When does drinking alcohol become a sin?

[rosemerry]

I know that being drunk is a sin, but what about drinking to the point of being affected by alcohol—though not yet to the point of drunkenness? Is that a sin? For a more concrete example, I’m thinking along the lines of 2-3 glasses of wine within a couple of hours.

 

[bben15]

The sin of gluttony can be involved. However, I am a layman, so I can’t really answer this question. If someone is struggling with alcoholism, then that is something they definitely need to discuss with their confessor.

 

[Jennifoo]

I think that would really depend upon the individual for several reasons. First, a person’s capacity for alcohol is different than another’s. One person may be intoxicated after only 2 drinks while another wouldn’t. Second, a person’s motives would be involved. Why is that person choosing to drink- to relax, to celebrate, to escape, etc.? Third, is that person an alcoholic who should be totally avoiding alcohol?

As for myself, I am not an alcoholic, but I have a relative who is so I am aware of this. I personally drink occasionally to relax, when I’m getting a cold as it helps me sleep, and sometimes at family get-togethers. I am very careful with how much I allow myself, but I sometimes get a bit tipsy. I never allow myself to drink so much as to lose control of my actions, words, etc, or to end up sick. I don’t drive when I’ve been drinking either.

Hope this helps.

 

[GangGreen]

I often struggle trying to figure this out.

There are many parts of the Bible which outright condemn drinking alcohol, but in a way where they mention men who are drunk or in altered states of mind. Do they mean drunkenness as a state where someone is almost always drunk? Or just being drunk once in a blue moon as what is being condemned? We see the use of wine a lot in the Bible. We know that even Jesus drank wine. At the same time, at the wedding feast at Cana we see that Jesus gave clearly drunk people even more wine.

There’s also the psalm

and that wine may cheer the heart of man.

I tend to gather from these things that while drunkenness for the sake of drunkenness is definitely a sin… it may be allowable in certain occasions (such as a wedding feast). In the same time, the main issue with it is that it alters your state of mind and makes you do things which bring you to sin. Does getting a little tipsy do this? Maybe, maybe not. However, it’s much different to be a little tipsy vs. being all out drunk. I personally feel that the Bible is more talking about being truly drunk as many people tend to do very regularly vs. having a couple glasses of wine with dinner while chatting with some friends. Getting to that “tipsy” point brings out good cheer in people and in ways even opens them up. One could think that someone who is a little bit tipsy may even be somewhat easier to have them open up to the word of God .

Then again, I’m no theologian.

 

[robwar]

I know that being drunk is a sin, but what about drinking to the point of being affected by alcohol—though not yet to the point of drunkenness? Is that a sin? For a more concrete example, I’m thinking along the lines of 2-3 glasses of wine within a couple of hours.

Ask your priest. As the other poster sad different people react to alcohol differently. One might be surprised that even if 2-3 glasses of wine within a couple of hours might not affect you but may put your blood alcohol level above the legal limit and you shouldn’t be driving.

 

[esieffe]

I know that being drunk is a sin, but what about drinking to the point of being affected by alcohol—though not yet to the point of drunkenness? Is that a sin? For a more concrete example, I’m thinking along the lines of 2-3 glasses of wine within a couple of hours.

If you say… I want a buzz so I am going to throw down three glasses of wine then yes. If you are having fun hosting a party at your house no.

If you host a party every day and throw down three glasses of wine yes.

ect, ect.

 

[abinjoy]

Introspect the reason why you want to drink…If you thinking of 2 glasses of wine in a couple of hours I think it comes under atleast in the category? Also think if wine has any use to the body?

 

[Stillsosola]

It depends I suppose my mother for instance has become an alcoholic as a means of escape which to me is sinful since she should turn to our lord for help not alcohol also I think that a glass of wine or beer isnt harmful if its for a celebration now routinely drinking alcohol is a step to alcoholism from what I have seen in my parents lives. A persons confessor could help them more than this forum probably could for instance I got very drunk once and only once on my 23rd birthday I confessed it and since it involved gluttony becoming drunk from massive alcohol consumption it was a confessble matter now he said if I had just drank a cup of beer in celebration and stopped at one it wouldnt have been? Hmm Im no expert on any of this just saying vices like over eating and drinking are hard sins to tell in my opinion.

 

[Blood_Angel]

I asked this question not long ago, I now believe that everybody knows when they’ve had too much, there is warning signs in my experience but the defining answer is this: it probably becomes a sin when you can’t tell the difference between right and wrong, when you lose control.

In the past I used to enjoy losing control, getting drunk and forgetting about everything. You become somebody else. Which is something people enjoy.
However I think everyone is different and also the more you drink, the less the alcohol effects you, it still effects you but you can probably handle more than a person who drinks less.