Here, Jesus connects the effects of excessive drink with drunkenness. Such imbibing would dull the people's alertness, and hamper their escape from the approaching destruction of Jerusalem. It was often connected with gluttony. Like today, festive feasts were common in the first century. Due to the effects of strong drink, merrymakers often abandoned restraints and festivals would degenerate into loud, boisterous, revellings in the streets.
Alcohol affects the brain soon after it enters the blood stream.
Within minutes, it numbs the nerve cells, slowing their messages to the body. The muscles of the heart strain to cope with alcohol's depressive action, and the pulse quickens. If drinking persists, the nerve centers in the brain governing speech, vision, balance and judgment are derailed. The brain's frontal lobe, which controls our judgment and inhibitions, is adversely affected. If ingesting the alcohol continues, the drinker may lose consciousness, and be in danger of dying from respiratory failure.