First, welcome home to the Church, Taylor.
To help your mother out, I’d separate your entering the Church with having a drink. Even if you delay it by like a year or more. No one is going to think less of you for not drinking, at least not at your age. The days of “you’re a fill-in-the-blank for not drinking” ended at 16, at least for me. You’re not missing much, man. I’m sure she has some issues with your entering the Catholic Church to begin with, so make it easier for her.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with drinking in moderation.
I am converting from a baptist specifically southern baptist background that thinks alcohol is the root of all evil
Never understood that mentality though I see it as well. I think prurient interest in sex is a far more difficult and pervasive struggle. You can only get so drunk, but you can develop a sexual appetite that knows no satisfaction, and that will truly ruin a man or woman inside and out.
is it against the 4th comandment to have a non alcoholic beer. Im not in it for looking cool or for the alcohol just want to try a beer. sorry for not being clear.
This is actually a good point and I’m glad you ask. I’d think it’d go against the 4th commandment to do something that you know will offend your mother if you don’t have a good reason to do it. Yes, it’s legal, you’re not causing any trouble, but your mom is seriously freaked out by the thought of you drinking. Give her some time. Have that drink on your 21st - something nice (dude, a Missouri Claret with a rare porterhouse will put you fairly close to ecstasy - but if you want a beer, have an ale on lees like Tres Pistois or Dragon’s Milk) and leave it for a while. Like I said, you’re not missing much. Nor are you accountable to her for all things you do unless you live in her house, in which case you’re still under her care.
A priest told me once that alcohol in moderation is fine, even if you get a slight buzz. The sin comes in to play when you drink so much that you stop using your judgement and fall into a behavior that is more subhuman where morality has the potential to be thrown out the window. Plus he added that it could also be considered gluttony.
Agreed, it’s a type of gluttony if it’s in excess. Taylor, a way that may help your mother is to look at it by Rom 14:21 - whatever makes someone you’d have influence on (a little brother, perhaps) fall into sin is something you should avoid, at least around him. I had bible study with a friend like that. He saw me drinking once (I was 23 at the time, out at a bar, with my Dad) and he ran screaming to the group leader. He just couldn’t grok it - so I scandalized him inadvertently (he was the last person I’d expect to be at a bar, I think he got lost).
I was fortunate enough to have grown up in a German Catholic family that sees alcohol as a social drink. Too much is always frowned upon (though tolerated from time to time), but to have a weekend dinner without a wine or beer was unheard of, and nightcaps (finger of Drambuie, scotch or, in my case, tequila) are common. And drink is always social. From the time I was 17, my Dad would ask if I wanted a drink, and if I said no, he woudln’t have one - and if I said yes, he’d cut me off before I’d ask for another. That’s how I learned what relaxed, buzz, tipsy and drunk feel like, and how to stop.
Do you think if my husband and I usually on a Sunday evening enjoy playing music and having a few drinks /we usually end up falling asleep on the couch and then head to bed he is 71 I am 67 would this be mortal or venial any body know
I wouldn’t think it sin. It sounds like a lovely way to wind down a Day of Rest. My wife and I, in our thirties with two small children, often fall asleep on the couch WITHOUT drinking. Sometimes I doze off at the dinner table. Where I end up in sin is if I have that third beer and play Mount & Blade all night.
Remember that Jesus turned water into wine as his first public miracle. If alchohol was inherently sinful, Jesus wouldn’t have used His power to enable sin.
Pretty sure that wasn’t grape juice…
One consideration, though - if your mom is correct about having alchoholism in your family, you will want to use caution and really watch your reactions and your tendencies while drinking different types of alchohol.
Really good point. If you drink often you can develop some traits of alcoholism like threshhold (the point at which you’ve had N drinks and you’ll keep drinking til you’re drunk - for me, it’s four), blackouts (don’t remember things - only happened once but I apparantly got into a fight and had some head trauma so…), memory loss, and even withdrawal. I second AthenaC - take time off of drinking.
“You know, I haven’t been sober a single evening in 3 weeks. That’s no good - time to go sober for a while.” I think that’s the key - just catch yourself and stay in control.
Disease tells you your body needs a rest - this sounds like a symptom. My escape valve is video games (now, anyway), which is tempered by our children waking up twice a night.
