Alcohol in Punjabi Culture vs Sikhism

I'm particularly interested in this topic because from the time I was a child, I have known countless individuals affected by alcoholism. When I was young one of the community "Uncle Jis" died from his addiction by aspirating on his vomit. This had a big impact on me and from all the destruction I saw in families, I always knew that I'd never drink. I stayed true to that. I think it is a lot more challenging for men though, due to culturally ingrained ideas about drinking. I'm going to preface my post by saying I'm not an expert in this area, and this is not intended as advice (you should seek professional help if you need it). I read over a hundred pages of research to write this post because I wanted us to have a starting point for a conversation. I hope this gets you thinking about alcohol in your community, your family, and in relation to yourself. I don't want to delve too much into alcohol as a substance/it's effects or traditional models of recovery, but rather the cultural aspects of alcohol use and the spiritual aspects of recovery.

Magnitude of the Problem

There are low levels of awareness about problem drinking in the South Asian community (1). Sandhu comments on the growing concern about the high levels of alcohol consumed by Punjabis in the UK, Canada, and US (2). UK studies showed Punjabi Sikh males consuming more alcohol and having more alcohol-related problems compared to Causian or other South Asian men (3). Johl states “evidence indicates that this high level of alcohol consumption among Sikh men is seen to be steadily rising with numerous associated psychological and physical health problems, including an increased rate of death due to liver cirrhosis” (4). He also commented that the burden of caring for alcoholic males falls on female family members who suffer adverse negative impacts on their own mental health (4). There is also a high rate of concurrence of alcohol use and intimate partner violence (5). Thus, this is an important problem that we should address as a community. 

What’s driving the drinking? 

It’s important for us to understand the emotional pain that leads people to want to numb with alcohol. I think there is an aspect of collective trauma from living in Punjab, and from our history. For example, one individual I met talked about how his brother was murdered in front of him. I was surprised that this wasn’t mentioned in the papers I read, but I also know that people don't like to talk about it and it may not have been recognized as a source of the drinking in interviews. Research does mention that individuals resort to drinking to cope with “Acculturation Stress”; this means immigrants facing discrimination, language barriers, loss of traditional values, and culture clash (6). It also is about second-generation individuals adjusting to living in two different cultures (2). Lastly when we think about stress, drinking can be about dealing with problems at home, to reduce loneliness or to relax (5).

Sandhu describes that from a Sikh point of view, the alcoholism can be used as self-medication to “sedate the suffering that arises from the desire for satisfaction from material or worldly pursuits” (2). From a cultural point of view, he describes that in Punjab, alcohol is a status symbol for the upper classes, and self-medication for strenuous labor for the working class (2). He describes alcohol as a part of the definition of masculinity in Punjab; since Punjabi men have traditionally been an important part of protecting India against invaders, a Punjabi man’s identity was about bravado, adventurousness, and a strong physique (2). He describes “alcohol is perceived as a ‘fortifying’ drink, so that many Punjabi males, especially among the factory workers, believe alcoholic beverages enable a man to worker harder and longer than if he did not take alcoholic drink...” (2) It is also a part of male bonding culture and thus is a part of any Punjabi social event, bhangra, and music (2,7). Although traditionally Punjabi women do not drink, it should be noted that this too is changing because of western society (2). I can definitely notice this difference in my own observations between the dramatic difference in my mom’s generation and mine because most Punjabi girls I know that are my age not drink, but binge.

Differences in Culture and Religion

Punjabi culture has a heavy emphasis on drinking. This is demonstrated in the famous Gurdas Mann song “Aapna Punjab” where the second line is “Ghar Di Sharab” (promoting drinking alcohol). Sikh religion on the other hand teaches us against drinking. The Reht Maryada states “A Sikh must not take hemp (cannabis), opium, liquor, tobacco, in short, any intoxicant” and this is also found in the Rehtnama of Bhai Chaupa Singh and Bhai Desa Singh (2). Our ultimate guide is the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Here are some sections related to alcohol (sharab is translated as wine in English translations), for example:

One person brings a full bottle, and another fills his cup. (Punjabi translation states the individual brings a bottle full of alcohol, from which more people fill their cups). Drinking the wine, his intelligence departs, and madness enters his mind; He cannot distinguish between his own and others, and he is struck down by his Lord and Master. Drinking it, he forgets his Lord and Master, and he is punished in the Court of the Lord. Do not drink the false wine at all, if it is in your power. O Nanak, the True Guru comes and meets the mortal; by His Grace, one obtains the True Wine. He shall dwell forever in the Love of the Lord Master, and obtain a seat in the Mansion of His Presence. (Ang 554)

Those who are deluded by sensual pleasures, who are tempted by sexual delights and enjoy wine are corrupt. (Ang 335)

Kabeer, those mortals who consume marijuana, fish and wine - no matter what pilgrimages, fasts and rituals they follow, they will all go to hell. (Ang 1377)

Even if wine is made from the water of the Ganges, O Saints, do not drink it. (Ang 1293)

Thus, we are prohibited because our goal is to merge with Waheguru, and alcohol and drugs impair our consciousness from getting there (2).

Recovery from a Religious Perspective

Evidence supports that religious involvement is not only a protective factor in development of addiction, but also leads an individual out of addiction (7, 8). Sandhu explores how the path of manmukh and Gurmukh differ, where the manmukh turns to intoxicants to cope with suffering, but it blocks his consciousness from being aware of his atma (soul/part of God), while the Gurmukh describes the very process of merging with God as intoxicating (2). He says “In sum, the path of the manmukh can be regarded as the Sikh perspective on the root cause of addiction (self-medicating to alleviate existential suffering), whereas the path of the gurmukh can be viewed as the Sikh perspective on its cure (personal integration through self-realization) (2).” This is also described in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, as maya is described as an intoxicant there as well: “The Dark Age of Kali Yuga is the vessel, filled with the wine of sexual desire; the mind is the drunkard. Anger is the cup, filled with emotional attachment, and egotism is the server. Drinking too much in the company of falsehood and greed, one is ruined.  So let good deeds be your distillery, and Truth your molasses; in this way, make the most excellent wine of Truth. Make virtue your bread, good conduct the ghee, and modesty the meat to eat. As Gurmukh, these are obtained, O Nanak; partaking of them, one's sins depart.” (Ang 553). Thus the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji tells us our solutions. 

Sandhu also talks about how Sikh approaches are similar to and differ from Alcoholics Anonymous and the bio-psycho-social model. For example AA has a Judeo-Christian concept of God, a focus alcoholism itself as a disease, and participants continue to believe they are alcoholics even after being abstinent (2,7); while Sikh views emphasize that the root of suffering is our mind's separation from Waheguru, and the focus is on the individual to overcome ego and have a deeper understanding of suffering rather than describing the ego's ('I') experiences of suffering (2,7). In this setting, individuals describe feeling they are cured after being abstinent (2,7). He provides an example of including Sikh religion into a person’s treatment:

“One Punjabi-Sikh patient who began exploring his Sikh roots, disclosed to the author that it was his religious duty to abstain from alcohol so that he might be the ‘pride of the community’ for his family, upon whom he had brought shame through his drinking behavior. This patient was surprised to hear that the Sikh world-view contends that one must strive to renounce the ego and the sense of pride, and to detach oneself from the deeds that he/she performs. He later disclosed that he was relieved to hear this religious teaching because his parents had pressured him to become a doctor, and when he was not accepted into medical school, he resorted to alcohol as a means to cope with his feelings of failure, disappointment, and sadness. The author thereafter utilized the ‘path of the manmukh’ – especially the role of the five thieves – to help him understand his alcohol dependency, and how he could use the ‘path of the gurmukh’ – especially meaning and purpose – to aid in his recovery efforts” (2).

Gurbani builds coping skills to deal with the challenges of life, it teaches us how to move out of maya, and our religion teaches us that God is within us in Nij Mahal, and therefore our body is actually a temple which we must respect by not drinking (9). Religious experiences help an individual to change their inner journey in order to change their behaviors. Gurbani tells us, “One who trades in this Nectar - how could he ever love the wine of the world? The Teachings of the Guru, the Ambrosial Bani - drinking them in, one becomes acceptable and renowned.” (Ang 360). A lot of young people seem to think they are missing out on enjoyment, when as Guruka Singh says that we don’t even know what enjoyment IS when we say that (9). True enjoyment comes from that merger of being One with the creator and the creation!

Marjaria-Keval’s research involved interviewing 15 Sikh men to find out how spirituality and Sikhism fits into the process of recovery from alcoholism (7). Her research shows that change started when these individuals realized the consequences of their behavior due to a significant life event- for example, the effect on their health, family, work, or social standing (7). Then they started the process of making sense of their life by revisiting religious, cultural and spiritual beliefs which usually involved assistance from the Gyani Ji at the Gurdwara (7). The participants talked about the importance of increased faith and involvement in their religious community, and many became Amritdhari through their process of recovery (7). Some of them even lived at the Gurdwara sahib early on, which provided them with discipline, supervision, and guidance on the teachings of Sikhism (7). As Amritdhari Sikhs, they felt they had a higher level of responsibility to uphold their boundaries and a physical reminder to do so (7). (I wondered if this was because there is a high deal of respect for Amrit. No one would pressure a person to drink after taking amrit while when there is no such boundary I have seen a lot of men pressure others even when they say no repeatedly). The participants also mentioned sewa as a source of not only keeping busy and spending time in an environment where you can’t drink, but also to erase previous paaps (7), as well as doing Ardas for forgiveness and letting go of their past. (7) Lastly, they described purifying the body and mind (washing the mind using Naam) (7). Through this process, they described transforming their lives to being more fulfilled and rediscovering their purpose by reconnecting with Sikhi (7).

The above information obviously suggests that those who work in addictions care need to be aware of the spiritual, cultural and religious factors in an individual’s care (2). To overcome the general fear of gossip, lack of awareness and understanding of addiction services, community leaders can hold lectures which are less threatening but effective in getting the information across (4,5). For example driving cultural change that hospitality means forcing a person to drink (4,5).

Conclusion

We can conclude that re-connecting to Sikhi is an important piece of recovery for Punjabi Sikhs. I think it’s important for us to especially do our part in prevention with our younger generation given that there is a lot of peer pressure AND pressure from Punjabi culture. This includes making a strong connection to Sikhi early on, having role models in the family and in media (I saw Sardar Mohammed yesterday and it was one of the first movies I can remember in a very long time that had no scenes of alcohol! There was also no revenge plot, not the typical couple-loves-eachother but the parents are enemies. I was really proud of the way it was written as good role models). Men obviously have a huge role in role modeling for other men- when there is a party and you don’t drink it really shows young boys that they have an option. I think it is important for each of us to just examine our own belief systems and see if we are following the Guru's teachings. May we walk the way of Gurmat. 

References

1 Ias.org.uk. (2018). Alcohol as a problem for the South Asian community - IAS. [online] Available at: http://www.ias.org.uk/What-we-do/Alcohol-Alert/Issue-1-2007/Alcohol-as-a-problem-for-the-South-Asian-community.aspx [Accessed 4 Feb. 2018].

2 Jaswinder Singh Sandhu (2009) A SIKH PERSPECTIVE ON ALCOHOL

AND DRUGS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TREATMENT OF PUNJABI-SIKH PATIENTS, Sikh Formations, 5:1, 23-37. Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/17448720902935037

3 COCHRANE, R. and BAL, S. (1990), The drinking habits of Sikh, Hindu, Muslim and white men in the West Midlands: a community survey. British Journal of Addiction, 85: 759–769. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.1990.tb01688.x Link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1990.tb01688.x/full

4 Nicholas Johl (2017) An exploration of alcohol services’ staff experiences of providing support to relatives of alcohol-dependent individuals from the Sikh community, Sikh Formations, 13:3, 207-224, DOI: 10.1080/17448727.2016.1147178. Link https://doi.org/10.1080/17448727.2016.1147178

5 Gurjit Thandi (2011) REDUCING SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE IN PUNJABI SIKH COMMUNITIES, Sikh Formations, 7:2, 177-193, DOI: 10.1080/17448727.2011.593299 link https://doi.org/10.1080/17448727.2011.593299

6 Nayar, K. (2012). The Punjabis in British Columbia: Location, Labour, First Nations, and Multiculturalism. 1st ed. McGill-Queen's Press, pp.77-78. Accessible at: https://books.google.ca/books?id=8ETZg0CYu40C&pg=PA77&lpg=PA77&dq=punjabi+alcohol+problem&source=bl&ots=gzRA1cfImi&sig=db9dpaYPFTkzSmYo3gqsjqm4xto&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjctM7a1b7WAhVS4WMKHblQAR44ChDoAQg-MAU#v=onepage&q=punjabi%20alcohol%20problem&f=false

7 A. Marjaria-Keval and H. Keval (2015). Reconstructing Sikh Spirituality in Recovery from Alcohol Addiction, Religions, 6(1), 122-138, doi:10.3390/rel6010122. Link: http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/6/1/122/htm

8 Asesha Morjaria-Keval (2006) Religious and Spiritual Elements of Change in Sikh Men with Alcohol Problems, Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 5:2, 91-118. Link https://doi.org/10.1300/J233v05n02_06

9 Sikhanswers.com. (2018). Is drinking permitted in Sikhism? | Sikh Answers. [online] Available at: http://www.sikhanswers.com/rehat-maryada-code-of-conduct/sikh-attitude-to-drinking/ [Accessed 4 Feb. 2018].