Although we of course want to avoid all sin, the distinction between mortal and venial is an important one.
Drinking to a state where one loses one’s reason is a mortal sin. The loss of reason is the “grievous matter”. But what about the two other conditions of mortal sin? Full knowledge and full consent of the will? Surely it is very difficult to judge these even when one is “tipsy”.
If you go out to get drunk, then you commit a mortal sin by the first intention of doing so. If you said “I shall get drunk tonight”, but then you were evicted from the pub before you had time to do so, you would have already committed a mortal sin.
If however, you go out to have “one or two”, and end up unintentionally getting drunk, the matter is less clear. A mortal sin MUST satisfy all three conditions.
However, we also have a responsibility to avoid occasions of sin. We must exercise caution when drinking. Even more so if I am prone to drunkenness. The problem with drink is that the more one drinks, the less cautious one becomes.
If I get drunk every time I enter a pub, then we can clearly say that the pub is a serious occasion of sin. To willingly enter such an occasion is in itself a mortal sin.
It may be that I just have to change my drinking habits. Perhaps I drink “one after another”, or perhaps I drink strong drinks such as spirits. One good idea is to make a commitment to drink a glass of water “for Our Lady” after every second drink. That will certainly slow you down, and it will also help you to remember your obligation to always keep possession of oneself.
On the venial sin side, gluttony with alcohol can lead to many other problems - selfishness, tiredness, wastefulness of time, loss of fervor in faith, impurity, etc. etc. Drink in itself is a good, but a dangerous one.
We live in a culture where restraint is considered the ultimate evil. We mustn’t be caught up in the spirit of the world. Our greatest treasure is the grace in our souls. Our destination is Heaven.
If you were out drinking, and had a briefcase full of gold beside you. You would not lose your reason. You would ensure that you didn’t get drunk. We have the grace of God in our souls, but we don’t value it enough. If we did, then we would “stay sober and watch, for the devil… is like a lion prowling around seeking whom he may devour.”
