Excessive drinking (Alcoholism) The alcohol is having all the properties of poison in itself; hence its injudicious use leads to severe alcoholism.
Judicious use of Wines, Food and Poisons
Wine by nature is as good as food itself. However, if taken injudiously, it may produce diseases, while its judicious use may be beneficial.
Similarly, although food is the life of the living beings, its inappropriate use could even cause death. On the other hand, though the poisons are usually fatal but their judicious use may prove to be life restorative.
Stages of Drinking
1. First Stage of drinking: The first stage of drinking is said to be very pleasant; it increases intelligence, memory, affection and happiness, induces further interest in drinking, eating, sleeping and sex, as well as intensifies the power to recite, sing and speak loudly.
2. Second stage of drinking: During the middle of intoxication i.e. the second stage of drinking, the intelligence, memory, speech and actions become incoherent, the behavior and appearance become restless like that of lunatic and the person becomes overwhelmed with laziness and sleep again and again.
3. Third stage of drinking: During the third stage of drinking, release of inhibitions takes place. The person begins to go to places where he should not go, disregards his teachers, eats inedible things, consciousness is almost loss and he discloses even his closely guarded secrets.
4. Fourth stage of drinking: During the last stage of drinking, the person behaves like an idiot, becomes useless like a broken stick, loses a sense of discrimination between the right and the wrong actions and may be considered more dead than a dead person.
This stage is another variety of schizophrenia and is the last stage.
Diseases due to drinking in unsuitable states
These disorders are:
1. Excessive drinking
2. Hangover
3. Alcoholic Gastritis
4. Chronic Alcoholism
Excessive Drinking
Hiccough, dyspnoea, tremors of the head, pain in the flanks, insomnia and severe delirium characterize Excessive drinking due to vaat predominance.
Thirst, a burning sensation, fever, sweating, fainting, diarrhea, vertigo and greenish discoloration of the body characterize Excessive drinking due to pitta predominance.
Vomiting, anorexia, nausea, drowsiness, a sensation of being covered with wet clothes, heaviness of the body and a feeling of cold characterize Excessive drinking.
Excessive drinking should be known to be of tridoshaj origin, if the symptoms and signs of vitiation of all the three doshas are present.
Hangover
Heaviness of the limbs, absence of any taste in the mouth, retention of faeces and urine, drowsiness, anorexia, thirst, headache and pain in the joints are considered to be the clinical features of hangover.
Alcoholic Gastritis
Excessive flatulence, vomiting and pyrosis are the clinical features of alcoholic gastritis.
Chronic Alcoholism
If there is a pricking pain in the cardiac region or all over the body, mucoid expectoration, a feeling as if the throat is full of smoke, fainting, vomiting, fever, headache, a burning sensation and an aversion to various preparations of wine and food.
Complications of Drinking
1. Hiccough
2. Fever
3. Vomiting
4. Trembling
5. Pain in flanks
6. Cough
7. Giddiness
