Was it a sin -- mortal or otherwise -- for a Catholic to consume alcohol for recreational purposes during Prohibition?

[Irish_Cabbie]

I am aware of what The Catechism (Paragraph 2291 in particular) says about the use of drugs. I also know that many consider alcohol to be a drug. That said, this is my question …

There was once a time in US history (1920-1933) when the possession of alcohol violated the civil law. Assuming one had full knowledge and full consent, would consuming alcohol in the US for entirely recreational purposes during Prohibition constitute grave matter? Could it have been a sin – mortal or otherwise – for a non-alcoholic, Catholic adult to drink a single glass of beer when the civil law of the day made it illegal to do just that? If the answer to that question is yes, would drinking alcohol during Prohibition be considered grave matter for no other reason than the fact that possession of alcohol at that time violated the civil law?

Thank you.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

The drinking of alcohol is not intrinsically evil, even though its deliberate misuse can be. Even the civil law of the time allowed wine to be legally made for religious use. There was a danger during prohibition of drinking home-made alcohol that was defective and not fit for human consumption. Many people died from such. But simply doing something that is against a civil law does not by that fact make such action immoral. It was not any more a sin to drink alcohol then than it is now.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.