WORRY AND ALCOHOL.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXII, Issue 3070, 19 January 1894, Page 7

WORRY AND ALCOHOL.

Under normal conditions nature make* o\ter exertion of the brain imposra^le. When the limits of the neural capaoiQr of the brain have I%eeit elroeded, it declines to undertake further exertion, unless the warning of nature is overpowered, by some stronger influence. This overpow^ittg influence often appears in the^mtoof wotry. The man whose mind iioccupied with theall-absorbing motives of ambition or of fear, is earned beyond the natural limits of mental labour, and ceases to feel the weariness which acts as a signal for rest in ordinary cases. He has to make larger and larger demands upon the store of nervous energy which he requires for the purposes of recuperation, until at length his brain is literally *naM W Worry, again, has an injurious effect by preventing the methodical treatment of. work>. Order and arrangement are of primary importance in mental exertions, but the man who in worried cannot confine his thoughts to the business before him. His mind is constantly distracted by the anxious thoughts which have caused his worry, and his labour is increased both by the intense strain upon Ms mind and by the extra time which lie has to take for the transaction of business. Here, again, he is obliged to encroach upon his reserve of nervous energy, and his brain will in time break down. The exertion of his Trimdbas ceased to be natural, and he may continue to over-tax his energies until he has gone beyond the possibility of recovery. When I name the influence of alcohol among the causes df nerve and brain exhaustion, Ido not 'refer to cases of excessive drinking, which are due merely to habits of self -gratification and indulgence. 1 aril dealing with J&e man of business who uses alcohol a« a Btinnfltt¥S|i) W6i^ Veirt^p^We have teen tiiat worry exhausts the brain by overpowering the sense of fatigue, The use of alcohol may proauoe i limilar effect by deadening a man Is* wmptid* to disregalpd '--■t^pß' warning voice of nature and to expend in excessive exertion thet reserve forces which are required for recuperation. Stimulants never increase the natural capacity of the brain. They can W& abstract for tbe purposes of work in hand some of the energies which are eorely needed to repair and to les^bH a brain which has already been "taxed to the furthest limit which is consistent with health. To remove the sense of fatigue caused by overwork by the consumption of alcohol isto close one's ears ti& the voicfe of^ Nature. wearinfifls of the Iwrain is a protest again^pErq|j^oixercioti|intil recurerat\Birn»been obtained by rest; and if Ihe weary feeling is deadened or destroyed by adventitious" means Nato jdfi^exact , her pend^, Jxhaustion'Or the brain is mostaangerous when it cannot Ibe perceived ; and the man who deliberately rouses his jaded faculties to excessive exertion by alooiiGlie excitement, makes a call upon his reserve energies which he often finds' it difficult to repay. When the , overworked man of business, having been on his legs all day, and feeling fit tQ top, with a sensatidh of * all-goneness y about the region of the stomach, rouses himself with whatever he is/ia: the habit of taking— be it whisky, champagne, or even tea or coffee — he does not add one atom of force to his stock of energy, although he fancies he does, but having put to sleep nis^siW^^f feltirfnljßS;! limply Appropriates some of his reserve for tne present necessity. He has acceptea a bill &t short date to which a riiHwu» rate of interest is attached, anAiiis resources will tbtalliw him to make any repeitions of the experimmit;j His ; s a^oftHt at the bitnl: of life will soon J^e.Qyejwh^wiu; Alcohol cannot add r^n© iotkto his 'reserve of nervous -4ne%,V^ut it may delude him into exhausting it The busy man should once for all rid himself of thfo that- he con create by artificial means an abnormal store of brain power. 'Opposuit natura.' He cannot enlarge toe limits which nature has set up.—* Health Trouble* of Cityttftytnj George Hmckell,