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A FREE EXTRA DECADE OF LIFE #7
THE MOST DANGEROUS LEGAL DRUG IN THE WORLD
Here in our Voice of Prophecy family, we recently waved goodbye to one of our “kids” who finished high school and was ready for college. And with her valedictory scroll in hand, and with a double major gleaming in her eyes, she headed north on the 101 Freeway to California Polytechnic University — Cal Poly — up in San Luis Obispo. They specialize in “EE” up there: electrical engineering, with math being the second half of the double feature for 17-year-old Karli.
The interesting tidbit for today — and remember, we’re in a month-long radio series entitled A FREE EXTRA DECADE OF LIFE — is this. As freshmen students and their moms and dads sat down for the first orientation meeting, officials at this very good university had some rather sober words to say about campus life. Despite the good track record enjoyed by Cal Poly, there’s one factor which seems to enter in to virtually every problem the school ever has. Students skipping classes. Car accidents. Thefts occurring on campus. Academic dysfunction. And this one is very troubling: sexual assault. Not happening often — but when it does, the one “X” factor is right there.
Can you guess what the mysterious ingredient is? Well, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if you got it right: ALCOHOL. At this university and in other ones around the world, booze isn’t just a problem child — it’s THE problem. THE primary culprit which is threatening higher education.
Now, Cal Poly officials will tell you the same thing other good schools across the country say. Alcohol isn’t permitted on the campus in any form. Good rule. However, to the extent that it does come across the fence and invade the dormitories or the campus rec center, it then becomes THE main factor in almost every problem they have. Students cut class because they were out drinking. They get into accidents — fender-benders and fatal smash-ups — because of alcohol. And virtually every case of sexual assault, whether it’s date-rape or just an unwanted advance, has alcohol as the primary cause. Almost every single time.
We’re right in the thick of an incredible time of study here on the Voice of Prophecy, as we go chapter by chapter through what I can only call a breakthrough book: Live 10 Healthy Years Longer, by Jan Kuzma and Cecil Murphey. Published by Word, this book describes something called the Live-Longer Lifestyle, and backs up every stat with a huge control group of more than 27,000 people who are adding between ten and 13 years to their life by following some simple rules.
Interestingly, Chapter Seven, entitled “That Other Drink,” begins with a devil’s advocate-type statement. “Hey!” shouts Norm or Cliffie from their barstool on Cheers. “One glass of alcohol or so a day is supposed to be good for you. Right?” And maybe you’ve read the same thing: a glass of red wine a day has ingredients that can reduce heart disease. Or that one drink a day can help with your cholesterol problem. What about all of that?
Well, friend, we’ll try to put all of the radio numbers there are right on the dashboard of your car this Tuesday as you think about this with us. But let’s start with the people in the control group: those 27,514 men and women who were in the study. And the plain truth is that less than five percent of these people drank any alcohol at all. They were teetotalers. And the result of that lifestyle was . . . nine extra years of life. That’s on average, as compared to the general California population where the study was run over several decades. Every other number bows to that number: NOT drinking is part of living nine years longer.
And I don’t want to pick on Cal Poly today, or the university where your child might be attending school. Because just out there in the big, bad world, the numbers go like this: alcohol causes $45 billion worth of industrial losses each year, say Cecil and Jan in their research, just because of sickness and poor decision-making. When people have traffic accidents, booze is there in the broken glass 50% of the time, and 30% of the time when a plane crashes. Whenever a violent crime occurs, you can know that alcohol was on the scene in 66% of all cases: that’s two-thirds of the time. Really, without any debate on the subject, alcohol is “the greatest drug problem in the world,” according to these two writers.
In all fairness, as good journalists must, Jan and Cecil do concede that science is finding a link between moderate alcohol use and a boost in HDL, the so-called “good” cholesterol which protects against artery disease. But two seconds later, we’re told that alcohol also bumps up your HDL3, a subgroup without that protection. So the bad comes right along with the good . . . PLUS you also inherit the following ten problems every time you go “bottoms-up.” Check out this list with me, why don’t you?
1. ALCOHOL REDUCES THE HEART’S WORKING CAPACITY. You probably remember the name Nathan Pritikin. His studies showed that even just two cocktails cut the average person’s heart function by 20% for up to 24 hours. If you routinely have two drinks a day, you’ve just lost one-fifth of your heart right there.
Here’s #2: ALCOHOL RAISES BLOOD PRESSURE, WHICH CAN LEAD TO STROKES. Essentially, your chance of a stroke doubles if you drink; if you drink heavily, you’re five times more likely to have one.
3. ALCOHOL INTERFERES WITH THE ABSORPTION OF CALCIUM FROM FOOD. Jan and Cecil have found research indicating that even if you’re just a social drinker, you’re two-and-a-half times more likely to experience osteoporosis than a nondrinker.
Now here’s the chilling one. #4: ALCOHOL HAS BEEN LINKED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VARIETY OF CANCERS. Check them off: cancer of the throat, mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, bladder, breast, pancreas, head, neck, and liver. And because alcohol can irritate body tissues, you can also add the following: cancer of the stomach, liver, pancreas, and colon. There’s a cancer-causing agent called urethane which just naturally occurs as a chemical reaction in alcoholic drinks.
If you’re concerned at all about the environment, here’s a #6 to ponder: ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES HAVE BEEN FOUND TO CONTAIN PESTICIDE RESIDUES FROM SPRAYED FRUITS OR GRAINS. Linked to that are a number of allergic reactions some drinkers have to certain ingredients in beer, wine, or distilled spirits.
Here’s one you don’t have to look far to notice. #6: ALCOHOL IS HIGH IN CALORIES. But . . . high in calories that don’t contribute anything to your body; they’re completely empty calories. Ever heard of a beer belly? Or seen one in the mirror?
Here are four more, real quick. #7: ALCOHOL CONTRIBUTES TO THE LOSS OF WHITE BLOOD CELLS. #8: ALCOHOL INTERFERES WITH THE WORK OF YOUR LIVER. It can take as long as a full day, 24 hours, for your liver to process its way through the alcohol in just one drink. That leads to #9 and our hard spelling word for the day: EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL USAGE CAN LEAD TO CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER. Which, by the way, is the seventh leading cause of death here in the United States. By the way, you might already know that cirrhosis involves a scarring of liver tissue, and is an irreversible condition.
One more: ALCOHOL HAS A DEFINITE LINK TO BIRTH DEFECTS. Do you remember C. Everett Koop, the U.S. Surgeon General back in the 1980s, telling us about FAS — fetal alcohol syndrome? And it’s not just moms who need to abstain for those nine months. A drinking dad, with alcohol in his system at the time of his child’s conception, can contribute to FAS as well. Wow.
By the way, the recently debated “plus” that red wine supposedly has? A Dr. Leron Creasy of Cornell did identify a chemical in red wine — called resveratrol — that does seem to help reduce heart disease. But take note of this: a sample of common Welch’s grape juice has more resveratrol than 60% of all wines the study sampled . . . and without any of the dangers that are all linked to alcohol use. In fact, clear back in 1992, Jan and Cecil tell us, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms forced a major winery to remove the claim from their bottled red wine that it was “a suitable companion for a healthy meal.” The small advantages just don’t stack up against the huge dangers that all come even with that first sip.
We’ve said all along in this health series, friend, that even if you simply move in the right direction, move in the direction of the Live-Longer Lifestyle . . . that’s a great decision.
“Give your body alcohol-free days,” advise Jan and Cecil. “If you tend to have a drink every day, cut back by going without alcohol two or three days a week.”
Of course, there’s a lot to be said for “cold turkey” as well. And there are some very helpful hints right at the end of this chapter . . . so by all means, do send in for your copy.
The bottom-line question, of course, is this: can 13 more years of life be good years, years worth living, if there’s not the so-called fun, the relaxing influence, the party times associated with booze? Can you find happiness instead in spiritual wellness, relaxing endorphins in exercise, fun in friendships, good times in neighborhood get-togethers, and joy in Jesus?
All I can tell you is this: it’s sure working around here.
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