Alcohol

[SavedbyHisBlood]

Good Morning All

I have a question about drunkeness. When does it become a sin? Is it sinful to have a drink after a hard days work? or to have a few with your friends on a friday or saturday night? I can understand having an obsession of it and leading a life of alcohol abuse as a sin but is any occurance of being drunk a sin? or any consumption of alcohol a sin?

I’ll admit i drink, not daily but i’d say on a somewhat weekly basis. I don’t get drunk everytime i drink, i rarely get drunk to the point where i vomit, pass out, or black out.

I can understand drinking in excess as a sin, leading to blacking out or something like that, but what is excess? Enough to feel tipsy or more than that?

Clarification would be great thanks

 

[Deconi]

The first Miracle was the changing of water to wine! (alcoholic beverage!)

Drunkeness and being merry is NOT sinful. The Bible is full of “drunks” who remained firmly focussed on God!..albeit, some examples of the sinful consequences of their drunkeness are also detailed. (Lot and his daughters; Noah, King David, etc)

Multitudes of drunks go to sleep with a song on their lips and ‘peace to all’ in their hearts!

The number who use alcohol as an ‘escape’ or a means to satisfy their sinful nature are the ones who abuse it and cause the ruckus that makes the evening news.

To celebrate the abundance of God’s giving is one thing. Allowing yourself to be drunk to the point of being irresponsible for the consequences of your actions is another matter entirely! That is the challenge!

Drink and be merry, but sin is still your responsibility.

Sometimes when I got drunk, I got amorous. Whilst I don’t make advances, I found I don’t always say the right thing; like, “NO, THANKS. I’m spoken for!”…so I stopped drinking!

 

[crazzeto]

I’m not so sure about that answer RE being drunk isn’t necessarly sinful. Point in fact, I would say it’s a violation of temperance at least (i.e. think moderation). I would say what kind of sin it is can vary, if you get drunk accidently then it won’t be any more than venial, it can escalate from there. But personally, I would err on the side of the point at which you got drunk being the point at which you commited a sin of some level.

This isn’t to say one should be a puratin, never have any drink at all… Or to believe, for instance, that getting drunk accidently is going to send you to hell. Rather, just understand that getting drunk is not something God typically encourages (yes I know he has encouraged people to partake of the sensual pleasure of drinking).

If someone has better information, please let me know. But this is my current best understanding of the issue. Which does seem to dove tail well with the bible going on at some length about “remaining sober”.

 

[skeyes]

Jesus says not to get drunk. But I think it is a deeper issue. There is always a lot going on when people are asking about drinking. Here is my measuring stick. How well do you you do with your prayer life after drinking. If you are able to partake and still have a full prayer time, then you probably haven’t consumed to much. You still have “reason”. But if you can’t pray, then I think you have had to much and you are breaking Jesus command to not be drunk.

In Christ,
Stan

 

[Bookcat]

Good Morning All

I have a question about drunkeness. When does it become a sin? Is it sinful to have a drink after a hard days work? or to have a few with your friends on a friday or saturday night? I can understand having an obsession of it and leading a life of alcohol abuse as a sin but is any occurance of being drunk a sin? or any consumption of alcohol a sin?

I’ll admit i drink, not daily but i’d say on a somewhat weekly basis. I don’t get drunk everytime i drink, i rarely get drunk to the point where i vomit, pass out, or black out.

I can understand drinking in excess as a sin, leading to blacking out or something like that, but what is excess? Enough to feel tipsy or more than that?

Clarification would be great thanks

Drinking alcohol can be good…or evil…

and if evil it can be venial or mortal…

read this it will help you define things…:

catholicreference.net/index.cfm?id=33231

and

catholicreference.net/index.cfm?id=33754

 

[SavedbyHisBlood]

Drinking alcohol can be good…or evil…

and if evil it can be venial or mortal…

read this it will help you define things…:

catholicreference.net/index.cfm?id=33231

and

catholicreference.net/index.cfm?id=33754

Thanks!!

That was pretty helpful

 

[Redratfish]

Drinking in itself is not bad at all, as stated before Jesus’ first miracle was making over 90 gallons of wine. It can become sinful if it causes you to lose foucus on God.

 

[Shayde]

Good Morning All

I have a question about drunkeness. When does it become a sin? Is it sinful to have a drink after a hard days work? or to have a few with your friends on a friday or saturday night? I can understand having an obsession of it and leading a life of alcohol abuse as a sin but is any occurance of being drunk a sin? or any consumption of alcohol a sin?

I’ll admit i drink, not daily but i’d say on a somewhat weekly basis. I don’t get drunk everytime i drink, i rarely get drunk to the point where i vomit, pass out, or black out.

I can understand drinking in excess as a sin, leading to blacking out or something like that, but what is excess? Enough to feel tipsy or more than that?

Clarification would be great thanks

I think that “drunkeness” is a sin, being that if one is “drunk”, they have obviously had “one too many”. As with most things, moderation is the key. No, I do not think that it is sinful to have a drink after a hard days work or to drink socially with friends. However, we are responsible for our actions. If, for example, we are out with friends and know that we must drive home, drinking to the point of becoming drunk could have dire consequences not only to ourselves but to others on the road. The “responsible” thing to do in this case is to call someone to pick us up or to ask a friend to drive us home. Failure to do so, I think, is a mortal sin. However, as we know, alcohol can play tricks on the mind. Therefore, it is our responsibility to know our limits.

If, however, let’s say we are at home. We have had enough alcohol to know that we are feeling tipsy. I think we need to ask ourselves at this point, why do we feel the urge to have another drink. Is it for the purpose of becoming “drunk”? If so, why?

 

[bona_fides_1]

Drunkness is excessive and is sinful. It pollutes the temple of the Lord (the body) and can damage it. It clouds reason and is inviting an occasion for further sin by clouding reason and moral restraint and immodesty and intemperance and it is self effacing and self denigrating and brings scandal.

One should not drink past the point of getting that “buzz” feeling at the threshold that leads to drunkenness and irresponsibility. Just pace yourself or swap drinks to soda water with lime or non-alcoholic beer for about an hour then have another if the social event is still ongoing.

BF

 

[Deconi]

IMHO we should be careful not to mix fact and fancy about being drunk.

No one goes to confession and seek absolution for being drunk!

As stated previously, Our Lord was RESPONSIBLE for people getting ‘drunk’ at His FIRST recorded miracle! The Bible also denotes several notable figures who didn’t just get ‘tipsy’ ‘fuzzy’ or get that ‘buzz’ feeling; they were so drunk they fell into drunken stupor!

An earthly judge may take drunkeness into consideration but Paul tells us that Divine Law is written onto our hearts! Drunk or not, everyone knows what is right or wrong and bear the responsibility for any actions whilst being drunk.

 

[crazzeto]

IMHO we should be careful not to mix fact and fancy about being drunk.

No one goes to confession and seek absolution for being drunk!

As stated previously, Our Lord was RESPONSIBLE for people getting ‘drunk’ at His FIRST recorded miracle! The Bible also denotes several notable figures who didn’t just get ‘tipsy’ ‘fuzzy’ or get that ‘buzz’ feeling; they were so drunk they fell into drunken stupor!

An earthly judge may take drunkeness into consideration but Paul tells us that Divine Law is written onto our hearts! Drunk or not, everyone knows what is right or wrong and bear the responsibility for any actions whilst being drunk.

I’m sure what you post is accurate, certianly in so far as the majority of people these days don’t seek the confessional for any reason, let alone drinking. That said, by all rights if you drink specifically to get drunk (and have roundy night partying) they you should seek the confessional before receiving the blessed sacrament.

 

[bona_fides_1]

IMHO we should be careful not to mix fact and fancy about being drunk.

No one goes to confession and seek absolution for being drunk!

As stated previously, Our Lord was RESPONSIBLE for people getting ‘drunk’ at His FIRST recorded miracle! The Bible also denotes several notable figures who didn’t just get ‘tipsy’ ‘fuzzy’ or get that ‘buzz’ feeling; they were so drunk they fell into drunken stupor!

An earthly judge may take drunkeness into consideration but Paul tells us that Divine Law is written onto our hearts! Drunk or not, everyone knows what is right or wrong and bear the responsibility for any actions whilst being drunk.

In my humble opinion your humble opinion is not so humble to presume you know what goes on inside the confessional for anyone other than yourself. And to put responsibility on The Lord for people getting drunk is not sober thinking at all. Would your line of reasoning also find The Lord responsible for being crucified for teaching Christianity and upsetting the Jews too? Was His drinking wine at the last supper and his drinking bitter wine on the cross as he was dieing a lesson to “eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die”?

And just because some conduct appears in the bible does not mean its an example of proper conduct. If that were the general case then Peter’s denial of Christ would be an example for how to be a disciple. Absurd.

Most every mature Christian with an adult formed conscience knows that drinking in excess is most definately a sin. Even if it were not explicitly taught to you the evidence is overwhelming that excess causes great suffering and sorrow. Excess alcohol consumption has contributed to destroying untold numbers of marriages and families and caused more needless death than most any other thing in society. As well, some personality types and physiology are predisposed to addictive and undisciplined behavior. These have no business putting themselves in “the near occasion of sin” by drinking alcohol. If one has a parent who is or was an alcoholic then they should be on guard that they may have a genetic predisposition to it and be observant of their own behavior when drinking to see if they are inclined toward substance abuse. Others on medical drugs are ignorant to the drug and alcohol interactions that intensify alcoholic effects. Out of ignorance such can become intoxicated by relatively small amounts of alcoholic beverages. These are not at fault of sin (at least the first time it happens) but need to get educated.

All that said there is nothing wrong for many to drink alcoholic beverages in moderation. I personally drink responsibly and in moderation. There is no sin in that as long as it does not impair judgement or put self or others at elevated risk (driving, equipment) or impair one’s performance in their duties and obligations to others.

BF