The use of alcohol is common throughout much of the NT. Most of it is promoted as for health reasons. So it is fine to enjoy alcohol in moderation, but we must remember that it is never right to drink it in excess. I think these are some good verses. Luke 10:34, 1Tim. 5:23, Prov 20:1.
The excesses make these a grave sin.
While eating and drinking moderately is not a sin of any kind, in my opinion smoking in moderation is at least a venial sin (or should be) as it is bad for your health, something nobody can claim they didn’t know.
I have mixed thoughts about this. Everything we do in life is contributing towards our possible death. Some things that are necessary for daily life like breathing, eating, going into a situation where we could potentially catch a sickness. All these 3 things will lead to our death if something else doesn’t. The air we breath contain several (un)known particles, some carcinogenic at one time or another. The food we eat contains trace elements and compounds which over time our bodies fail to rid. Thirdly, we most certainly can’t hermit in our houses, and even then so who’s to say a germ won’t find its way in.
A lot of recreational activities can contribute to death or cause immediate death. Race car driving, Football, Soccer, bungee jumping, rock climbing ect… Surely these are not of any sin. What about special types of food like fancy seafood? Many types of Fish and such carry mercury that our bodies can’t rid of. Do we need fish and fancy sea food to survive? Some people have to survive on fish and other seafood because not many other means of food are open to them. For the rest of us, most certainly not, but we chose to eat them knowing they carry a poisonous metal. BTW it is very possible and likely that one can over eat on seafood get mercury poisoning.
Now on to smoking. I think is clear that if one can’t easily give up smoking or any other use of tobacco including dip, snuff, snus, and chew for a period of time without feeling withdraw symptoms is addicted to that use of tobacco. I don’t know though, when it actually becomes in excess and thus a grave sin. I think there is nothing wrong with enjoying a cigar or a cigarette now and then. For most people it’s the social part they do it for. Many of us use alcohol for that reason. Many people drink just to get a social “high” and not really the buzz.
Similarly, the use of tobacco over in Europe began with cigars which were used as means of social high too. These were invented for the rich to enjoy on occasion and the poor could never afford them. Heck, even today most people don’t have the budget for a fine cigar. The poor responded by taking left over bits of cigar butts, and grinding them into finer, as in smaller, shredded tobacco. They would take this and wrap it in paper or another tobacco leaf. This was the birth of the cigarette. The poor could now enjoy some of qualities of a cigar, but for very cheap. Anyhow I’m starting to digress.
I think that if one can obstain from addiction and use tobacco on the occasion, they are doing fine because like I said earlier a lot of what we do will contribute to our possible deaths. We can’t live in bubble our whole lives.
Here’s the thing though with cigarettes. Over the years they have become extremely deadly do to tobacco companies like Philip Morris adding more substitutes and less pure untainted tobacco. Your modern day cigarette really is cancer stick. I wouldn’t even call it tobacco mainly because half of it really isn’t. So I would consider a commercial cigarette much different than a pure tobacco cigarette which has far less carcinogens in it.
That would put it in the same class as opium, then, I guess.