhibitions and making people more at ease. There is some truth in all this, so a good motto might be "All things in moderation." But then, would you like leprosy or lung cancer in moderation?

Any habit can be broken if the required determination is present. Every alcoholic can thus stop drinking if he really desires to. However a weakness of purpose is typical of the attitude of the alcoholic and so in spite of the many good intentions, he gives in easily to the temptation to take another drink whenever the going gets tough. Besides these factors, sound psychological and religious principles will help one emerge triumphant in one's struggle against alcohol.

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