The Life and Times of the Drunken Fool Part 3 - Effects on our Eyes and Mouth - Proverbs 23:33

Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things. Proverbs 23:33

In our look at the life and times of the drunken fool we next encounter the physical effects of alcohol on our eyes and mouth.  It is a proven fact medically that alcohol will affect our minds - and through that our ability to think and respond to things clearly.

Our brains control both of these functions and since the brain has a large blood supply going to them, they are more quickly influenced by the alcohol levels rising in our blood due to drinking.  Within less than an hour two major problems develop for the drunken fool.  First the
brain itself is hindered from its ability to have nerves function normally.  Alcohol in the blood supply depresses our nerve conductivity - thus it also results in a slow down of our ability to think and react to things.  Next as the blood alcohol level reaches muscles - our eye muscles will lose their full ability to function and we will begin to have blurred vision.  As these things are multiplied by the drunken fool - the brain may begin to misinterpret information and won't react properly to stimuli that are coming to it.  The more acute the situation the more that things become distorted with some even having hallucingenic conditions in their comprehension of what is happening to them.  One thing I learned while researching these things on the internet is that this is why we should never drink and drive.  The more drunk someone is - the more their ability to react to stimuli is impaired - making them very dangerous on the road.  One test involved giving goggles to drivers that simulated various stages of drunkenness.  At lower blood alcohol levels the failure level of drivers to pass even simple tests was frightening to see.  Things only got worse as the person's blood alcohol levels rose. 

The second statement here is that not only will the drunken fool see strange things - but he will also say "perverse things."  When the brain is filled with higher and higher levels of blood alcohol - the brains ability to filter things is severely hampered.  Things that would normally be supressed flow freely.  The fact that perversity flows more at these blood alcohol levels should be of little shock to us since we know that the Bible says that we are fallen and sinful.  I've been around people who said the most horrible things when they were drunk.  There are people who are the nicest most discreet folks until they get some liquor into them.  Suddenly their mouths are transformed as they begin to curse and say sexually perverse things to the opposite sex.  Some were horrified to learn how they spoke the next day as they recovered from their drunken state.  Yet a simple reading of Romans chatper 3 should remind us that one of the traits of the sinful nature is its horrific effect on the mouth and the tongue.  Romans 3:13-14 tells us that sinful man's throat is, "an open grave."  We are also told, "With their tongues they keep deceiving.  The poison of asps is under their lips."  Finally we are reminded there that their mouths are, "full of cursing and bitterness."  Oh how the mouth of fallen man is loosed without any discernment when alcohol numbs their thinking and their conscience.  Unfortunately, I've known of relationships that were ended because of things that were said in a drunken stupor. 

The wise man knows that the last thing he needs is a relaxation of his ability to discern and discreetly chose how he speaks and lives.  Since alcohol deadens these things, wisdom tells us to steer clear of all abuse of alcohol.  Wisdom warns us against drinking any level of alcoholic beverages because it may deaden our heart's ability to hold our tongues from saying truly stupid and foolish things.  Such passages as these in Proverbs should warn even the novice that taking up an alcoholic drink can be dangerous indeed - especially if we want to see things clearly and speak those things that honor and glorify God.