Do prayers count

[GodIsGracious]

…when you’re drunk?

I like to say a prayer when I go to bed. One night I had had a couple of glasses of wine (whine?) and when I went to bed I did my sign of the cross and started to pray. I realized I was still drunk and then I said in my prayer to Jesus, “…look, I’m tipsy, I’ve had wine to drink. I’m sorry if this is coming up as an ‘I love you, man!’ prayer, but, well, I do.”

So I’ve wondered. Do prayers count when you’re intoxicated? Or is this a situation when God and Jesus simply take a look into your heart and determines your sincerity?

BTW, I’ve had 2 glasses of wine at dinner so… hic

 

[rkrispies]

I think God has a great sense of humor and was shaking His holy head at you. While I wouldn’t worry too much about praying while drunk, I also would not make it a habit. I figure God has heard it all and seen it all. Given some things He hears in prayer, “I love you, man” after a couple glasses of wine is probably a bit of honest relief.

Chris

 

[LilyM]

Gosh, if two glasses of wine counts as being drunk then by that standard I’m a raging alcoholic because I sometimes have three!!!

Remind me, how many GALLONS of wine did Jesus make for the guests at Cana again? …

Seriously, you are unlikely to even be over the limit to drive on two glasses. Being fit to drive a car, you were certainly fit to pray.

 

[GodIsGracious]

Chris: your post made me smile. Yes, honesty. I try to be honest with God. One thing my grandmother (who was Catholic) taught me, “Just know in your heart what God knows is true.” i.e. be honest. God knows all. Took me years to get that. And completely agree, not making it a habit. But I do so like my red wine on occasion.

LilyM: I’ve had weight loss surgery so alcohol gets to me quickly. Wine only takes a glass, and by the 2nd glass I can be considered intoxicated. I never drive. Would not be wise or responsible.

I was just kind of wondering about this because while it’s been a while, as I sipped my 2nd glass tonight I was thinking about the last time I had gone to bed while having had a couple of glasses and I remembered that evening and my prayer.

I was just hoping that God could see my sincerity. Come back to fully practicing my Catholic faith (even the parts I don’t agree with) has been completely different in my life than before. And so I have gotten into the habit of prayer. It’s wonderful. It’s so different this time. It truly is.

 

[LilyM]

Chris: your post made me smile. Yes, honesty. I try to be honest with God. One thing my grandmother (who was Catholic) taught me, “Just know in your heart what God knows is true.” i.e. be honest. God knows all. Took me years to get that. And completely agree, not making it a habit. But I do so like my red wine on occasion.

LilyM: I’ve had weight loss surgery so alcohol gets to me quickly. Wine only takes a glass, and by the 2nd glass I can be considered intoxicated. I never drive. Would not be wise or responsible.

I was just kind of wondering about this because while it’s been a while, as I sipped my 2nd glass tonight I was thinking about the last time I had gone to bed while having had a couple of glasses and I remembered that evening and my prayer.

I was just hoping that God could see my sincerity. Come back to fully practicing my Catholic faith (even the parts I don’t agree with) has been completely different in my life than before. And so I have gotten into the habit of prayer. It’s wonderful. It’s so different this time. It truly is.

As far as I understand, weight-loss surgery shouldn’t affect how quickly alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream If it just makes the stomach smaller, it should not mean that you are more sensitive to alcohol. Or at least not that much. How did you conclude that it does affect it?

Have you actually tested your blood alcohol level to find out if this is true? It doesn’t make much sense not to assume you are over the limit on just two glasses unless you are demonstrably sensitive to alcohol (and I mean based on scientific tests, not on subjective feelings of intoxication, which mean nothing).

 

[GodIsGracious]

As far as I understand, weight-loss surgery shouldn’t affect how quickly alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream If it just makes the stomach smaller, it should not mean that you are more sensitive to alcohol. Or at least not that much. How did you conclude that it does affect it?

Have you actually tested your blood alcohol level to find out if this is true? It doesn’t make much sense not to assume you are over the limit on just two glasses unless you are demonstrably sensitive to alcohol (and I mean based on scientific tests, not on subjective feelings of intoxication, which mean nothing).

I’ve had the RNY method of weight loss surgery. Before I had surgery the surgeon explained I should not have alcohol. I asked him why. The way he explained it to me was that because of how my insides will be rearranged, I will absorb alcohol faster than normal. So, after not having had alcohol for nearly 7 years after weight loss surgery I’ve tried a glass.

I can definitely tell a difference now as opposed to before. After just one glass I, me personally, don’t even feel like I can drive. I will wait a couple of hours per glass. (For instance, after a party one time where I’ve had a few glasses, 3, and then stopped. After about 5-6 hrs [it was a long party, lol] I finally felt ok to drive.) For me, I know there’s a definite difference to how alcohol affects me.

For some, sugar affects them horribly, but not me. As with anything, each person’s body is different. Sugar doesn’t affect me the way it does some people, but alcohol really gets to me. (Although I do liken alcohol to a form of sugar.)

Does this make sense? I know how I feel after just 1 glass. It would not be responsible of me to take control of a vehicle. But I have not had my blood tested, no. So I may not even be legally drunk. But I am by no means fit to be operating so much as a hair dryer.

 

[brigid12]

Gosh, if two glasses of wine counts as being drunk then by that standard I’m a raging alcoholic because I sometimes have three!!!

Remind me, how many GALLONS of wine did Jesus make for the guests at Cana again? …

Me, too. I personally think that God was probably smiling and chuckling. In fact, maybe a person speaks even more from the heart if they’re tipsy/drunk.

 

[StrawberryJam]

Not sure how helpful this is, because I have only been all the way inside churches for weddings and funerals, and most recently inside a lobby of one without either circumstance being the reason for it.

But, I remember a friend one day telling me about how happy he was that he went to church on sunday totally hungover and reeking of liquor after only having a couple hours sleep. After the service he tried to pass the pastor by, but the pastor grabbed his arm and told him that he knew what an effort he made just to be there in his condition, and it was a real sacrifice for him to just be there.

He still goes to church, but just not hungover as much. I would have just kept hitting the snooze button if I were him and wanted to go.

 

[Timbothefiveth]

It doesn’t make much sense not to assume you are over the limit on just two glasses

You can still be drunk, too drunk to drive, even if you are not at the legal limit.

 

[LilyM]

I’ve had the RNY method of weight loss surgery. Before I had surgery the surgeon explained I should not have alcohol. I asked him why. The way he explained it to me was that because of how my insides will be rearranged, I will absorb alcohol faster than normal. So, after not having had alcohol for nearly 7 years after weight loss surgery I’ve tried a glass.

I can definitely tell a difference now as opposed to before. After just one glass I, me personally, don’t even feel like I can drive. I will wait a couple of hours per glass. (For instance, after a party one time where I’ve had a few glasses, 3, and then stopped. After about 5-6 hrs [it was a long party, lol] I finally felt ok to drive.) For me, I know there’s a definite difference to how alcohol affects me.

For some, sugar affects them horribly, but not me. As with anything, each person’s body is different. Sugar doesn’t affect me the way it does some people, but alcohol really gets to me. (Although I do liken alcohol to a form of sugar.)

Does this make sense? I know how I feel after just 1 glass. It would not be responsible of me to take control of a vehicle. But I have not had my blood tested, no. So I may not even be legally drunk. But I am by no means fit to be operating so much as a hair dryer.

Faster - doesn’t mean you’ll get more alcohol in your system than anyone else who had two glasses.

If you have two glasses and stop you’ll have just the same as I would if I had two glasses and stopped. Just that your blood alcohol level will reach the maximum (which shouldn’t be above the legal limit) quicker than mine.

In fact if I had my two glasses on an empty stomach and you didn’t, we’d probably be in the same state.

I’d certainly still be fit to drive, and most probably you would too. Feelings are not, as I said, any sort of reliable guide as to fitness to drive.

Do an experiment - find something (a handheld computer game or what have you - most people have them on their mobile phones) that tests your reflexes.

Do it sober and do it after two glasses.

Make it a blind study if you can - put the alcohol in some other drink that would disguise the taste, test your reflexes with a glass of ordinary drink and a glass of ‘spiked’ drink. Have someone else test you so that you don’t know which glass is the alky and which isn’t.

I’d be surprised if you’d find much difference.

 

[LilyM]

You can still be drunk, too drunk to drive, even if you are not at the legal limit.

Not likely.

You may certainly be unfit to drive on less drink for a variety of other reasons - if the alcohol interacts with other medication, if you’re sleep deprived as well as drunk, if you’re an inexperienced driver or something.

 

[StrawberryJam]

Wow. I would never try to talk someone into driving if they feel they can not. I could not live with myself if they got into an accident, killed themselves or others.

I am not a doctor and don’t pretend to be one.

Please listen to your common sense OP, and forget peer pressure to go against it.

 

[GodIsGracious]

Not sure how helpful this is, because I have only been all the way inside churches for weddings and funerals, and most recently inside a lobby of one without either circumstance being the reason for it.

But, I remember a friend one day telling me about how happy he was that he went to church on sunday totally hungover and reeking of liquor after only having a couple hours sleep. After the service he tried to pass the pastor by, but the pastor grabbed his arm and told him that** he knew what an effort he made just to be there in his condition, and it was a real sacrifice for him to just be there.**

I think that’s what the pastor was trying to tell him. God can see the effort someone puts into making sure they’re there for God.

He still goes to church, but just not hungover as much. I would have just kept hitting the snooze button if I were him and wanted to go.

awww…

Well, this past Sunday I had been up quite late the previous evening. There’s a church that has a 5pm and 7:30pm Mass. I guess I’m lucky in that I knew I could stay up, sleep in, and still attend Mass that evening. I was able to “have it all” so to speak. hehe

 

[GodIsGracious]

Do an experiment - find something (a handheld computer game or what have you - most people have them on their mobile phones) that tests your reflexes.

Do it sober and do it after two glasses.

Actually, I have.

I love to play MMOs. (World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online, Lord of the Rings Online.) There is a definite difference in my game play. It’s actually quite funny.

BTW, speaking of computer games. I read a study that said that surgeons who play computer games like MMOs help their hand-eye coordination. We like to joke that if we need surgery we should ask the surgeon what computer games they play. Although, I didn’t ask my surgeon that last November. d’oh! And btw, when do surgeons have time to play games???

 

[rkrispies]

Chris: your post made me smile. Yes, honesty. I try to be honest with God. One thing my grandmother (who was Catholic) taught me, “Just know in your heart what God knows is true.” i.e. be honest. God knows all. Took me years to get that. And completely agree, not making it a habit. But I do so like my red wine on occasion.

Glad I could give you a smile. And I like my reds too.

Chris

 

[LilyM]

Wow. I would never try to talk someone into driving if they feel they can not. I could not live with myself if they got into an accident, killed themselves or others.

I am not a doctor and don’t pretend to be one.

Please listen to your common sense OP, and forget peer pressure to go against it.

To be abundantly clear - my point was not that anyone should drive who feels incapable. And I hope no-one else thought that I was suggesting anything of the kind. I most definitely was not trying to talk her into driving.

My points were

a) that if she feels incapable it might not be because of the alcohol - and

b) that she might not actually BE incapable even if she feels so.

Which is why further investigation (alcohol tests and testing her reflexes) is warranted before she jumps to the conclusion that she’s too drunk to drive.

Now she indicates that she HAS already noticed a difference in her reflexes after drinking even a small amount - which is fine, it shows her conclusion was correct and I’m happy to say, now that I know that, that she shouldn’t be driving.

Note I didn’t say ‘suck it up and get behind that wheel and drive anyway’ - far from it.

 

[GodIsGracious]

For the record, LilyM, I never read your posts as meaning I should “suck it up and drive” or any other such thing.

And I completely agree with what you said, that I won’t get any more alcohol in me than you. i.e. You and I have the same amount of the same wine. We would have equal amounts of alcohol in our bodies. Right there with you. That’s just simple math.

What I meant to say is that alcohol affects me at a far faster rate than it used to. It’s wild. I used to drink like a fish and be FINE. But I was also heavier and I believe body weight is taken into consideration as well when determining one’s level of drunkenness.

Now, one glass and woooo… I dunno about even trying to get a key into the car door … LOL. Well, I could do that…

But anyway, I think we’re on the same page. I just didn’t phrase what I meant to say properly. And all in all… it’s good to think that God has a sense of humour and that maybe, possibly, he doesn’t mind an “I love you, man!” prayer call.