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Summary of Question:	Alcohol In Gurbani?
Category:	Gurbani
Date Posted:	Sunday, 6/06/2004 9:39 PM MDT

I was wondering if you could give me specific page numbers in the SGGS or specific lines from Gurbani regarding how we, as Sikhs, should stay away from alcohol. My dad drinks on a daily basis and i had this idea of printing out some things from gurbani saying that alcohol consumption is bad and how family is really important and posting these around my house so that he'll read them... it might have some type of effect on him... good idea right?

please help me out
thanks
D-Kaur
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reply
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Sat Siri AKaal. Sounds like your dad has an addiction to alcohol. If that is correct, please understand that he will not stop drinking unless he WANTS to and then, he will need lots of support for this. Visit this site for more information and to find a chapter in your area. www.alcoholics-anonymous.org

I do not recall seeing any reference in SGGS that actually says alcohol is bad. You will have to do your own research on this, since Youth Forum moderators are not experts in SGGS. Please click on the link for Siri Guru Granth from the Sikhnet [www.sikhnet.com] homepage and find additional links for research from that link. Most of the comments in SGGS are about the person who chases wine, women, and money instead of chasing God by practice of the naam. Chasing after maya leads to nothing but sorrow, chasing God by naam simran give us benefits of sukhsehej and neutral mind. It seems to me that your father is currently not in a position to understand or care enough about this, no offense intended.

The proscription against drinking alcohol came from 10th Guru when he gave us Rehit Maryada. He rightly understood that alcohol and addictive substances create a mental fog that keeps us from living as Sikhs, from chanting the naam or evening trying to chant the Naam, and overall keep us from developing ourselves as Gursikhs. You could print the Rehit for him, but if he is not amritdhari, then this may not matter to him.

Keep him in your prayers, and may I remind you that (1)he has to WANT to stop drinking and (2) he will need lots of support from others who are not judging him to do so.
Guru ang sang,
-DKK