What is the prescribed punishment for one who drinks intoxicants?

Question:
What is the prescribed punishment for intoxicants, if one drinks it for the first time?

Answer:
During the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the punishment was forty lashes. When 'Umar ibn al-Khattab saw that people were persisting in this matter, he made it eighty lashes, as the Companions agreed on flogging with eighty lashes.
And in the story of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) there is an indication of his jealousy and his lack of favoritism, for when his son confirmed that he had drunk this intoxicant, he and his companions established the hadd punishment upon him. They had previously interpreted the matter, saying that it does not intoxicate, but when he asked and learned that it does intoxicate, he established the hadd upon them: upon 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar and his companions who were with him. This is part of his care in protecting the Muslims from evil, blocking the means to evil, and striving to keep the community safe from the causes of corruption.