Is drinking a sin?

[igator99]

I’m not talking pass out drunk but to the point of being intoxicated. I assume a few beers or glasses of wine are not.

 

[sanctamaria17]

Obviously, drinking with the intent of getting drunk is a sin.

Having a few drinks? Not so much. Otherwise my Italian and Portuguese family is in HUGE trouble! Not to mention everyone at the Wedding of Cana

 

[als10062008]

Drinking to the point of intoxication is a sin. Moderation is the key.

 

[JustAnotherThou]

Hmmmm, I never knew that drinking to the point of intoxication is a sin. At what point does intoxication begin, is it .018 .024 or just when one feels tipsy??? I am really not trying to be sassy here, just want to know if I drink 3 glasses of wine if I need to go to confession. Can someone tell me where in the catechism this is addressed?

I can remember more than a few times dad having to drive the priest home from the country club due to too much alcohol. And every “the priest and rabbi” joke seems to be about alcohol.

Now I have heard that if you abuse alcohol to excess it could be considered a sin. Anything used in excess can be considered a sin of gluttony. And I do believe that I have heard that if you are an alcoholic and alcohol has adverse effects on your life (such as your marriage, family, job, etc.) then that could be a sin. Although, I have never found it in the catechism, unless you classify it under gluttony.

 

[igator99]

Hmmmm, I never knew that drinking to the point of intoxication is a sin. At what point does intoxication begin, is it .018 .024 or just when one feels tipsy??? I am really not trying to be sassy here, just want to know if I drink 3 glasses of wine if I need to go to confession. Can someone tell me where in the catechism this is addressed?

I can remember more than a few times dad having to drive the priest home from the country club due to too much alcohol. And every “the priest and rabbi” joke seems to be about alcohol.

Now I have heard that if you abuse alcohol to excess it could be considered a sin. Anything used in excess can be considered a sin of gluttony. And I do believe that I have heard that if you are an alcoholic and alcohol has adverse effects on your life (such as your marriage, family, job, etc.) then that could be a sin. Although, I have never found it in the catechism, unless you classify it under gluttony.

Yes I’ve known a few priests that got hammered often. Not everyday or anything but a few times a month. I was curious.

 

[BostonMyrtleBea]

just want to know if I drink 3 glasses of wine if I need to go to confession.

Doh! I certainly hope not or I’m in trouble and so would the rest of my Irish/Italian family Three is tops for me - I usually stick to two, but it depends on so much - did you have one right after the other, etc…

Also, sometimes, you might have a glass of wine and it might hit you faster than you realize, you feel it, then you back off, whatever, but another time you might have eaten and it won’t.

I can’t imagine this is something that can be cut in stone. I would love to see how this would be handled in the rules.

 

[BostonMyrtleBea]

Having a few drinks? Not so much. Otherwise my Italian and Portuguese family is in HUGE trouble! Not to mention everyone at the Wedding of Cana

LOL! Agreed!

“…the Catholic Church teaches that drunkenness is
sinful, a transgression magnified when one endangers his own or others safety (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, no. 2290).”

Here is an article on the subject: cuf.org/FileDownloads/wine.pdf

 

[BlessedMomof2]

my goodness, the entire country of Ireland is in big trouble. lol

 

[BostonMyrtleBea]

my goodness, the entire country of Ireland is in big trouble. lol

Dia dhuit!

I just got back from Ireland last month I’m pretty sure everyone left Mass and went right to the bottle to continue the celebration! (then again, we were attending a Christening, and then there was St. John’s celebration, then St. somebody’s celebration, etc… etc…) what a busy couple of weeks over there!!!

 

[tobbias88]

I just got back from Ireland last month I’m pretty sure everyone left Mass and went right to the bottle to continue the celebration!
Hey, easy on the Irish accusation …this is a popular US myth. Lets have a few facts here…

The largest religious total abstinence society in the world is the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded in Dublin, Ireland in 1898 to encourage a pristine lifestyle among Catholics. This influence is still evident today in the Irish abstinence rate of 22%, which is nearly double that of neighboring Great Britain.

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

Planning to drink to the point of intoxication is a sin…

you know, the “let’s go out and get loaded” or “I need to be really drunk in order to dance” etc etc etc.

It’s kind of like food… if we eat too much we are guilty of gluttony, a pretty major deal with it being one of the 7 deadlies and all…

but does that mean we need to run to confession after every time we overeat at the Olive Garden? Of course not…not unless we deliberately set out to stuff our guts and make ourselves feel like we’ll need to be wheeled out to the car

Now, if one finds that they are consistently “accidentally” getting too drunk they must take action. Obviously they need to get it under control.

 

[BostonMyrtleBea]

I just got back from Ireland last month I’m pretty sure everyone left Mass and went right to the bottle to continue the celebration!

I was telling an actual story, not a myth… I’m Irish and my brother’s wife’s family is Irish and he and her entire family all live in Ireland. I was in Ireland and recounting events I attended. Not saying some Irish don’t drink (when I was there my brother - US born - was actually the only who who didn’t drink).

Then again, I could have just been hanging out with the other 88%.
irishhealth.com/index.html?level=4&id=5309

 

[HOPEFUL_IN_UK]

I think the acceptable level of inebriation changes with the situation. If you’re going to drive, it can be sinful to have even one stiff drink as it can put you over the limit. On the other hand, splitting a bottle of wine with your spouse on a Friday night, after the kids have gone to bed, while watching a movie and cuddling and maybe getting frisky… how can that be sinful?

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

If it’s a sin then me and Sam Adams need to break up.



I live in wine country, too. That reminds me, there’s half a bottle in the fridge…

 

[BlessedMomof2]

I
Hey, easy on the Irish accusation …this is a popular US myth. Lets have a few facts here…

The largest religious total abstinence society in the world is the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded in Dublin, Ireland in 1898 to encourage a pristine lifestyle among Catholics. This influence is still evident today in the Irish abstinence rate of 22%, which is nearly double that of neighboring Great Britain.

I’ll drink to that.

 

[JustAnotherThou]

deliberately set out to stuff our guts and make ourselves feel like we’ll need to be wheeled out to the car

I guess I need to insure my priest is hearing confessions the day after Thanksgiving!!!

I am Just Kidding, I understand what you mean.

 

[marietta]

JustAnotherThou:

Are you trying to understand if having a couple of drinks is a sin, or if alcoholism is a sin?

marietta

 

[twf]

Remember when Jesus turned the water into wine at Cana they had all been drinking already…I’m sure they were all somewhat intoxicated. In fact it’s impossible to drink without some degree of intoxication. Where do you draw the line? I am 99.9% sure that American Catholics would have a totally different standard from most of the world. Spending time on these forums I am convinced that American Catholics have a stronger tendency toward Puritanism than the rest of the world. (Especially Europe).

 

[JustAnotherThou]

JustAnotherThou:

Are you trying to understand if having a couple of drinks is a sin, or if alcoholism is a sin?

marietta

Marietta, I am not the OP of this thread. I just commented on a poster that said drinking to intoxication was a sin. I didn’t really agree with that statement as a whole and I asked if someone could tell/show me in the catechism where it said that or addressed this issue, other than under gluttony. Someone did reply with this:

“…the Catholic Church teaches that drunkenness is
sinful, a transgression magnified when one endangers his own or others’ safety (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, no. 2290).”

In which I agree with

Most of my comments were in jest. Which I can understand that someone with a family history of alcoholism might not like
My grandfather died of alcoholism, cirrhosis of the liver to be exact. It is a HORRIBLE disease, and a horrible way for someone to pass away. So if my comments offended you or anyone else I do apologize.

 

[AHapka]

“…the Catholic Church teaches that drunkenness is sinful, a transgression magnified when one endangers his own or others’ safety (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2290).”

I think the sinfullness begins at the point where your judgement is impaired to the point where you are no longer in control of your actions. This is different for everyone, but most people know when they are hitting that point.