10 REASONS TO QUIT INTOXICANTS LIKE CIGARETTE, LIQUOR, ETC AS A REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE!
The four regulative principles recommended for the devotees of Krishna are:
Please Remember! The following four regulative Principles are the primary requirement for every devotee and failing to follow them will definitely delay the advancement in devotion:
(1) No meat eating : You can read the post about this here: 10 SCIENTIFIC REASONS TO FOLLOW THE REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE OF “NO MEAT EATING”
(2) No intoxication : You can read about this in this post.
(3) No gambling : You can read the post about this here: 5 SIMPLE TIPS TO AVOID GAMBLING AS A REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE FOR KRISHNA DEVOTEES!
(4) No illicit sex : You can read the post about this here: 10 NICE TIPS TO AVOID ILLICIT SEX AS A REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE FOR KRISHNA DEVOTEES!
(5) You can also read : 10 REASONS WHY DISCIPLINE AND REGULATIVE PRINCIPLES ARE COMPULSORY FOR THE DEVOTEES!
In this post, we are going to discuss 10 REASONS TO QUIT INTOXICANTS LIKE CIGARETTE, LIQUOR, ETC AS A REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE to come up in the devotion to Krishna.
(1) WHAT IS INTOXICATION?
A simple definition is: “Any activity/ product that induces you to use it again and again and makes your mood/ mind/ body tensed if you don’t take them! You become dependent on them! They bring you totally under their control! If you don’t get them at a particular day/ time, your character will show total deviation from the normal character! They are the representatives of illusion (maya)!”
(2) WHY INTOXICANTS ARE THE REPRESENTATIVES OF ILLUSION (MAYA)?
Illusion (Maya) means thinking the unfavourable things as favourable and vice versa.
This is what happens in the case of intoxicants.
While using them, you feel a temporary short term pleasure. But, they actually harm your body and mind.
For example: Cigarettes and liquor may give short term pleasure feelings, but, they actually harm your body and mind by giving many diseases and even death.
Thus, these unfavourable products make us think favourable.
Hence they are called the representatives of illusion (maya).
(3) SOME MAJOR INTOXICANTS:
What are the products that cause intoxication?
(i) Alcohol in any form (Some will tell you that beer & wine are good! Remember, they also have alcohol);
(ii) Pan Masala,
(iii) Betelnuts,
(iv) Tobaco (both chewing & smoking),
(v) LSD, Marijuana, Abhin, Arrack, etc.
(vi) Coffee & Tea, and the cool drinks that contain coffeine!
(vii) Chocolates that also contain coffeine and 7 other intoxicating agents!
(4) HOW THESE INTOXICANTS ACT ON OUR BODY?
Actually, all the nerves of our body are controlled by a spot in our brain called CNS, ie, Central Nervous System!
Only till this CNS is healthy and active, the whole nervous system will be normal!
If this CNS is affected, the man becomes always lazy, tired and inactive and also his temperature balance is affected!
Thus, Next to heart, this CNS in brain is an important part that controls our body system!
When we consume the additive products like alcohol or tobacco or coffee or tea or cool drinks, etc., this CNS is induced immediately & the body nerves become brisk temporarily for about an hour!
This sudden increase in the activity of CNS is followed by sudden fall in its activity!
This sudden rise & fall of CNS activity makes the nerves less active permanently leading to nerve weakness!
Let me compare this effect on our nerves with a rubber band!
A rubber band is very flexible that can be used for bundling the collection of materials to keep them intact! If you use a rubber band again and again, you will find it elongated permanently! That is, its diameter would have become large! That rubber band has lost its grip!
Similarly, sudden rise & fall in the activity of the nerves makes them less active & all nerves become weak making us always tired!
This is called NERVE WEAKNESS! If you continuously use these additive products, your nerves become weak! You would have felt that you will be brisk immediately after consuming these products, but after some time sudden fall in your briskness!
So, these products give you only a temporary refreshment, and make your nerves permanently less active!
Also read: Memories of my past sins disturb my present life. What to do?
(5) EFFECTS OF THIS NERVE WEAKNESS IN OUR LIFE:
This nerve weakness definitely causes the following:
(i) You always feel tired/ weak;
(ii) Your memory power is reduced;
(iii) You become tensed frequently;
(iv) Your Sexual Potency is definitely reduced, causing problems between husband and wife;
(v) Your liver gets totally affected and leads to death after prolonged use of alcoholic products;
(vi) Your lung gets deposited with Nicotine, tar and other harmful chemicals present in cigarettes and hence loses its efficiency!
(vii) Nicotine causes breathing disorders, cancer, heart attack, sexual impotency, etc.
(viii) Smoking causes bad breath & hence, wife, children and friends hesitate to go close to that person!
(ix) As he always feel temptation to smoke, he misses many deadlines of important assignments! So, success is delayed / missed!
(x) Alcohol makes you totally unconscious and hence whatever you do after consuming it, can’t be remembered later!
(xi) This costs your image! Many people do not know even if they lose their dresses & walk casually after consuming alcohol that is seen by all the people! How the society will respect him and his wife? His wife and girl children become the victims of the anti-social elements, without their fault, just because of marrying that person! Thus, alcohol makes one lose his family itself and its dignity! He loses his respect in society! Innocently his family too!
(6) HOW THESE INTOXICANTS AFFECT THE KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS?
(i) As these people are always confused in everything, whether it is family or job or business or sexual life, they maintain the same confused state of mind in their spiritual practice also!
(ii) He can’t mingle freely with other devotees as he will fear whether the smoke/ alcohol smell will expose himself!
(iii) He can’t attend a temple function even for 2 hours, since he needs a cigarette every hour!
(iv) A smoke/ alcohol/ drug addict always thinks negatively! He never gets an attachment in the regular activities in a society! He is going on a separate/ peculiar track! He never cares if there is no money for cooking in his house on that day! He needs a cigarette at any cost! That’s all! If he has no money, he takes the jewels of his wife, pledge them and smoke or drink! He never cares whether it is dharma or not! He needs his sense gratification!
Also read: QUALITIES OF A PURE DEVOTEE OF KRISHNA
(7) HOW CAN AN ADDICT REFORM HIMSELF?
Is there any way? Yes! If a smoke/ alcohol/ drug addict gets the association of pure vaishnavas, with the power of his purity, he will correct himself gradually and become a perfect person!
This is the power of purity. Like a flower spreads its aroma to others, these pure devotees too spread the purity to others.
Therefore, an addict need not skip devotional practices! If he truly likes to lead a pure life, he can come to devotional path and purify himself with the association of vaishnavas!
(8) SRILA PRABHUPADA REFORMED THOUSANDS OF ADDICTS:
A.C. Bakthi Vedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON movement achieved it! When he went to America for establishing Krishna Consciousness there, he stayed in an area that had full of drug addicts! He called them, offered Krishna Prashadam, educated Bhagavad Gita and Krishna to them and made them good devotees in a few months!
The purity and good intentions of a vaishnava could achieve it!
(9) PURIFICATION HAPPENS EVEN NOW:
Even now, some devotees have preached Krishna Consciousness in jails and reformed some people as vaishnavas! They found that those accused and covicted criminals later felt for their criminal acts! After receiving the taste of Bhagavad Gita and the need for a devotional life, many of them have become the humble devotees following devotional practices seriously!
Also read: PURITTY or LOVE – WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR DEVOTIONAL GROWTH?
(10) QUITTING INTOXICANTS GIVES BOLDNESS AND SAVES MONEY:
Yes. Only those who do not have unwanted addictions can mingle with the society boldly.
By quitting these intoxicants, you need not hesitate to mingle with the outer world. Thus, all your activities will become bold and natural.
Your image shoots up in the society and you invite good people as your friends that gives peace of mind.
Additionally, you save a sizable amount of money with which you can even buy a house after a few years. You get sufficient money to spend for necessary expenditures.
CONCLUSION:
Hope these Ten Reasons make you decide to be free from intoxicants and lead a decent and bold life. You can also impart Krishna strongly in your mind that gives you Krishna Himself to you.
Have a blissful Krishna Conscious life.
All the best.
Read these two important posts in our another site that explains A-Z details about quitting smoking:
(1) WHY SHOULD WE QUIT SMOKING? A-Z SCIENTIFIC, MEDICAL, CULTURAL AND PRACTICAL REASONS!
(2) HOW TO QUIT SMOKING? A-Z PRACTICALLY FEASIBLE TIPS FOR 100% RESULTS!