In Dubai Alcohol is considered bad ?

[Rahulthesweet]

Hello everyone

For those who are regular here and are long term sober they see AL quite differently. They no longer see AL as a something which brings pleasure or excitement or as something they need to cope up with life. They know and realise AL is nothing but a drug. A powerful drug which plays with the mind, gives false since of pleasure , plays with our reward mechanism of brain and in incredibly additive. New comers might find it hard to believe this but the fact that they are reading this means at some point the AL is troubling them.

Bottomline :AL is bad.... It causes no good. It's harmful for health, brain. It serves no purpose.

BUT try explaining that to a young lad who in early twenties is enjoying life drinking or to someone who seeing glamorous movies, news, adverts, or see cool people around them drinking. Our society cannot in general associate alcohol as a bad thing.

I have travelled a lot all over the world. All happening places ... La ramba streets Barcelona, meat packing district of NYC or the village. Piccadilly in London, alstadt (old town) of every german country. Bars in Mumbai, Singapore, Thailand. Marina and sea side restaurant and bars in Sydney, hilly tops of Switzerland, a typical grocery store in Russia, gas stations. One thing in our world we see is ... There is booze in open, free. You cannot escape from it. It's all around. From news paper adverts, to a ball of base ball, funeral and wedding. In shopping malls, cinema, gas stations. It's there every where. It's thrown at you ... And if you not drinking then you are considered outlaw ... Or what's wrong with you attitude. Biggest lie ... You quench your thirst with can of chillier beer ... We have been brain washed by all and everything around us ...

As I see myself now after several weeks sober .... I view alcohol as a powerful drug.....Something which has fooled me for years... It was betrayed by society, televisions, movies to view alcohol as a cool thing. Something which brings pleasure, some which with is needed to chill out , party, enjoy.

Imagine a society which seeings AL the way we all recovering alcoholics see. May not be extreme as a poison but like the way we see say smoking today. Something which is not good. Something which we tell kids and our family to stay away from. Where government has laws to restrict open display of AL. Al is available but no longer in the open bars ... You can't buy AL at gas stations of lacquer shops. You need licence to buy it just like now they introduced licence to buy marijuana in Colorado.

I saw a glimpse of that place in Dubai. I am not a Muslim but I know that alcohol is forbidden in Islam. I always used to laugh at that thought and used to feel them as ultra conservative and I know several Muslims who drink with sense of guilt. But let me tell you what I say in last 6 days of travelling as a tourist in Dubai. ... These restriction made soooo much sense. ...

I saw a lot..... Biggest shopping malls, airports, train stations, department stores, theme parks, restaurants, food court, sea side open air restaurants, harbours ... And I didn't see booze. I mean NOOOO sign of it. No open bars with taps, or adverts or sign boards. No beercans in vending machines, or even in trash. No adverts of Budweiser . But if you ask for it ... Want to really have it ,,, they will take you to best bars is world with biggest possible variety one might imagine. I was invited by one friend who took me to one of these bars ... And while I was enjoying my diet coke I was staring at the line of beer taps the bar had to offer ... But it's deep inside a bar ...

It was so good for me to be away from no temptation and not seeing alcohol anywhere ... An absolute paradise for recovering alcoholics.

What was even shocking was that even in emirates their own airlines, they do serve alcohol but they don't display it ... They hide it is a box ... As it is is something bad they are serving ... And heck for once in my life I so agreed with them.

That did made me think. We know in a typical Islamic state life could be hard. But one good thing they have and what we don't have is restriction in alcohol. At least in Dubai.

I used to laugh at them for being that way, curse at them for being so "conservative" but this time I have such a different view.

Can alcohol be restricted in our world... Can its public display become limited ... I know the last thing anyone in western world or even in eastern world would like to follow is a Muslim country but it makes me wonder .... Where are we all heading ... With such large population having trouble with alcohol ... And addicted. ... Can we learn and adopt this fro. Muslim world ?

I saw similar vibe in Malaysia when I visited several year ago (not in langkawi). I used to hate the place ... Used to find it very "conservative". Y do I have to spend a fortune on beer in 5 star hotels. Y cat I find it cheap and everywhere ?

Being sober make you see world from a very different perspective .... It open your sober eyes and make you realise it was not me cursing them for being sober ... But rather they laughing at me for being a drunk ...

[NotHappyHourHappyLife]

In Dubai Alcohol is considered bad ?

Rahul, this is a very insightful post.

You are right, that the "everybody does it" attitude is what sells a lot of alcohol- the glamour, the dreams.

But it's when you see the ugly side- the angry abusive drunks, the wrong way drunk drivers that kill the innocent, the broken hearted children that grow up and become their parents- that's when the wake up call happens.

Often times it is difficult, in a drinking society, to avoid the temptation. If someone offers you a drink, and you are new in your sobriety, it is SO tempting to say, "Just one beer", and throw away all of the alcohol free accomplishments because someone innocently said, "hey, do ya wanna beer?"

If only they knew.

I find myself making excuses, or "white lies", when people ask if I want a drink. So what do I say when a waitress asks me? "I'll have water for now".

When a friend asks me? "I can't drink right now.... I'm on an antibiotic where I can't drink".

A true friend will understand and not try to push alcohol... and the ones that ARE pushing are probably a beer or two ahead of me and won't remember if I drank or not.

:hug: Patty

[Rahulthesweet]

In Dubai Alcohol is considered bad ?

Patty,

We alcoholics notice AL a lot. We may not envy it or feel tempted towards it but we do notice it a lot. And seeing the thing in Dubai I felt telling everyone ... Wow ! Guys what you have there is really really good.
Public non acceptance of display if alcohol is good thing.

With no offence for Muslims ... But there were so many things which I didn't agree in that society. Burka for example which lots of women wear. Lack of Freedom of media, no democracy and list goes on. But it was quite an experience travelling and seeing noooo public display of alcohol. Ok it might be extreme but imagine our society where you may get arrested for drinking in public !

[frances]

In Dubai Alcohol is considered bad ?

It's interesting - I think that over time, this will change. Just like smoking cigarettes has in the US. One person on here (I forget their name) was from California if I remember right and someone else here was talking about the pervasiveness of drinking and how you are considered strange if you are not drinking. That person from California said that where she lived this was not the case and in fact noone really drinks much with the exception of wine with dinner. I think California (some parts anyway) is one place where health is front and center and it sounds like the trend there is away from alcohol and I would bet it is for that reason. I believe that over time, society will start to catch on. It will be a tough battle though because of the power of the companies that make and sell alcohol.

[Darkest Diamond]

In Dubai Alcohol is considered bad ?

Really interesting post Rahul. Isn't it interesting that Dubai is almost ahead of its time regarding alcohol and architecture too, it has some utterly beautiful buildings........ but I personally feel the Islamic attitude towards women is unpleasant. To me wearing a burka and the whole black ensemble is a denial of femininity. Also I feel the general attitude of men to women is not healthy.

[little beagle]

In Dubai Alcohol is considered bad ?

Thank you for the thought provoking post. I think our society puts too much emphasis on alcohol. You are right.

[Rahulthesweet]

In Dubai Alcohol is considered bad ?

Frances, we can blame our societies attitude toward alcohol towards, TV, media, movies, bars excessive marketing and promotion by alcohol companies. They spend millions to "refresh" the image of alcohol, associate it with adventure, sports, enjoyment, youth as a thrust quencher. Out for golf enjoy with a drink. Clubbing. ... Just have a drink. School, college party.... Can't enjoy without drink. Off camping...must take drinks. On vacation ... Sea side ... Enjoy cocktails. Wedding, funeral ... How can it be without drinks. Alcohol alcohol everywhere. Can we imagine a world without it ... Impossible but then how do I tell my young kids that there is no coolness attached to alcohol.

DD: I have very strong views towards religion so strong that most of the time people don't agree with it. I believe there is a concept called GOD. A being , a source, energy or something which cannot explain. Whatever the being it maybe it is not created by us. Surely one thing that has been created by us humans :religion ! I am from India and it has one of the oldest religions in the world : Hinduism. While Christianity is just about 2000 years old roots of Hinduism line around 7000 BC around Indus Valley civilisation (modern day Pakistan). Being so old today is utterly diverse, so many customs. So many gods, beliefs. It's been misused by so many for gain of few powerful. Misused and modified to scare and control people. While I am not a scholar but what I know even Christianity even though relatively new has its own set of complex history. There is Old Testament and the new. Some believe Jesus Christ was god and other the Christ was a messages of God. Then pope. Church has been known to be corrupt during medieval times and dark ages. As years progresses and with more education things changed. Islam too is almost as old as Christianity in fact from what I they have common roots at the end of Roman Empire. It too has Been misused and mis interpreted by so many for gains of few. While not defending or blaming any religion but one thing I believe ALL have one or few key figure who started it all. Jesus, prophet, Buddha, Krishna, Ram etc. and I believe they all said very logical things during their times, they did good things for the overall good. Gita one holy book in Hinduism talk about concept of karma which is very logical. It talks about benefits of following your duties living a good life. Going good for others. It however does not mention that the person who gave the preaching is God. It's people who "made" Krishna as God.

In other words my belief is GOD did not made religion it was started by few key intelligent people who wanted to do good for society, made some guidelines, rules for society. So that there is peace and order. They realised to spread peace people must be given hope, reason to love respect each other. These rules are different in different parts of the world depending upon climate, population, demographics, people common beliefs. For example in all religion it is forbidding to kill other humans, forbidden to eat other humans, to marry in immediate family etc. these give basic building blocks for society so that people as a society can survive. Then in some society and religions it is forbidden to have more than one wives. It's not so in Islam but there maybe a logical reason for it. At the time it was formed the demographics of population was they there were more women who needed help and support of a man hence this practice started. It was then needed maybe not today. Concept of halal meat may have came so that people should eat fresh meat and have a less chance of infection. In Hinduism things too evolved over the years and centuries. There was a time when Hindus were mainly non veg, they used to sacrifice ... Later they evolved and became pure veg on grounds of health. Yoga itself is purely logical and is a way of live and it's excersise are followed so many countries. Veds talk about way of life.

Religions treatment towards women too has evolved over the years. In Christianly the way church treats women today is not the same it had treated centuries ago. The same is with Hinduism. Even today women cannot be a pope cannot be a cardinal or head of church. Even after centuries we don't see head of temples as a women. Islam probably still need some more years to change the attitude. Homosexuality for example could not be tolerated half a century ago, today there is debate in church about accepting it as times are changing.

As far as alcohol is concerned, it is forbidden in Islam for pure logical reasons. The reasons we all know and that is why we are all here. We know it does not do any good. And maybe the prophet who shaped Islam realised that while preaching in Quran as it will not do any good to society. It good it is followed but it should be followed for right reason. Smoking is prohibited in Sikhism.

I also VERY STRONGLY believe that BLIND faith is a curse ... So if may not be good for Muslims not to drink alcohol without knowing why or just because their religion says so but really knowing the benefits of not drinking.

It is blind faith that has resulted in holy wars through out our history. Today modern society has blind faith in alcohol that it gives pleasure ...

It is also my view that all religions due to years of passing on have not evolved in a positive way. Treatment of women in Muslim world is one which I agree with you. Women cannot go to a mosque, cannot divorce etc etc. but I believe it will evolve and change with mordenization as ALL other religions have evolved.

Regarding the subject of alcohol. I think in our western world alcohol is becoming a curse ... Which needs to be uprooted. It cannot be don't by banning or prohibition. We all know when we suddenly stop drinking we desire it much more ... The only way we can change is by changing the attitude towards alcohol. And THAT IS WHERE religion can help.

Sorry for long post but just wanted to share my thoughts and pardon if I may not be correct in any of above fact. And sorry if I offended anyone on this subject.