Underage drinking

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Jart

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Is this grave matter? Is this a mortal sin? I have been going to my friends parties this weekend and got drunk. Right now I am a little drunk. Sorry for the drunken post but I have more self-control drunk than you might think. Is this a mortal sin? I am 18. Not completely smashed though to where I am vomiting. No way.
 
I would talk to my priest who I confess two twice a week but… sometimes I don’t understand what he says because of his Spain accent. I don’t like asking repeatadly, “what?”, “what?”, “huh?”
 
You need to straighten up and get your S@#T together. Why are you doing this to yourself? From personal experience, this is not cool. Your 18, your underage, If your not careful , someone is going to get hurt. I used to party hard. I lost some friends as well. How many friends have you seen buried. Knock it off and find another hobby. Yes, go to confession. I had to walk away from my friends, some I knew since elementary school, but people where dieing, no joke. Out drinking a school friend was stabbed in the heart during a fight. He turned around and said " look what they did to me" and dropped dead. It was the worse funeral I have ever been to. Don’t do it! Tim
 
Hey Jart, I’d assume you’ve made it to sleep by now, but in reguard to underage drinking and drunkeness.

Being drunk - in sinful to anyone and is a very big deal. When we get drunk our reason become inhibited to some degree allowing us to make decisions we wouldn’t normally make.

When we are just over the line of being drunk we may still know “don’t sleep with random women” “don’t punch that guy” “don’t drive like this”. But we may have lost the will to ‘not drink any more drinks’ thus we then get more drunk and start wondering why is was that we thought those first 3 ideas were really bad in the first place?

As for underage drinking. The goverment in a legitimate authority. It’s rules don’t force Christians (at least the drinking age) to compromise their morals, therefore we are obliged to obey. Failure to obey is sin though many people rationalize it away.
 
I control my drinking even if I am drunk. I was just over the line and turned down many shots people offered me. I was drunk and still turned down the idea of not looking at porn. I guess I have some self-control. So in my case is this a mortal sin or is it not? That is what I am not sure about.
 
Jart, only you and God know that.

Mortal sin is a sin of grave matter
Mortal sin is committed with full knowledge of the sinner
Mortal sin is committed with deliberate consent of the sinner

I’ll tell you from experience. I have buried friends because of alcohol when I was a teenager. A little scuffle and a friend got stabbed in the heart and died almost instantly. He turned and said “look what they did to me”. He didn’t have a chance. Car wrecks, hit & runs. You need to be careful. Things happen fast. Take care, Tim
 
So drinking is considered grave matter…? :confused: Is it because I am 18 or are you saying it is always grave matter? I don’t drink a lot. Maybe four times this past year.
 
Jart said:
I control my drinking even if I am drunk. I was just over the line and turned down many shots people offered me. I was drunk and still turned down the idea of not looking at porn. I guess I have some self-control. So in my case is this a mortal sin or is it not? That is what I am not sure about.
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I assume that you know that it is illegal, so therefore it is grave. You are willingly doing it anyway, or at least you seem perfectly willing. Despite the fact that you aren’t also doing other sins–looking at porn, punching some guy, sleeping with random women, the drinking itself is still a sin.

Once you are of legal age and you choose to have a drink or two with friends, that’s cool. But until then, please exercise your self-control. Not sure how much longer you have to wait, but offering up the pleaseure of a drink or two would be a very good idea.

Avoiding being drunk is somehting we all need to do!
 
Jart said:
So drinking is considered grave matter…? :confused: Is it because I am 18 or are you saying it is always grave matter? I don’t drink a lot. Maybe four times this past year.
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Do YOU think it is grave? When in doubt, get it out. Tim
 
Well I wasn’t really sure if it was grave. I knew it breaks the law but so does speeding. If we confessed every time we speed then… yeeah. The confession lines would be insane. Other Catholics are telling me it is not grave. It’s OK if you don’t abuse it but I will bring this up with the priest at confession tomorrow.
 
It is my understanding that drinking/drunkenness is only a sin if it leads to lack of self-control. If you drink so much that you engage in fornication or dangerous activities, then it is a sin, possibly mortal if done with full intent.

If it is just a case on being a little tipsy, I don’t think it is a sin, even if you are “underage”. Teenagers, and younger have drank alcohol in many cultures (Catholic cultures) throughout history, and today.

Not all breach of civil law is sinful.

God Bless
 
Jart said:
Well I wasn’t really sure if it was grave. I knew it breaks the law but so does speeding. If we confessed every time we speed then… yeeah. The confession lines would be insane. **Other Catholics are telling me it is not grave. It’s OK if you don’t abuse it **but I will bring this up with the priest at confession tomorrow.
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That is true for drinking in general, but since you are underage it is a different situation.
 
Obviously it is bothering you…and you know in your heart it is wrong. It is wrong to get drunk even when you are of age. Therefore, confess and repent. Change your ways. Don’t fall victim to peers and that is what apparently you are doing.

Only you can make that conscious decision. If the parties you go to have one goal…to drink. Then avoid them. If the parties are to hang out, play pool or video games, listen to music or whatever…then fine…but if the only objective is to drink, why bother entering something that obviously is a temptation and may lead you to sin.

That’s when you know you have matured, when you recognize the difference. It is up to you…Read this when you are sober.
 
I am sober. My understanding on this issue is of what bilop said. I NEVER drink in excess… only a certain amount to where I still have self-control. You are telling me it is grave matter and a mortal sin in my case. Maybe it is but you are right that I should probably avoid this in the future…
 
Drinking by itself is not a sin…even Jesus went to parties where wine was offered…even the last supper used wine.

However, examine your family history as well. If there is a predisposition of alcoholism…you have that to be concerned about. Not only that…alcohol can harm your body leading to many problems, including cirrhosis, esophageal varices, kidney disorders, pancreatic diseases, not to mention brain disorders etc.

And if you check out the madd.org website for under 21 you will get some of this and even more.
**CASA Report on Underage Drinking **

(February, 2002)
Teen Tipplers: America’s Underage Drinking Epidemic, a report from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) reports the following (taken from the CASA Website):
Key Findings About Underage Drinking:
Underage drinkers are a critical segment of the alcohol beverage market. Since most heavy and problem drinkers begin drinking before they reach age 21, underage drinking is key to the profitability of the alcohol industry.
  • 87 percent of adults who drink had their first drink of alcohol before age 21.
  • Individuals who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become alcohol dependent than those who begin drinking at age 21.
  • The prevalence of lifetime alcohol abuse is greatest for those who begin drinking at age 14.
  • Underage drinkers and adult heavy drinkers combined consume 61 percent of the alcohol sold in the U.S.
    Teens have easy access to alcohol. Parents are too often unwitting co-conspirators who see underage drinking and occasional bingeing as a rite of passage, rather than a deadly round of Russian roulette.
  • One third of sixth and ninth graders obtain alcohol from their own homes.
  • Children cite other people’s homes as the most common setting for drinking.
    The pervasive influence of the entertainment industry has glamorized and sexualized alcohol and rarely shows the ill effects of abuse.
  • Out of 81 G-rated animated films, nearly 50 percent showed characters using alcohol, often without consequence (34 % equated alcohol with wealth and affluence; 19 percent with sexual activity).
  • Alcohol advertising often uses images that appeal to kids (e.g., Budweiser’s talking lizards, Budweiser’s Spuds MacKenzie dog).
  • 41 percent of teens have tried a new breed of sweet-tasting, colorfully packaged alcoholic beverages (e.g., Tequiza, Smirnoff Ice, Skyy Blue).
  • GE subsidiary NBC has begun airing liquor advertisements, ending a 50-year voluntary ban by the networks and the liquor industry.
Full Report (PDF)
Statement of Joseph A. Califano, Jr.
 
I agree underage drinking is bad when the person loses control and does sinful things. First you said it is wrong for people to drink at any age then you say drinking in itself is not a sin. Jesus drank wine… was it wrong? 😉 He’d never do something wrong. In excess where you lose self-control is when it is wrong. As you said it is only sinful since I am underage and I’m not going to disagree with you.
 
Drinking is bad when you hurt yourself and others…And underage drinking is punishable with losing driver’s licenses even if you are not driving at the time, fines and even jail time in some states. Just explored madd.org more thoroughly or even put in underage drinking in your search engine and you will come up with a list of government agencies. Is it really worth risking your life too if you get into an auto with someone who is under the influence…or you driving yourself.

Just ask any family dealing with alcoholism or someone who is suffering from the ravages of drinking.
 
stbruno said:
Is it really worth risking your life too if you get into an auto with someone who is under the influence…or you driving yourself.
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Absolutely NOT!! I would never drink enough to where I can’t make that sort of decision. I know how much alcohol I can take. In fact I tried to stop someone from driving drunk this morning by standing in front of the car (ready to move out of the way in case he slammed the gas) but I couldn’t stop him. The doors were locked and pushed the gas despite me being in front of it. Of course right? He was WASTED and wouldn’t care. He had to drive about 12 miles to get home. I prayed to God to get him home safely.
 
Jart,
Be careful! I started drinking when I was 16 and like you only had a few drinks here and there. Eventually it progressed and I found myself drunk every weekend and mixing drinks at school with my friends to drink in class. Its a slippery slope and according to my confessor, drinking, whether you are getting drunk or not, is always grave sin if you are underage.

I’m praying for you! I know what peer pressure is like.
 
Hi Jart,

I commend you as a young Catholic who cares enough to research your question. I just need to make a couple of points.

First, really be honest with yourself regarding the amount you drink and if your decision-making capabilities are altered. I am not calling you a liar by any means as I was not there, but would note that “I still know what I am doing” is said by thousands of people before they do something they later regret. Try to remember all of the times you have become intoxicated and create a mental list of your actions. Would you repeat all of those actions today, while completely sober? If not, then your judgment was affected.

Now to my second point. Let’s assume that you were not drunk. Controlled drinking is not a sin. However, you are bound by the laws of the state, which Jesus expects you to honor. The breaking of the law is your sin in this case. I know that you see people speeding and breaking assorted laws every single day (this being why it is sooooo important that we set a good example for our kids and young adults), but the fact that others are sinning does not excuse our own.

It is easy to be right when the rest of the world is right. We make Jesus proudest when we are doing right while the rest of the world is doing wrong!

God Bless,

Jeff
 
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