Question about alcohol and confession

[LaSainte]

What an interesting thread. We understand you don’t have a drinking problem and don’t want to suggest you do.

I think what people are speaking to is a few of the things you mentioned are similar to characteristics of people with drinking problems and may have caused undue concern.

So we applaud you for taking notice something might bring you towards sin and being aware of it in your actions. Should it become a problem in the future you have a lot of good information and resources.

Back to the original point of your thoughts bringing you to a near occasion. If you were to have a drinking problem, and felt your drinking was effecting your life negatively to such a degree that you needed to confess it, and yet knowing this was a problem planned to continue it anyway; then yes, it might effect the absolution because it would be planning to continue something sinful.

But since it’s not a problem. You’re good!

Wow! An answer to my question! Thank you

I am aware that maybe one in 3 or 4 times that I maybe had a couple too many, but that couple too many merely results in me being a little fuzzy on the night’s details. That is literally the only symptom that I drank too much (that and being a tad thirsty in the morning!). There is no driving, no crazy behavior, nothing sinful that results from me having a little too much. I can’t imagine that this is mortally sinful behavior? I am the kind of person also whose drinking NEVER causes me to do something I wouldn’t normally do…I sometimes get a little more boisterous.

I confessed it anyway, because like I said, it is my one real vice. But I also confessed it knowing that I wasn’t going to suddenly become a teetotaler, which is when the thought popped into my head that I might not be avoiding near occasion of sin (because let’s face it, just by drinking at ALL I am probably at some point going to overdo it, be it 2 months or 5 years from now). But I was thinking “What if this IS a mortal sin and I’m still going to just try and not overdo it, but not stop drinking altogether, thereby not avoiding near occasion of sin?” That’s when I thought I might not be absolved…

If I had had time to think it through, I would have seen that this is not near occasion for sin, since I would have to get absolutely trashed and lose my sense of reason almost every time I drink for it to really be proximate occasion for sin, but it was the end of my confession and I didn’t have the time to think it through because the priest was kind of rushing me at that point, so I just thought “Well, I will just keep drinking once in awhile and try not to overdo it.”, but I immediately felt guilty for thinking this, at which point I hurriedly confessed not always avoiding near occasion for sin and was absolved. Still, I felt like maybe I wasn’t resolved enough to stop sinning.

Ugh. Maybe it was just Satan trying to tempt me to dispair on divine mercy weekend, but I sure felt bad about it, not the usual relief you feel coming out of the confessional. I have had more than one confession where I had to reconfess certain things because I did something like this. I struggle with contrition.

 

[LilyM]

Wow! An answer to my question! Thank you

I am aware that maybe one in 3 or 4 times that I maybe had a couple too many, but that couple too many merely results in me being a little fuzzy on the night’s details. That is literally the only symptom that I drank too much (that and being a tad thirsty in the morning!). There is no driving, no crazy behavior, nothing sinful that results from me having a little too much. I can’t imagine that this is mortally sinful behavior? I am the kind of person also whose drinking NEVER causes me to do something I wouldn’t normally do…I sometimes get a little more boisterous.

I confessed it anyway, because like I said, it is my one real vice. But I also confessed it knowing that I wasn’t going to suddenly become a teetotaler, which is when the thought popped into my head that I might not be avoiding near occasion of sin (because let’s face it, just by drinking at ALL I am probably at some point going to overdo it, be it 2 months or 5 years from now). But I was thinking “What if this IS a mortal sin and I’m still going to just try and not overdo it, but not stop drinking altogether, thereby not avoiding near occasion of sin?” That’s when I thought I might not be absolved…

If I had had time to think it through, I would have seen that this is not near occasion for sin, since I would have to get absolutely trashed and lose my sense of reason almost every time I drink for it to really be proximate occasion for sin, but it was the end of my confession and I didn’t have the time to think it through because the priest was kind of rushing me at that point, so I just thought “Well, I will just keep drinking once in awhile and try not to overdo it.”, but I immediately felt guilty for thinking this, at which point I hurriedly confessed not always avoiding near occasion for sin and was absolved. Still, I felt like maybe I wasn’t resolved enough to stop sinning.

Ugh. Maybe it was just Satan trying to tempt me to dispair on divine mercy weekend, but I sure felt bad about it, not the usual relief you feel coming out of the confessional. I have had more than one confession where I had to reconfess certain things because I did something like this. I struggle with contrition.

First things first - I do not see any problem with your contrition. I in no way want to suggest that you have not been validly absolved.

I DO see potential problems with your idea that being fuzzy with your recall due to the amount you drink is not a problem. It is a problem. That fuzziness occurs because you have caused irreparable damage to your brain cells with the drink. Not all of them, but some. Each time it happens more and more of this damage is being done. And as I said the brain does not recover completely.

Now God gave you those brain cells and He sure as heck did not give em to you for you to kill them with booze. Think about that.

That’s quite apart from the damage that drinking more than the experts recommend can cause to other organs in your body - kidneys, liver etc. That thirstiness is due to dehydration, and that dehydration is due to you overloading your system with booze and making it work harder than it should to rid itself of that alcohol.

I don’t want to go overboard. I am not suggesting this is a matter of grave sin by any means, am I saying you should be a teetotaller, but a drink or two at a sitting is the limit if you don’t want your health to be negatively affected. And as I said our bodies are God’s gift so we owe it to Him to take reasonable care of our health.

 

[LaSainte]

First things first - I do not see any problem with your contrition. I in no way want to suggest that you have not been validly absolved.

I DO see potential problems with your idea that being fuzzy with your recall due to the amount you drink is not a problem. It is a problem. That fuzziness occurs because you have caused irreparable damage to your brain cells with the drink. Not all of them, but some. Each time it happens more and more of this damage is being done. And as I said the brain does not recover completely.

Now God gave you those brain cells and He sure as heck did not give em to you for you to kill them with booze. Think about that.

That’s quite apart from the damage that drinking more than the experts recommend can cause to other organs in your body - kidneys, liver etc. That thirstiness is due to dehydration, and that dehydration is due to you overloading your system with booze and making it work harder than it should to rid itself of that alcohol.

I don’t want to go overboard. I am not suggesting this is a matter of grave sin by any means, am I saying you should be a teetotaller, but a drink or two at a sitting is the limit if you don’t want your health to be negatively affected. And as I said our bodies are God’s gift so we owe it to Him to take reasonable care of our health.

Thank you Lily! I appreciate the thoughtful response. Yes, I could be a little healthier, I suppose. I do exercise and stay fit, but my eating habits and drinking habits aren’t the best. On top of that, I do have a few cigarettes when I drink, which concerns me more!