Is getting drunk always a sin?

[Cuthbert1989]

I am a big social drinker and love to talk and sociolise with my friends and meet new people… more often than not when i go out it ends up that i end up under the influence of alcohol…(not in a way were i cant control myself) so really the question is even though i am not going out to get drunk but know in my head i probably will end up drunk is this still a mortal sin or perhaps just venial? or is it only a sin if i am using alcohol as a release etc and purposely going out to get drunk ?

Thnks for reading !!

Pax

 

[robert_chacon]

I think it is. God wants us in our full mental capacities at all time to love him faithfully. And believe me , Im responding to someone who too frequently does exactly as you describe. I enjoy social settings and I love wine and beer. I realized that drunkenness for any reason inhibits my ability to remain in HIs Spirit. I now have a two drink limit for a particular social event. It may be different for different people. I know some women can barely finish a glass of wine before they feel the effect. I don’t know it that’s a moral sin but I know it is clearly drunkenness and the Church is clear on that for good reason I believe. I hope that helps. What do you think??

 

[robert_chacon]

Man, I just typed that comment as though I were drunk. I meant to say that I don’t think it is a mortal(I wrote " moral") sin but it is definitely a sin. Also, I was saying I am responding as someone like you in terms of social drinking. See what drinking does?? JK, stone sober!

 

[robwar]

I am a big social drinker and love to talk and sociolise with my friends and meet new people… more often than not when i go out it ends up that i end up under the influence of alcohol…(not in a way were i cant control myself) so really the question is even though i am not going out to get drunk but know in my head i probably will end up drunk is this still a mortal sin or perhaps just venial? or is it only a sin if i am using alcohol as a release etc and purposely going out to get drunk ?

Thnks for reading !!

Pax

You should talk with your priest and get help because even though you think that you don’t intend to get drunk you are and since this seems like a common occurrence for you, you probably have a drinking problem. Likewise, if you are driving, you are totally dangerous under the influence of alcohol. There is a lot of great help out there for those with drinking problems. I am sure that your priest can direct you to an AA group for help. The biggest hurdle is admitting you have a problem. I wish you well and hope you get help.

 

[MaryT777]

I think it is. God wants us in our full mental capacities at all time to love him faithfully. And believe me , Im responding to someone who too frequently does exactly as you describe. I enjoy social settings and I love wine and beer. I realized that drunkenness for any reason inhibits my ability to remain in HIs Spirit. I now have a two drink limit for a particular social event. It may be different for different people. I know some women can barely finish a glass of wine before they feel the effect. I don’t know it that’s a moral sin but I know it is clearly drunkenness and the Church is clear on that for good reason I believe. I hope that helps. What do you think??

Well said.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

I am a big social drinker and love to talk and sociolise with my friends and meet new people… more often than not when i go out it ends up that i end up under the influence of alcohol…(not in a way were i cant control myself) so really the question is even though i am not going out to get drunk but know in my head i probably will end up drunk is this still a mortal sin or perhaps just venial? or is it only a sin if i am using alcohol as a release etc and purposely going out to get drunk ?

Thnks for reading !!

Pax

Drunk as in over the legal limit? No I don’t think that is sinful. Most people don’t even realize that they are over the legal limit. Drunk as in blacking out and puking? Yeah I think that would be sinful.

 

[davyvfr]

Drunk as in over the legal limit? No I don’t think that is sinful. Most people don’t even realize that they are over the legal limit. Drunk as in blacking out and puking? Yeah I think that would be sinful.

You are putting those in danger around you and a disobeying civil law. Over the legal limit is grounds for DUI. If you didn’t know you were over the limit, I would say its morally wrong or a venial sin for failing to follow civil law

 

[tafan]

definitely always a sin. Gravity of the sin would vary on a lot of things, but it certainly should never be taken lightly.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

You are putting those in danger around you and a disobeying civil law. Over the legal limit is grounds for DUI. If you didn’t know you were over the limit, I would say its morally wrong or a venial sin for failing to follow civil law

Not if you aren’t driving. Not going against moral law if you have 2 beers at dinner and you have a DD. No one should drink and drive. I can’t get a DUI if I’m in the passenger seat.

 

[robwar]

most of what is being offered here is just various opinions. If OP is serious, he should ask a priest. Whether one knows they are legally drunk or not or if it is ok because they are not driving is splitting hairs over a what is or isn’t a sin on drinking.

 

[Mumbles140]

Did the OP even mention drinking and driving?

 

[Cuthbert1989]

Thanks for the replies…in my opinion i do not abuse alcohol i just dont want to take communion unworthily …im in the uk so as i am 24 i am 6 years over the legal age and i have never been on a night out and drove and never will.
I just like a drink at the weekend i dont get drunk and black out or fight or throw up or anything like that i just drink with people and enjoy myself but not to the point were i cant control myself.

In reference to ROBWA i do not need AA i am not alcohol dependent my family was torn apart by several alcoholics in the older generations so i am well aware of when people have the problem …thanks for your concern though.

 

[coachdennis]

From the catechism:

Respect for health

2288 Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good.

Concern for the health of its citizens requires that society help in the attainment of living-conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity: food and clothing, housing, health care, basic education, employment, and social assistance.

2289 If morality requires respect for the life of the body, it does not make it an absolute value. It rejects a neo-pagan notion that tends to promote the cult of the body, to sacrifice everything for it’s sake, to idolize physical perfection and success at sports. By its selective preference of the strong over the weak, such a conception can lead to the perversion of human relationships.

2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.

2291 The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.

You should speak to your local priest if this is a concern for you.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

Thanks for the replies…im in the uk so as i am 24 i am 6 years over the legal age and i have never been on a night out and drove and never will.
I just like a drink at the weekend i dont get drunk and black out or fight or throw up or anything like that i just drink with people and enjoy myself but not to the point were i cant control myself.

In reference to ROBWA i do not need AA i am not alcohol dependent my family was torn apart by several alcoholics in the older generations …thanks for your concern though.

What you just said doesn’t sound sinful. Nothing wrong with a few drinks on the weekend. Some people think that drinking anything is sinful, it isn’t.

 

[ellzeena]

People drink to excess for many reasons. The worst of those is to deliberately get drunk because it’s “fun” (although that person might have other reasons for this “fun” than s/he is able to articulate).

I know someone who is mentally ill and goes to AA meetings because he self medicates with alcohol. I don’t consider this a sin but I’m not God. I consider this a symptom of his suffering and inability to cope with the horror in his life.

A person who drinks (no matter the underlying cause) and drives is definitely sinning. What degree of sin is unknown to me but, since it can affect the actual lives of others, I should think it mortal.

If you go out for a night “on the town” with your buddies, it is your responsibility to know your tolerance level. It is also your responsibility to see to it that you have conveyance home that does not involve you driving a vehicle. If (I don’t think so in this case, just saying) drinking provokes behaviors otherwise unlike you (violence, fits of rage), then you need rehab and you need a priest.

Since you post this question, it appears your drinking is something that causes you some serious questions, so going to your spiritual adviser or confessor (on appointment) and discussing it, with its remedies, is advisable.

 

[RCIAteamAZ]

Thanks for the replies…in my opinion i do not abuse alcohol i just dont want to take communion unworthily …im in the uk so as i am 24 i am 6 years over the legal age and i have never been on a night out and drove and never will.
I just like a drink at the weekend i dont get drunk and black out or fight or throw up or anything like that i just drink with people and enjoy myself but not to the point were i cant control myself.

In reference to ROBWA i do not need AA i am not alcohol dependent my family was torn apart by several alcoholics in the older generations so i am well aware of when people have the problem …thanks for your concern though.

I totally agree with ROBWA, I’m a recovering alcoholic, so I do speak with some experience. I have been sober for over 20 years and I drank for 35 years before that. I was not a lying in the street, homeless alcoholic, but an educated electrical engineer and manager in a large company alcoholic. At age 24, I said exactly the same thing that Cuthbert just said, so I thing this is a very dangerous situation. If you’re not alcohol dependent, then why don’t you just stop drinking? Why does anyone need to drink? The catechism is quite clear that drunkenness is a sin, but the degree of culpability depends on the circumstances. CCC2290 “The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine.” We all need to be careful of rationalizing the situation, especially when we feel that our comfort is being disturbed. It seems that Cuthbert1898 has some concerns about this behavior which is a good sign. We need to all look at our own situations and reconcile those situation to what God wants for us.

 

[Michael57]

From the CCC:

1852 There are a great many kinds of sins. Scripture provides several lists of them. The Letter to the Galatians contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit: “Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that* those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God*.”

1855** Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.

Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.**

1856 Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us - that is, charity - necessitates a new initiative of God’s mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the sacrament of reconciliation:

1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.

1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent.* It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law.* It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

1860** Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense**. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. The promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.

1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.

1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.

1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul’s progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not break the covenant with God. With God’s grace it is humanly reparable. “Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness.”

While he is in the flesh, man cannot help but have at least some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call "light": if you take them for light when you weigh them, tremble when you count them. A number of light objects makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number of grains makes a heap. **What then is our hope? Above all, confession.**

1864 “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.

You can judge for yourself in this, and you should consult with your priest about it.

You’re asking for opinions, and that’s fine, but you really should discuss this with a priest. (My opinion)

The link to the above is HERE

If you don’t intend to get drunk, but often do, then it might be a problem.

Seems like you’re walking your original post back a bit.

 

[Michael57]

From the catechism:

Respect for health

2288 Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good.

Concern for the health of its citizens requires that society help in the attainment of living-conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity: food and clothing, housing, health care, basic education, employment, and social assistance.

2289 If morality requires respect for the life of the body, it does not make it an absolute value. It rejects a neo-pagan notion that tends to promote the cult of the body, to sacrifice everything for it’s sake, to idolize physical perfection and success at sports. By its selective preference of the strong over the weak, such a conception can lead to the perversion of human relationships.

2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.

2291 The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.

You should speak to your local priest if this is a concern for you.

 

[robwar]

I totally agree with ROBWA, I’m a recovering alcoholic, so I do speak with some experience. I have been sober for over 20 years and I drank for 35 years before that. I was not a lying in the street, homeless alcoholic, but an educated electrical engineer and manager in a large company alcoholic. At age 24, I said exactly the same thing that Cuthbert just said, so I thing this is a very dangerous situation. If you’re not alcohol dependent, then why don’t you just stop drinking? Why does anyone need to drink? The catechism is quite clear that drunkenness is a sin, but the degree of culpability depends on the circumstances. CCC2290 “The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine.” We all need to be careful of rationalizing the situation, especially when we feel that our comfort is being disturbed. It seems that Cuthbert1898 has some concerns about this behavior which is a good sign. We need to all look at our own situations and reconcile those situation to what God wants for us.

thank-you, my husband is a social worker and my insite comes from him. May God continue to bless you on your journey to wholeness and good health.

 

[tafan]

most of what is being offered here is just various opinions. If OP is serious, he should ask a priest. Whether one knows they are legally drunk or not or if it is ok because they are not driving is splitting hairs over a what is or isn’t a sin on drinking.

Most of what is being offered is more than various opinions. The church has always held (going all the way back to St Paul) that being drunk is sinful.

From the current catechism

2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.

You can also look at Galations Chapter 5 verse 19-21, where St Paul clearly lists being drunk as a mortal sin.