Precept on intoxicants

The fifth of the five precepts is the undertaking to abstain from alcohol and other intoxicants that cause heedlessness. In Pali it is surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇī. The long word names fermented and distilled drinks, and the key idea is pamāda, heedlessness or carelessness.

What the precept covers

The traditional wording refers to alcoholic drinks. Teachers widely understand it to include other drugs that cloud the mind in the same way. The concern is not a particular substance but the loss of clarity and self-control that leads to careless action. Medicine taken as prescribed is generally not seen as breaking the precept.

Traditions and individual Buddhists vary in how strictly they keep it. Some abstain completely. Others see it as an ideal they are working towards. The precept is a training that a person takes on by choice.

Why it matters

The fifth precept is different from the other four. Drinking is not harmful to others in itself, in the way killing or stealing is. But intoxication makes breaking every other precept far easier. Under its influence, people are more likely to hurt others, take what is not theirs, behave badly in relationships and say things they regret. For this reason the fifth precept is often described as protecting the rest.

In his advice to the young householder Sigālaka, the Buddha lists six dangers of addiction to intoxicating drink: loss of wealth, more quarrels, illness, a bad reputation, indecent behaviour and a weakened mind.

Clarity and the path

Buddhist practice is about seeing clearly. Mindfulness and concentration both depend on a mind that is awake and steady. Intoxicants work in the opposite direction. They are also often used to escape difficult feelings, while the path asks us to meet those feelings with awareness and patience.

Keeping the precept

If you choose to take on this precept, it can help to plan ahead for social situations, have a non-alcoholic drink you enjoy, and explain simply if asked. Notice the moments when you reach for a drink and what feeling is behind them. If you are not ready to give up alcohol completely, you might begin by keeping the precept on particular days, and observing how clear-headedness feels.