The problem of alcohol abuse is a worldwide problem, and not exclusively a Russian problem. Drunkenness is a disease that occurs throughout the world and throughout human history.
In Russia this has always been one of the most pressing problems. There are many reasons for Russian people’s addiction to the “green serpent” or Lyarve (the Slavic name for the “demon of drunkenness”), but these reasons are not as important as their consequences, which bring inescapable and terrible troubles to the families of many of us.
Drunkenness is the presence of an evil spirit in a person
Drunkenness is considered a manifestation of evil spirits in a person. He was constantly suspected that they contained an evil spirit that forced a person to drink alcohol.
An evil spirit has a negative effect on the state of the body, as a result of which a person begins to lose control over the use of strong drinks. When a person becomes more and more bogged down in this illness, it simply destroys him from the inside.
That is why the demon of drunkenness is considered the main culprit in the development of alcoholism in a drinking person.
Is it possible to get along with a demon if it is a drunken demon? No.
The appearance of a demon and how to recognize it?
Lyarva moves into a person when he is not aware of his vice. The addict breaks through his biofield, and unclean forces penetrate through the gap. The demon of alcoholism is considered the lowest creature. A sign of the presence of a dark force is the worsening of an addiction. The lyarva feeds on a vicious desire, gains a foothold and begins to control its “master”. The demon pushes you to drink, creates all the conditions for drunkenness. In other words, he does everything to ensure that a person gets stuck in his alcoholic vice.
Signs of a demon possessing an alcoholic initially appear in an emotional state. A person feels pleasure after an alcoholic drink. To repeat the pleasure, he drinks regularly. Doses are gradually increased. Over time, the demon takes hold and penetrates the body. The addict develops physical illnesses.
The Bible distinguishes between drinking wine in moderation and drunkenness
The Bible has a fairly clear distinction between moderate consumption of alcohol (wine) and drunkenness - systematic, uncontrolled, harmful use of strong alcoholic beverages, which is caused by complete or partial dependence on them.
Here are some Scripture quotes:
“Feasts are given for pleasure, and wine makes life merry.”
(Eccl. 10:19)
"Don't be among those who get drunk on wine"
(Prov. 23:20)
“Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be burdened with overeating and drunkenness.”
(Luke 21:34)
The Church's attitude towards drunkenness is negative. The Church lists among its reasons, for example, a person’s desire for glorification and enrichment, but achieving this goal entails many substitutions. One of these substitutions is a passion for wine or “surrogate contentment.”
A person has a constant need for joy.
Not finding positive emotions for the soul and body, a person tries to “drown” their absence in wine.
Yee Dee and the Eight Immortal Drunkards
Already thousands of years ago, the Chinese knew how to make many types of alcohol: wine from honey and grapes, sweet mash “huangjiu” from gaoliang, millet, sorghum, rice and other materials. In later times, they began producing baijiu, a moonshine that was often drunk hot. Chinese nobles loved wine, but drinking just like that was considered bad manners, so they organized unique cultural meetings where they practiced poetry, meditation, and even alchemical experiments. It was assumed that good wine does not interfere, but only helps in all these matters, and therefore in this case it is not only possible to drink, but even necessary. One day, Emperor Jie of the Xia Dynasty, who decided to surprise his beloved concubine, created a pond full of wine, and it was so large that a small ship could sail on it. To appreciate how and what modern Chinese drink, it is worth reading Mo Yan’s book “Wine Country.”
It is not surprising that China had a whole host of alcohol patrons. The main deity in this area was considered Yi-Di, who was originally a simple woman who lived long before our era. She created such a beautiful and perfect wine from rice that she eventually received the status of a real goddess. In addition to Yi Di, the Chinese revered the so-called Eight Immortal Drunkards. All of them were also originally human, but following the path of enlightened Taoism and alchemy, they became immortal and great. Each of them individually patronizes various disciplines: healing, literature, magic, theater, and so on. But they are all united by an irrepressible love of life and good drink. By the way, you might have seen a reference to these Chinese saints in the movie “Drunken Master,” where each of them personified one or another style of kung fu.
The Holy Fathers about drunkenness in their writings - 7 quotes
The disastrous consequences of alcohol abuse have always been negative for a person and cannot but find mention in the teachings of the holy fathers of the Church, who take care of the person from the flock.
It is clear from numerous creations that this disease has been analyzed and studied. Here are some examples from the teachings of the Holy Fathers of the Church:
- “Drunkenness is enmity against God” Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Creations. Sergiev Posad, 1900. Part 2. P. 28.
- “A drunkard is unpleasant to friends, ridiculous to enemies, despised by his subordinates, disgusting to his wife, unbearable to everyone” John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. Creations. Part 2. St. Petersburg, 1896. P. 483.
- “It takes away fame and good name; on the contrary, it leads to disgrace, contempt and disgust, for people abhor no one more than a drunkard. A drunken person causes grief and sadness to his family, friends, and relatives, and causes ridicule among his enemies. Drunkenness makes its adherent incapable of doing anything. Whatever the rank of a drunkard, he will bring more misfortunes and misfortunes than benefits to society.” Symphony based on the works of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. pp. 1568–1569.
- “The cause of drunkenness, like other sins, is an evil and intemperate heart, idleness, frequent feasts, company, increased entertainment, communication with evil and intemperate people. Frequent repetitions give rise to passion and evil custom.” Symphony based on the works of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. John Maslov, archimandrite. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk and his teaching on salvation. Zagorsk, 1981. P. 1565.
- “Commit one of the sins: murder, fornication or drunkenness, and after that I will no longer tempt you. The hermit thought: “Murder is terrible both according to earthly and heavenly laws; fornication - it is a shame to destroy purity and touch filth; getting drunk once is a small sin, I’ll sober up. I’ll go and get drunk and live in peace.” Taking the handicrafts, he went to the city, sold everything and got drunk. By the action of Satan, he happened to talk with an adulterous woman. He fell into sin with her, but her husband came and began to beat the stranger. The hermit began to fight with him and, having overcome him, killed his husband. Thus he committed all three sins; What sins he feared and abhorred while sober, he boldly committed drunk and thereby ruined his many years of work. Was it only then that through true repentance he was able to appease God, who returned the former merits to the repentant.” Spiritual flower garden. M., 1903. pp. 78–79.
Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom spoke very strictly about drunkenness
- “Wine is given to be cheerful, and not to be a laughing stock; given to promote health, not to cause distress; for healing bodily infirmities, and not for weakening the spirit" John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. Creations. T. 7. St. Petersburg, 1901. P. 591.
The Apostle Paul advised drinking wine for better digestion
- “But if anyone does not respect this gift of God and treats it with consumerist neglect, he will suffer just retribution” Isidore Pelusiot, saint. Creations: Letters. Part 3. M., 1860. P. 398.
Mayahual, Patecatl, Macuitochtli and 400 drunken rabbits
The Aztec mythological system is the strangest and most outlandish thing you can imagine, and the gods of alcohol are no exception. One of the most revered deities among the Aztecs was Mayahuatl, the patroness of fertility, agave and drinks that are made from this plant (that is, tequila and pulque). She is the wife of another god responsible for intoxication, the healer Patecatl, and is depicted as a magnificent woman with four hundred luscious breasts. She needs all of them in order to feed their common children - 400 drunken rabbits, which themselves are minor deities of drunkenness.
It was believed that there were four hundred different states into which a drunkard could fall: from pacification to aggression, and each of these states was responsible for its own rabbit. In addition, the Aztecs believed that a separate god, Macuitochtli, was responsible for the playful and foolish state during intoxication: having possessed a drunkard, this spirit forced the person to do stupid things and act out. In all likelihood, the Aztecs are the only nation that had a separate patron of drunken pranks.
You can drink alcohol in moderation
Drinking alcohol in moderation is not prohibited. For example, in the Holy Scriptures: The Lord Jesus Christ visited a wedding in Cana of Galilee and performed a miracle of turning water into wine, thus increasing the joy of the wedding (John 2: 1–11).
The Apostle Paul advised his disciple Timothy to eat a little wine for the sake of stomach illness (see: 1 Tim. 5:23).
Dionysius. Marriage in Cana of Galilee. Jesus turned water into wine
Regarding alcohol to improve health, it is important to remember such an important parameter of alcohol - its quality. With today's production volumes and sales markets, it is extremely important to take it into account, as it can cause irreparable harm to health.
To summarize, we can say that drunkenness is the self-destruction of a person as an individual and an unbearable cross for himself and his loved ones. The Church reminds us that drunkenness is:
- addiction. Remember that it is very difficult to get rid of;
- consequences. The damage done to an alcoholic’s body is irreparable.
Here are some paths for healing and rehabilitation offered by the Church:
- environment. It is recommended to distance yourself or completely protect yourself from bad companies;
- treatment. The path of deliverance lies through drug treatment, and through spiritual treatment, namely the manifestation of willpower;
- family. Family support for a drinker is the best medicine for soul and body.
What threatens the larva?
The demon of alcohol is hungry and pushes its owner to drink more and more each time. The evil spirits have a good appetite, and they feel little of the emotions that arise when drinking. The longer the larva stays in the “master”, the faster the person loses his personal characteristics. Over time, you can expect the most unfavorable consequences if you do not get rid of the parasite.
It will be possible to expel the dark force on your own only in the initial stages of alcoholism, until the devil (due to the fact that he began to starve) forces a person to drink in huge quantities. If the patient cannot completely give up alcohol, he will die. The demon begins to feed on the physical shell, thereby provoking various diseases. As soon as the carrier of the parasite dies, it begins to look for a new victim.
Baron Saturday, aka Baron Samedi
Obviously the most famous and prominent deity in voodoo, Baron Saturday is responsible for both death and conception, birth and violent drunkenness, fornication, gluttony and smoking. He appears as a skeleton wearing a black tailcoat, a black top hat and smoking a cigar. Those who worship him praise the Baron by drinking rum and smoking cigars. It is believed that this spirit can be summoned and even allowed to inhabit oneself by drinking an insane amount of strong booze.
Shojo and Kamui Fuchi: gods of alcohol on the Japanese islands
Kamui Fuchi is the goddess of the hearth, rice and brewing among the Ainu people. They once inhabited all the Japanese islands, but were then driven out by the ancestors of the current Japanese. It was believed that Kamui Fuchi was able to ward off evil spirits and quarrels if she was offered beer at the right time.
Shojo is a character from Japanese folklore, the spirit of the waters and, at the same time, an incredible, unstoppable drinker. This strange creature was represented in the form of a kind of aquatic monkey, and the Japanese use the same word to simultaneously designate an orangutan and a heavy drunkard.
So, now it remains to decide who exactly you will worship this coming weekend. Write in the comments!
Ninkasi, Siris and Sidiri
One of the first human records found is the “Hymn of Ninkasi,” dedicated to the goddess of brewing. In fact, this clay tablet is a poetic recipe for making beer, and this is not surprising: the Sumerians literally deified it, as well as the grain from which it was made.
In addition to Ninkasi, in ancient Mesopotamia Siris was revered, which was the personification of beer as such, and Sidiri, which was responsible for the pleasure and joy of drinking intoxicating drinks. All these gods of alcohol are exclusively female characters: the Sumerians believed that only a woman would have the patience and responsibility to brew the right beer.
Onata, Ibeorgan and Rekereke
Onata is the Iroquoian goddess-giver of corn grain and everything connected with it: from satiety to intoxication. She can well be called the patroness of modern bourbon. Ibeorgan is a cultural hero of Panama, similar to the ancient Greek Prometheus: according to legend, it was he who taught the tribes of Central America how to build, brew beer and many other useful things. Rekereke is the Polynesian equivalent of Dionysus: both good and a little scary.
