Drunkeness & Gluttony

[adstrinity]

When we say drunkeness is a sin…just how drunk do I have to be before I have to confess? Like, is tipsy drunk? Is laughing and feeling good/buzzed drunk? Do I have to be falling down and peeing every 5 minutes before its confessable? Seriously, what is “drunk”?

Also, what is gluttony, technically? I know it’s a perverse love for food, but, if I am snacking in between meals, because I feel like noshing on something or, though I’m no longer hungry, but, not full and I have desert, is this gluttony? If I am asked to eat with a family as a guest while I happen to be with them, but, am not hungry, but, eat just to be polite, would it be gluttony? If I have had two helpings of something, but, am still not full, and go back for a third, is this gluttony? What constitutes gluttony?

 

[Lisa4Catholics]

You got me,I try to figure that out myself

 

[marty1818]

The way I understand it is drunkeness is drinking to the point where you no longer have control over your will. If you don’t have control of your will it can lead to other more serious sins.
As far as gluttony, I am not too sure about it.

matt

 

[Almeria]

For drinking, I think it depends on a variety of factors. I’m hyper aware of what’s going on in my body at all times, and cannot stand any sort of altered state. For example, I never use the laughing gas at the dentist because I hate the feeling I get when I breathe it in. So for me, 2 glasses of wine or beer with dinner is all I can stand. Any more than that, especially if I purposely want a disassociated feeling (I think others call this being tipsy), is sinful for me because of the fact that I am no longer in full and complete control over myself. It is different for others, though, especially under the circumstances of the particulars of that alcohol consumption (at home alone, at home at a family function that no one is driving anywhere after, at a ball game, at a Christmas party, as a designated driver, etc.).

For gluttony, I have no clue what the official designation may be. I’ve always thought that it may be eating because you desire the taste or experience when you are already stuffed. Like on Christmas when you’ve already had two platefuls of the main courses because it was a feastday, but still have a slice of Aunt Edith’s pecan pie because you can’t imagine a Christmas dinner without it, even though you have no idea how it will fit in your stomach because you’re already filled to capacity. The second plate wasn’t gluttony, but the pie was.

 

[Princess_Abby]

First, I think this is a subject that cannot be given hard and fast rules, but is very individualized in terms of tolerance, hunger, nutritional need, etc.

Second, I have heard priests say that consuming anything beyond the “legally drunk” range on a regular basis constitutes drunkenness. Basically it is an abuse of alcohol–it could be in excess of frequency or it could be in excess of consumption. We do not need alcohol to survive, so it is merely pleasurable to consume.

Food has both nutrition and pleasure wrapped up within it’s function. It is important to eat enough healthy food to sustain us, but it is not healthy to consume copious amounts of junk and/or to stuff ourselves to the point of discomfort.

If we are invited to a friend’s house for the purpose of sharing a meal, it is charitable to partake in eating what they have prepared for you, whether or not you are hungry. The amount of food consumed would be up to your discretion–enough to let them know your appreciation but not so much as to make yourself sick, if you truly aren’t hungry. To reject their efforts would be an affront against charity.

It might be good to develop certain habits that allow us to internally recognize our needs vs. wants when it comes to food. A mental checklist that becomes second nature at meal time. If you have one helping of everything offered and still want more, ask yourself first how you are feeling. Full already? Comfortable, but desiring more? Are you desiring it for taste or nutrition or both? Or are you genuinely still hungry and you need to eat more in order to be satisfied for the next several hours? Sometimes it takes a few minutes for our brain to recognize the chemical release indicating that our stomach is full. If you are at home and not with guests, there is no harm in sitting back and waiting to see how you feel after 10-20 minutes post-eating. Perhaps you really are still hungry, or maybe it was just a false alarm and you are fine without consuming any more.

 

[Trelow]

I see no reason to suspect that becoming intoxicated or eating in celebration constitutes sin. The intent, frequency, and severity all play an important part.

 

[Rand_Al_Thor]

Trelow:

I see no reason to suspect that becoming intoxicated or eating in celebration constitutes sin. The intent, frequency, and severity all play an important part.

i agree. i think that “drunkeness” refers to the people we would call “drunks” who habitually drink to excess. a couple friends and i were talking about this one time after hearing this in a reading at mass (about drunkeness) and that was how we thought of it. Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana; he knew people wanted to have a good time. I think he would have drawn the line if people were drinking to excess all the time, and especially if their drinking starts to effect others.

gluttony…im not sure. i think this might have to do with something like hoarding all the food for yourself and not sharing. or getting so fat you cant go outside and thus it is very hard to help others like Jesus teaches us to. i’m not sure the official definition of gluttony though.

 

[tvdxer]

First, I think this is a subject that cannot be given hard and fast rules, but is very individualized in terms of tolerance, hunger, nutritional need, etc.

Second, I have heard priests say that consuming anything beyond the “legally drunk” range on a regular basis constitutes drunkenness. Basically it is an abuse of alcohol–it could be in excess of frequency or it could be in excess of consumption. We do not need alcohol to survive, so it is merely pleasurable to consume.

Food has both nutrition and pleasure wrapped up within it’s function. It is important to eat enough healthy food to sustain us, but it is not healthy to consume copious amounts of junk and/or to stuff ourselves to the point of discomfort.

If we are invited to a friend’s house for the purpose of sharing a meal, it is charitable to partake in eating what they have prepared for you, whether or not you are hungry. The amount of food consumed would be up to your discretion–enough to let them know your appreciation but not so much as to make yourself sick, if you truly aren’t hungry. To reject their efforts would be an affront against charity.

It might be good to develop certain habits that allow us to internally recognize our needs vs. wants when it comes to food. A mental checklist that becomes second nature at meal time. If you have one helping of everything offered and still want more, ask yourself first how you are feeling. Full already? Comfortable, but desiring more? Are you desiring it for taste or nutrition or both? Or are you genuinely still hungry and you need to eat more in order to be satisfied for the next several hours? Sometimes it takes a few minutes for our brain to recognize the chemical release indicating that our stomach is full. If you are at home and not with guests, there is no harm in sitting back and waiting to see how you feel after 10-20 minutes post-eating. Perhaps you really are still hungry, or maybe it was just a false alarm and you are fine without consuming any more.

Actually, throughout much of Christian history, drinking weak beer or wine was actually more hygienic than drinking the filthy water at the time, so you could say for the people living during those times, beer or wine or whatever alcoholic beverage you wish was a necessity.

The “legally drunk” range varies from country to country and from state to state within those countries, so I doubt it constitutes a “magical boundary” between innocence and sin. Rather, I think when you lose your judgment the sin is incurred. Of course, loss of judgment is a gradual process, and the first stages we can call venial, but the later stages we could call mortal.