‘There are no two opinions about too much drinking and getting drunk, Everybody believes and agrees that excessive drinking is morally wrong and physically bad both for health reasons and driving risks, Even those, who quite often get drunk and lose control over their faculties also agree that too much drinking is a bad habit and therefore is not desirable,
Generally the people feel that drinking “a little.” for the sake of company or to relax oneself in the evening after a day’s hard work, is not bad or sin, This article analyses how much “a little” is actually permissible, particularly for a Sikh,
It is common knowledge that some persons lose their ability to talk correctly just after one drink while others can enjoy a couple of drinks without exhibiting any influence on their ability to talk or walk. Obviously, the quantity of alcohol for social drinking would vary according to the individual’s nature and capacity to drink.
A different view is also expressed by a large number of persons, They say, it is an unnecessary controversy as to how much hard drinks one should have, in the same way as itis futile to discuss how much soft drinks eg. milk, juice, one should have, The only difference between them, they argue, is that former is consumed to enjoy the pleasure of a social get together while the latter (soft drinks) are necessary for maintaining good health.
Every Sikh has his own reasons to drink. Some of the common arguments are given below.
(1) Drinking is one’s personal habit; It should not be mixed with religion. Sikhism being a modern faith does not concern itself with any rituals of eating or not eating a particular food on a particular day or in a particular manner.
(2) A drink or two are suggested even by the doctors.
(3) There is nothing wrong. in social drinking, of course within limits
Those who totally abstain from drinking and want all Sikhs to do that, argue that, if excuses were to be searched, there is no limit to them for any act one wants to do. People justify even adultery, theft and corruption.
Before arriving at any decision, let us look what Sikh scriptures have to say about it,
“Alcohol is something 10 be detested. Even, if it is prepared by using gangajal (sacred water of the ganges), saints do not consume alcohol, being a bad thing to drinking.
“Drinking alcohol is like losing the valuable gift of life in gambling. One should “drink” the nectar of his Naam and not the useless alcohol
Adi Granth p. 360
“If, one wants to enjoy real ecstasy, he should ‘drink’ the Naam of God. One should, at all costs, strictly avoid alcohol by drinking of which one loses control of ones faculties, Alcoholics will be punished in His Court.”
Adi Granth p, 554
Sikhs, thus, are religiously prohibited to consume alcoholic beverages, not even “a little” for the sake of company or pleasure. The objection that Sikhs consume medicines containing alcohol is meaningless because the aim is medicine and not alcohol. Sometimes negligible quantity of alcohol maybe present in over ripe fruit. They are not prohibited for Sikhs.
Some Sikhs continue drinking “a little” even when there is clear junction against that. They believe that to become an alcoholic is of course bad. Regarding this view, a hymn of Bhai Gurdas is quoted:
“If a man falls from the top of a roof and By chance he does not break his neck, it provides no justification for others to get on the roof and start jumping for fun. If a thief has not been caught and punished, no one should feel encouraged by it, to start committing thefts.
If a person has been able to avoid, for some time, to become a slave of alcohol, it is no just ification for him to continue drinking out for others to start drinking.
The false pride expressed by ‘some persons that they cannot get ‘addicted, as they have great control over themselves, is rather a proof that such a person has already crossed the first stage to alcoholism. Alcohol is surely going to take him over, sooner or later and make him its slave forever.
‘Alcoholism is today recognized as an avoidable disease. Its possible, though difficult, to recover from it, however, it leaves in serious cases an irreparable harm to mind and body.
In the end it will be interesting to quote one actual happening (and there are many such incidents). A person on the authors consistent refusal to join him over a drink of whisky, was overtaken by his emotion. He advised him, “Sardar Jt —earlier he addressed him as Dr. Singh if you have not touched i, ‘you are lucky, always keep yourself far away from it. It is worst thing in the world. This devil has “eaten” me up. It all started with one drink Just to overcome my fatigue and now I am a slave of this ‘Satan.”
Article extracted from this publication >> January 10, 1986
