STAY WELL & SPARKLE!: Drink or Don’t Drink

Dr. Sam Christian
Dr. Sam Christian

Half of our readers are not going to like what I’m about to say. The other half will condemn it outright. You have the deciding vote.

Having said that, let’s seize the young bull by the horns: Can one be a positive influence in Carnival without the drunkenness?  Can one be salt in their world like the Lord impacted the Wedding Feast at Cana . There, he turned water into wine instead of retreating into the wilderness.

At age 17, I came to the conclusion that one could not become an alcoholic without consuming alcohol.  Irrefutable logic, right? Alcohol was bad, bad, bad – a sin. Even in cough medicine or wine? My parents would fondly tease my new-found spirituality with a verse from  Psalms 104: 15. It described wine as making the heart of man ‘glad.’ Or was that just grape juice?

Drink

It’s complicated. Alcohol clearly has the good, the bad and the ugly. Science now proves that red wine protects the heart. It does so by raising HDL (good cholesterol) and decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol). A substance found in the skin of red grapes, Resveratrol, is a powerful an antioxidant. It reduces blood pressure, lowers blood sugar levels and extends longevity.

After realizing that prohibition does not work, the US strictly forbade under-age drinking by mandating ID’s at time of purchase. They severely penalize adults found to be providing or permitting under-aged drinking. Regularly, we hear news reports on bright college students, who, on the day they become ‘legal’ at age 21, literally binge-drink themselves to death. Unlike Caribbean youth, it is evident that their American counterparts, when they come on vacation, are unfamiliar with handling alcohol. As a result, they do extra wild and crazy things, sometimes with tragic consequences. Just ask Natalie Holloway in Aruba and our poor ‘propeller girl’ right here in Dominican waters.

Carnival is a celebration of freedom deeply rooted in our rich culture and history. The infusion of returnees and visitors significantly boosts the economy. Artisans, vendors, taximen, restauranteurs, and hoteliers do their best business. Tourists tend to have a Pirates-of-the-Caribbean tunnel vision: They just want that native rum punch! They want to see these happy campers colourfully ‘free-up’ themselves and perform. Sweetened by refrains of suggestive innuendo, revellers wink at indecent exposure. The twin goals of the average youth seems to be get tipsy and tickled. Let’s face it. That’s how they translate ‘Nous Konnet Viv.’ Nine months later we lamely lament or cruelly joke about which high school was the most productive baby machine.

Not to drink

“Man is a wanting animal,” declared the distinguished Superintendent of Police, David Andrew. As Commandant of the Dominica Cadet Corps, he is charged with developing leadership and discipline among this uniformed cadre of students. “When one want is satisfied, peer pressure induces one to want something more tempting,” he explains. So the sin is not in the alcohol itself.  It is the disinhibiting effect, which in excess, leads to crime, accidents, abuse and regret. It gives rise to a salary-sucking lifestyle, lethal liver cirrhosis and untold heartache for families. Heredity, and the company one keeps, certainly play a part. Apart from that: who grows up planning to become a drunkard?  For every one boasting how well they can hold their liquor, how many cannot?

Few there be glorifying inebriation to the point of foul-mouthed fighting, falling in the gutter and bursting up their mouth. But what if one learns to stop at a nice little buzz – a ‘glad’ heart? Can we appreciate the talent of elegant contestants, enjoy the creative costumes, calypsos and good times with friends? On the other hand, what if that causes our brother to stumble? According to medical science, women routinely downing more than 1½, and men more than 2 drinks daily, are likely alcoholic. Check yourself.

According Sacred Scripture, Lot was one of the first ever to get smashed. Nakedness and illegitimate sex ensued. Same script, different day: that sequence of events has not changed throughout the ages and diverse societies. Wine is a mocker, a stealthy seducer of those who do not stop and think.

It is no easy task, trying to control bacchanal. However, when the authorities decree bands must stop at a certain time, they make it happen. That which is wrong, fix it. Teetotalers and temperance advocates tend to turn their backs, seeing it as a threat to their salvation. The good news is that for those trapped in this cycle of substance abuse, there is hope in breakthrough medical treatment and deep reflection.

Somewhere it is written, let your moderation be known to all men. But, as I said before, people don’t want to hear about constructively engaging the culture – minimizing the bad and maximizing the good in Carnival.

It’s either, “Head to the beach/country camp! Flee Sodom and Gonorrhea!”…or

Gimme de rum fas’, B4 de band pass!

Please click here to listen to the ALCOHOL Medical Minute. 

Dr. Sam Christian is a surgeon and health activist. His Urgent Care on 137 Bath Road provides prompt medical treatment, surgery and acupuncture. He is radio host of the Medical Minute, Medical Adviser to the Dominica Cancer Society and author of the faith and fitness nutrition book, ‘Mannafast Miracle.’ Dr. Christian can be reached anytime at 440-9133, 615-8345 or by writing to [email protected].

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17 Comments

  1. Simply the Truth
    March 5, 2014

    The idea which Dr. Christian relayed is to advise people of being cautious when drinking and the result of overdrinking, if not to stay away from alcohol which is a health hazard.
    Liquor was devised for a purpose. It was not intended for overdrinking, to get drunk to the point of intoxication and later cause health problems. No exception as smoking. Since liquor is freely sold and easily accessible, some members of humanity took advantage of it and used it wrongfully.
    Liquor could be used as medication but must be wisely used in moderation.
    In Toronto when purchasing liquor, if the cashier suspects the customer may be a minor, an ID is requested which they must produce. This is the Law.
    Liquor and also cigarettes are not sold to minors. If the stores fail to request an ID and they are caught, they will be charged.
    I recall that some of the youths would tamper with their ID to make them appear as adults also when purchasing cigarettes. They would also use the ID’s of adults whom they knew. Today their picture is on the ID which has decreased imposters.
    I heard on the Toronto News, last weekend a young man drank to the extent of being intoxicated (it was not a holiday here) :) that he climbed unto a roof of a building and was unable to get down. The police and firemen had to be called to get him down. He was charged with public intoxication. This is what intoxication could do to them, make them do some strange things.
    I wonder what penalty he will be given; no doubt sent to an AA – Alcoholic Anonymous meeting; a few of them. He could be charged as well. This is one person who needs to dry out from liquor.
    The Law in Canada is different from that of the West Indies. Your liquor sold to customers is almost one hundred per cent proof. One drink could get a person intoxicated. The percentage of alcohol content should be decreased. Will it ever? No matter what there are some who will always overdrink.

  2. SHELLOCH HOLMES
    March 3, 2014

    Truthfully dc you condemn yourself knowing that you were exagerating.you get caught and you get the bashing you deserved,even not knowing the difference between proverbs and psalms

  3. Good Info BUT....
    March 3, 2014

    I am so in agreement with OPINIONATED!!! More information should be given from a medical point of view, as to the effects of alcohol to the brain, liver, and other parts of the body. Also advise should be given to the many people who has hypertension and diabetes( especially men) and is on medication, the effect of consuming alcohol almost on a daily basis. All in all this was a very interesting article. KEEP THE TOPICS COMING DOC!!

  4. Francisco Telemaque
    March 2, 2014

    “Somewhere it is written, let your moderation be known to all men. But, as I said before, people don’t want to hear about constructively engaging the culture”(Dr. Christian).

    You see if we read everything carefully; we may find the whole conclusion of the matter in just a few words as I interpreted from the quote above. In any event I will add to what I have already said, I hope it might help some of the rum drinkers of Wesley, man woman, and those who are found inebriated in the class room in the village, and especially to the one who called me uneducated:

    Psychologic factors postulated for alcoholism include regression to the oral stage of development, self-centeredness, parental inconsistency, and inner dishonesty. Sociocultural etiologies include peer pressure, pressure to excel, poverty, environments which condone abuse of chemicals, and cultural determinism. A family systems perspective focuses on the function alcoholism serves in maintaining family stability, particularly in enmeshed families. Codependency is an emotional dysfunction hat is present in alcoholic families; a codependent is the family member who alternately rescues, and blames the alcoholic. In general, a person is more likely to become an alcoholic if his/her environment emphasizes drinking, thus presenting it as something fashionable, or indeed an indispensable social pastime, (very common in Dominica). Though most alcoholics have no family history of alcohol abuse, or addiction, a person who grew up in a family where both parents had alcohol related problems might be at high risk of becoming an alcoholic.

    Associated Pathologies

    Alcohol is a toxic drug that is harmful to all of the body tissues; protracted use can lead to multiple pathologic changes in the central nervous system, the liver, which detoxifies the drug, and the heart, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract. Cirrhosis of the liver is the most recognized complication of alcoholism, however, research indicates that intellectual impairment can arise in the early stages of the disease, and permanent disabling brain damage can eventually occur prolonged, and abusive consumption of alcohol combined with nutritional depletion, and thiamine deficiency, and will produce wernicke-korsakoff syndrome. Newborn infants of mothers who drank heavily during pregnancy are susceptible to “fetal alcohol syndrome.” The interrelationship between alcohol, and hepatic disease are not completely understood. Dispute exists as to whether cirrhosis associated with alcohol abuse; Laennec’s cirrhosis results from the direct hepatotoxic effects of alcohol, or from malnutrition associated with chronic alcohol abuse. Gastrointestinal disturbances are fairly common, and include gastritis, excessive bowel activity, esophageal varices.

    Coronary artery disease, and hypertension are believed to be related to the drinking of alcohol, because it results in the elevation of the level of triglycerides in the blood; alcohol abusers have an increase risk of cancer of the mouth, and esophagus. Habitual drinking may also lower one’s resistance to infection, by producing immuno-suppression , and we are aware that alcohol has been associated with sexual impotence, probably because of suppression of the production of testosterone.

    Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

  5. anonymous2
    March 2, 2014

    The biggest problem with alcoholics is denial that they have a problem.

  6. Anonymous
    March 2, 2014

    For those concerned that alcohol has become their master alcoholics anonymous is available check the Chronicle and frankly if that is you then do not engage……or try just one…… moderation for the addict is not possible……..flee
    ……..you can stay free one day at a time

  7. March 2, 2014

    I believe that it was David–the man after God’s hear–who wrote Psalm 104, in that psalm he is praising God for His creation for the sake of man. And to enhance verse 15 we need to read verse 14 here it is below:

    “(14) He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
    And vegetation for the service of man,
    That he may bring forth food from the earth,

    (15) And wine that makes glad the heart of man,
    Oil to make his face shine”

    Doctor Christian you asked: Was it grape juice? But if you know the story of the Wedding in Cana, you will know in those days it was indeed “wine”–the alcoholic drink, as good as the 120 gallons of water which Jesus turned into wine at that wedding.

    Here is how we should know; but read the whole story at John Chapter 2

    (9) When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.

    (10) And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior–meaning that the not so classy wine is then served, when the guest are all drunk– You have kept the good wine until now!”

    So we read that the wine at the wedding was indeed wine, the best tasting wine–not grape juice, because it made the people drunk.

    The mention of wine is in many places of the Bible and this term (wine) is what it was as we all know it today–the best and costly bottles or the cheap ones–because the alcoholic “substance” is the production of the “grapes” itself

    We hear Jesus saying about Himself–what the people said about Him: Matthew 11 says:

    (18) For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’

    (19) The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber–Luke says drunkard–, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Jesus called Himself the “Son of Man” because He had a human mother.

    So what is wrong about alcohol intake is in its abuse–just as the abuse of everything of the flesh even the intake of food.

    In the Scripture above the people said that Jesus was a “glutton”, because He ate and drink with people–which was His way of loving them to Life. which belong in the Spirit. He also told us that it is the Spirit who gives Life, the flesh profits nothing!

    • Max
      March 2, 2014

      Lizavier, do you have a point? Do you ever have a point?

  8. Al Coholic
    March 1, 2014

    Great article doctor. I’ll drink to that. CHEERS !

  9. Rhum Bouco
    March 1, 2014

    Doc, is it a true statement that one a day keeps the doc away? Why is it that when i stop drinking it becomes easier for me to catch cold?(La Wyme)

    • Simply the Truth
      March 4, 2014

      A great point. A few years ago I heard a man state on Toronto Radio, he is 60 years of age and every night he has some whiskey and has never caught a cold. One drink a day/night is not bad at all but do not overdo it. You should know, too much of one thing is good for nothing. Moderation is the key. If not, this is where health problems could set in.

  10. Citronella
    March 1, 2014

    Well said. You did not condemn, you gave the information like a “good doctor” and the individual still has the choice.
    Proverbs 20:1: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.” People, if you believe the scriptures no one did not say not to drink, but being drunk is insane. Thanks Doc, you said it all.

    • Francisco Telemaque
      March 2, 2014

      “strong drink a brawler?”

      Now where did you get that from: I know there are different versions of the Bible, such as the Amplified, however whenever we read any other than the King James version, it is likely to read something which does not coincide with what is written in the King James version, there must be unison,

      Someone called out Dr. Christian’s error where he quoted Proverbs 102; wrong as that may be he did quote the correct scripture found in the appropriate Psalm:

      I would like to introduce you to Proverbs 20:1 where it reads ” Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

      The Bible never said wine makes one into a Brawler; hence the definition of the word brawler implies one who quarrel, fight, someone who is noisy, one who like to make loud confused noise. One of the simplest way wine deceives a person is when that person believes because whine is not as harsh as the other alcoholic beverages they can drink as much and not get drunk, the opposite happens, that is where we are deceived.

      Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

  11. Francisco Telemaque
    March 1, 2014

    Alcohol is any organic compound containing the hydroxy (-OH) functional group except those in which the OH group is attached to an aromatic ring, which are called phenols. Alcohols are classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary according to whether the carbon atom to which the OH group is attached is bonded to one, two, or three other carbon atoms, and as monohydric, dihydric, or trihydric according to whether they contain one, two, or three OH groups; the latter two are called diols, and triols, respectively; common name for ethyl alcohol (ethanol).

    In any discussion pertaining to the consumption of alcohol it would be appropriate to focus on the problem of alcoholism, which is a term used to denote a variety of conditions involving alcohol abuse, or dependence (DSM III-R, psychoactive substance use disorders). Alcoholism in its many forms is considered to be a major drug problem in almost all Western societies. Problems related to abuse of alcohol are both immediate, and long-term; it adversely affects the physical, spiritual, social, and mental health of the individual, and the integrity of the society in which he/she lives. Once viewed as a moral problem, alcoholism has been redefined as a disease.

    The signs, and symptoms associated with alcoholism include a wide range of behaviors, which vary among persons having alcohol related health problems. These include drinking to the point of inebriation (drunkenness), in social situations, drinking alone in secret, using alcohol to relieve insomnia in the evening, or to help get started in the morning, using alcohol to modify stress, anger, and anxiety, and experiencing blackouts in which the person who has absolutely no memory of what happened during an episode of heavy drinking. Although any heavy social drinker has a risk of becoming physically dependent on alcohol, it is the compulsive nature of the drinking that sets the addicted alcoholic apart from the normal drinker. Besides the well known signs of drunkenness, which include staggering, emotional liability, and incoherence of speech, the people suffering from chronic alcoholism also exhibits tremulousness, particularly of the hands, tachycardia, and sweating. There may be an attempt to hide, or rationalize drinking patterns; the vast majority of alcoholics do not fit the stereotype of the drunken bum on the street; in America commonly called “Skid Row;” however, rather are ordinary people who constitute a cross section of society.

    Alcoholism may be associated with other diagnoses; i.e. alcoholism may be associated with mood disorders; excessive drinking may occur in both manic, and depressive episodes. So too, individuals with antisocial personality disorder often consume excessive amounts of alcohol, nevertheless, how many of them are actually alcoholics is uncertain, or unknown.

    If we venture into an etiology, of alcoholism, we will discover there is no universally accepted explanation of why one person becomes a an alcoholic while another does not. In recent years, there has been increasing research evidence of a biologic explanation for alcoholism; particularly of a genetic predisposition. Researchers have developed a computerized method of blood chemistry analysis which can be used to be able to identify those at high risk for the disease. I may talk about the psychologic factors later.

    Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

    • Anonymous
      March 2, 2014

      The biggest problem with alcoholics is denial.

    • Simply the Truth
      March 5, 2014

      Some of this is hereditary dating back to past generations. What is the U.S. alcohol percentage content?
      Canada has drastically reduced the alcohol content to less than 50%. This is obviously due to the number of drivers who drink and drive and cause accidents and fatal ones.
      The liquor as also wine has no taste but cost more. There is hardly 100% proof alcohol content sold in the liquor stores. Someone who was having a party told me that two bottles of rum had to be purchased to make rum punch.
      I still wonder how drivers who are charged with drunken driving could get drunk on it unless they drink a straight bottle or more.

  12. opinionated
    March 1, 2014

    Dr. Christian,

    Interesting article this week however, I felt though that from a medical perspective you should have spoken of the effects of alcohol on the brain and consequently the body.

    Additionally, there is no Proverbs 104:15, the verse is actually from Psalms 104:15.

    Finally, the tone of this article does not incite ‘condemnation’ as you predicted since you have pacified the information way too much.

    Mind you my criticism does not come with disdain for I find your articles to be rather helpful and informative from week to week.

    Admin: Author appreciates the correction. Change made.

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