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The following study shows that, regardless of its physical effects, wine consumed moderately can certainly contribute to human happiness, thereby reducing stress and improving health.
In a study[4] Dr. Lucia MD based around 57 hospitals in Chicago, all economic levels and types, certain patients were given water or milk, while other patients were given 2 ounces of wine with the evening meal. This is less than a half a glass of wine, which is normally about 4 to 5 ounces. They were dramatically happier with their care, their food, preparation and quantity, their bed, and the atmosphere. Below are the results in chart form.
Wine |
Water |
|
|---|---|---|
| Satisfied with care | 93% |
33% |
| Food properly cooked | 85% |
43% |
| Satisfied with bed | 100% |
57% |
| Enough food | 100% |
51% |
| Atmosphere | 78% |
57% |
This reveals the last healthful feature of wine that we will discuss. Wine reduces stress by producing an intoxication with the moment. Alcohol intoxication, under one theory[5], reduces awareness of remote stimuli, which include the illusory worlds of the past and future. Forgetting the past and future alleviates stress because much anxiety is associated with unpleasant anticipations of the future.
What if it is not as good as I expect? What if that happens to me? Or that? Or even worse, what if that doesnt happen to me? What horrible event will occur then? Oh Im so afraid of all the possibilities. Just anything might happen. Probably all unpleasant. My anxiety is growing. And why didnt I do that? And why didnt I explore that possibility. So many mistakes, never to be redone. If only I hadnt, then I might be. Or if I had then I wouldnt have been. Aurgh! Life is Pain. Fear the future and regret the past.
With all this anxiety, the stomach starts producing acid; the intestines clench up, holding on; the liver produces bile; and the body is full of acid. The liver and kidneys work overtime to purify the system, creating real physical internal stress based upon the imaginary mental stress, based upon logical projections, founded upon incomplete data, with Chaos Theory thrown in.
Given this normal anxiety ridden state, let us look at a few different scenarios.
Some were given some wine with food:
The food absorbs the acids of the stomach, while the wine absorbs the acids of the mind. The future and past dissolve.
Ahh! This food is good! I feel so witty. Everyone is so funny and clever. We are so profound. My companions are marvelous. My care is good. Life is wonderful.
The food neutralizes the effect of the alcohol. All is balanced.
Others were given spirits upon an empty stomach:
While at least neutralizing the tormenting thoughts of the Mind, the spirits create more acids for the stomach to digest, The effect of the alcohol, when it is not diluted by food, is more extreme. The body must deal with many more acids now, taking away the appetite. The mental intoxication is much greater, and physical effects are negative. Yahoo! Party time!
Hollering and howling, then passing out, forgetting what happened.
Straight: The acids continue to build and the illusions continue to grow. Constipation, ulcers, arthritis, and heart disease follow - And this group drinks no alcohol and eats good food - And yet suffers from self induced unrelieved stress.
Unless perhaps Being, lost in Work, goes thru the self realization that his Person is separate from the Self. Not holding on Being lets his Person do what he needs to do. All happens as it should – naturally, easily, without stress. No regrets about the past because it doesnt exist, no fears about the future because it is merely the smoke of the Mind.
Unfortunately not that many Beings are separate from their Person. In fact many think they are their Person - stubbornly holding onto this illusion - almost desperately at times. With these sober People the anxieties based upon fear and regret grow and multiply, seem to be real and justified, despite the fact that they are just illusory mental projections.
With a little food and wine the stubbornness and desperation melt away. As Mind relaxes, he loosens his death grip and Being emerges refreshed from her hibernation, but still a little sleepy. Under the influence of Wine - Intoxication - Minds death grip on his projected Reality is loosened. Being reassumes her rightful role as ruler. All is well. Being experiences reality deeply without Minds critical filter in the way. Glorious ecstasy.
Unfortunately when Mind sobers up many times he forgets how happy he was working as the Advisor to Being - No stress of responsibility. Instead he immediately reasserts control, bringing stress with him. Any deep understanding and insights are lost wallowing in the midst of deductive sobriety - It all makes a terrible sense that I am so afraid of. Yahhhh! Let me out of here.
Retention is one advantage of attaining the state of Being without intoxication. The disadvantage to state dependent learning and experience is that one must return to the state to take advantage of the insights and knowledge. Hence the drinkers must become intoxicated to put Mind to sleep, or at least to relax him, to set Being free. The Persons Mind is so strong - too strong - that the spontaneous action of Being is impossible without intoxication.
For those locked in this vicious cycle of intense intoxication and sobriety, many times Mind comes back with a vengeance, locking Being up, keeping her away from the decision making process -
Mind: We cant let her be in control again. She keeps getting us in this predicament. It is too dangerous.
When really intoxication was the only way that Mind could be sedated enough for Being to escape from the abusive mental jail that he had imprisoned her in. Because Mind was so rigid - a control freak, to be sure - alcohol was needed to overthrow his orderly world. (At least this was the solution that the Person chose to balance Minds strangle hold.) If Mind had relinquished control voluntarily, gently, then there would have been no need for intoxication. Unfortunately Mind holds on so tightly to the reality of his world that for many alcohol is almost a necessary catalyst to break his death grip and give Being a chance to express herself.
When Being is allowed to express herself inspiration is the result. Wine as well as relaxing the Mind and Body, can also provide the conditions for inspiration. Under the right conditions alcohol can even act like a psychedelic, for it has similar alkaloids to peyote and mescaline[6]. Under this side, alcohol can lead to deep insights and mental breakthroughs. Thus wine not only relaxes the mind and nourishes the body it also has the ability to unlock the Muse, producing inspiration. Many writers, artists, composers, and musicians have regularly consumed wine, possibly to still the interykரo Vsts|2B)u"yޜZﹲp~9{}t ގgiwE%国ּ7ۅܑ/yΗ]ԶǐV>J~,|>Q*mC2qd1ܺYޭw,zxQzȶ̕ۏ< ѯmؗ| o97tW#nװY~ܭɄonZZ{٠¢ɹHfWƸmq؈~}$"o+={ܵ 6lr\(lpOɸȅc x 긤3yaV\K)ʼnNܼ]y{t&y {q݅ |j෴Q4yR缻%)nw2λZuȵvݷFw${䚷YwB|䎽RB3ڶ@|Sn?} u˝h㎥p\{ ~x*(r1//ݚe;zγuHnfb@2gMKq猷j.巭q4ne1{r藴Z}Ktʼ4gur~,fKq à`z#i(n[rerPɷʇKa~N0}|vUCnau4#P]?".~uWp᜶|qMz 5#оŅ xnwyƻUOɂ_ɐ!)D.a֬ v~+j꓾}:1鷼ny b292u)p7CĶQC y߈c 놤[ѵ4ʆ¼AU˱~5N¤ԥ߫T,>̻ܳƏ1ۚ3] Ü+ڏp̍DuZ{T˔t\Џ*t> ϥ0ɡ1N=hzwGƔkڡk HM̉Ϩs$ЕA6]}̓˹* қ7Ԟiֲcė9ힿӘ T @\ ߖ VNJo'f0:\ҧG߈F&t3o_ %: |HJV ]j i1jGtq} $]v' aO) IO"/ (TV!W [.Gp>8Y(@"EGK7 #QDr< X0 ,G~%3" Ac:"sK .5D^)X2$`=OQR Thd 'B?Toa,L) A, : 3 D( G e7 7N 䍠QNHS. QZbHJx 9w4)|FmD];.g> 0YG%T fW 1] Z^\}_Rs bS*R1~F vR@s>3-9 +v7n@"xT>0y>@ 4ZlDR7: :< M0\5* \&m - . ";W% ~<= x6 y, \ 7 M 22 ,K ; g2?Z *?p )/X xFDŽP= }b8 ^ E=&S @n ,De P)J ~A ȚVp 5"T PNIo d,i[F3 |)c (;'A % 0& >5> 8! 902]V 5H :+