YOUR LIFESTYLE COULD BE A DEATH SENTENCE (Part 1)

   In my part of the world, virtually every case of death is attributed to ones enemies, who presumptuously, must have used some diabolic means to achieve his or her task. But one thing we fail to realize, is that by making such assumptions, we neglect the fact that, these subjects often exercise bad lifestyle during thier lifetime on earth. For example, when my grandfather died years ago in his sleep, that is, moments after instructing that a meal be prepared for him. Many were of the opinion that he had died a good death since no accident or serious health complication accompanied his demise, but again, some other people were of the mindset that he had been led to the grave by his enemies who had placed him under some spiritual attack. But unfortunately, no one is mentioning the fact that he was into some bad lifestyle such as alcohol and ground tobacco (snuff) consumption, considering his old age.

   Now, I am quite sure that most, (if not all) of you, would agree with me that everything God created is good, (Gensis 1:31; 1 Timothy 4:1-5 NASB), but when there is an abuse of this His created matter, we end up at the receiving end. But anyway God has placed somewhat of a ramrod for us each time we deviate from the expected standard, of which most of us have failed to respond to positively.

   For example, in the ancient world, alcohol was more often diluted with water, infact, if you didn't dilute alcohol then, you were referred to as a Barbarian and I know, that at this junction, you may be bewildered as to why one had to dilute alcohol. Anyway, the reason is quite simple and surprising.

   Just like coffee, alcohol is amongst the very few substances that has it flavour increased by adding water. Secondly, alcohol has a preservative effect on water, and considering the fact, that unlike our generation today, where the greater population has access to clean water, clean water was hard to come by for our ancestors, hence the need to use alcohol and this statics by WHO supports that: In 2017, 71% of the global population (5.3 billion people) used a safely managed drinking-water service – that is, one located on premises, available when needed, and free from contamination. And we can see further evidence for this in the new testament of the Bible, where Paul charged Timothy to desist from drinking water exclusively but rather, he should use a little wine for the sake of his stomach and his frequent ailments (1Timothy 5:23 NASB).

   Am sure that by now you must have noticed the difference between our generation and the past generation, with regards to motives for drinking alcohol. Thus if you ask, what my stance on the situation is, I would say, we should desist from alcohol consumption, by all means except it's a medical requirement for your health or you find your self in a situation where you dont have access to clean water. 

   Having said that, I know that one could go ahead and ask, why should I desist from alcohol, if you previously stated that it was good, having mentioned that everything God created was good, and some of my Christian folks would site Jesus turning water to wine as the promotion for alcohol consumption, but there is a picture they neglect in that story, which is that which shows the degree of alcohol scarcity in their society, so much so that Jesus had to turn water to wine. But today, alcohol is lithered everywhere in the corners of our street, thanks to the mass production and $1- $2 billion spent on alcohol advertisement each year. Secondly, one could say, I drink alcohol to simmer down or boost my mood. 

   Now, to respond to that, I would have us take a look at some of the detrimental effect excessive indulgence in alcohol can cause us:

• Liver cirrhosis.
• Obesity.
• Depression.
• Gout e.t.c

   And for some of us who are of the opinion that they can regulate their alcohol intake, know you not that alcohol is very addictive? Incase you are still pondering on the matter, alcohol is known to cause the release of opioids (e.g endorphin) hence our pleasure/reward centers are triggered to make us crave more of it, thus our susceptibility to linger into addiction. And after addiction, comes the embodiment of either of the above listed ailment.

(To be continued)