Alcohol

[worms]

First of all, forgive me for not being as knowledgeable as others on this forum as I am currently only up to the book of Deuteronomy in the bible (I plan on reading the whole bible within a year or two). Obviously Jesus drunk wine as did other Israelites in the bible, I remember reading that Jesus even turned water into wine for his fellow Israelites to drink, so obviously drinking is allowed in moderation. But I would like to know how much is moderation as I like to drink every now and then, is it okay to have a couple of bottles of beer? What if a couple of bottles of beer makes you drunk? Would that still be okay? How much do you drink if at all? These are just some of the questions I would like answers to so that I don't upset God (in the meantime before I read all bible passages involving alcohol usage) as I know he doesn't like drunkards.

[Staropramen]

In scripture drunkenness is the problem not merely consuming some alcohol. We should not consume quantities of alcohol that make us drunk whatever quantity that might be.

Up until the summer of 2014 I used to drink 6-12 beers a week on my days off. I stopped doing this because I got really drunk one day and did some stupid stuff. Since then I've only consumed alcohol on three occasions. Of these three occasions I only got tipsy once.

[bahr]

Drunkenness, as a whole concept in Scriptures, represent all things that corrupt our mind or our body and led us to act wrongly and to be a burden for the collectivity. We should always have a straight mind to serve our Master and our race. So, be it alcohol, chemical drugs or false doctrines, we should avoid such things.

But of course, to drink some alcohol with friends from time to time in a reasonable fashion is not the same thing as to be a drunkard. Every man can understand that.

[Nayto]

Having a drink and having too much to drink is sometimes a fine line. If you are worried about the line then the chances are that you're too close to it or are over it. Not drinking too much is really simple for those who don't want to drink too much.

[BrettLight]

The thing about alcohol is that there is nothing wrong with having a few beers. I admit that I've got drunk and had way too many in the past, but that's just what I end up doing sometimes! Fact is, I have a predisposition to liking the drink, most of my ancestors that I know of also enjoyed drinking...
The way I gage it is by whether I can function the next day. Most of the time I'm fine except for now and then... hahhaha! I drink 6,7,8 beers most nights of the week without thinking about it; it's just what I've always done, but then I can still get up and lift weights/run 99% of the time! I do have a few wild nights, I admit, but I have to deal with that myself and since I'm not hurting anybody it can't be too much of a problem...

[Joe]

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

I honestly think that drinking alcohol most days would have an impact on the community, it would not be optimal for study or for your health or for those we have a duty to. I see that it doesn't affect some aspects of your life such as work or exercise, but if you had a family or wanted to study the Bible every night; it would make those things difficult.

I suppose you are young ...but I have seen older people who consume alcohol every night become physically weak and cynical in later life, I have seen that many times. They are defensive and selfish. They are victims, rather than warriors. They are not there for their kin. I am not talking about alcoholics ...but certainly I see those same problems in people who drink everyday to a lesser degree.

It would be a stumbling block, and I certainly struggle with things too. I am not a pharisee.

[EzraLB]

Fact is, I have a predisposition to liking the drink, most of my ancestors that I know of also enjoyed drinking...The way I gage it is by whether I can function the next day. Most of the time I'm fine except for now and then... hahhaha! I drink 6,7,8 beers most nights of the week without thinking about it; it's just what I've always done, but then I can still get up and lift weights/run 99% of the time! I do have a few wild nights, I admit, but I have to deal with that myself and since I'm not hurting anybody it can't be too much of a problem...

I've heard this a lot--people claiming that a proclivity toward drinking runs in a family, and jewish "scientists" reinforce this by claiming that a genetic predisposition to alcoholism runs in families. Personally, I don't buy it. I think certain behaviors are passed down in families, and drinking patterns can be one of them, which means that we can change that pattern if we want to--we are not destined to repeat the pattern.

I understand that drinking heavily is a young man's sport--and because you can recover quickly, you can be misled into thinking that it's doing you little or no harm. But as you age, your recovery time gets longer and longer, and heavily drinking will accelerate your aging process.

You say that your drinking isn't "hurting anybody", but you're leaving yourself out of the equation. It will eventually catch up with you--and I say this out of personal experience. At one point I stopped drinking completely just to get my life together, and it was the best thing I ever did for myself. Now I'll have a beer or two every now and then, but that's my limit.

My priority now is being a good father to my two little boys--and studying Scripture, which requires an enormous concentration, and there's no way I could do that if I were drinking regularly, which robs me of the ability to focus and retain what I'm reading. I can't imagine ever wanting to go back to drinking regularly again--my life is so much more fulfilling now that I've committed myself to what's most important to me.

[Gaius]

I tend to agree with Joe and Ezra on this question.

"Benefits" of alcohol largely lie in mood-altering actions on the human brain. Thus they are illusory. Alcohol is a liar and a mocker for the most part. The violence, broken homes and trail of misery that is well-known, also resources wasted talking shite with other drinkers. "Solving the world's problems" and when coming back to reality, things are just the same ... maybe worse ...

Isaiah 28 v 1 is just one of many indications that Israelites are prone to alcohol addiction.
Imho, alcohol should be approached with the greatest caution in view of the well-known damage it historically has done and today still does to our people.

"Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim,
whose glorious beauty is a fading flower,
which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!"

This is not to disapprove of folk taking an occasional beer or a glass of wine with dinner etc. (although perhaps the money could be better spent imho), but to exercise caution with an addictive substance that will persuade you that everything's OK as long as you keep on taking it ...

[NicoChristian]

People who drink will often convince themselves that they can still function the next day and that they do no harm. By whose standards. I would like to see a person with a hangover function on a moving rifle range or drive a car safely. I see no real benefits of alcohol and have abstained for years. I think to myself that my family are at home, how does it look to my children if I come home drunk. I think that drugs, alcohol, cigarettes are for weak people; people who cannot cope with life and need some Southern comfort or uncle Jack Daniels. Drunkenness leads to immortality and is incompatible with spirituality. A lot of modern day promiscuity is alcohol related.

[Joe]

Gaius wrote

Alcohol is a liar and a mocker for the most part.

Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

NicoChristian wrote

People who drink will often convince themselves that they can still function the next day and that they do no harm. By whose standards. I would like to see a person with a hangover function on a moving rifle range or drive a car safely.

I don't drink because it makes me feel ill, it does not work for me. I learned when I was younger that it takes me three days to feel back to normal. So I think most people who drink regularly must have become accustomed to that state and probably don't realize it's impact.

But I understand that a casual drink can benefit people.