When does drinking become a mortal sin?

[Nick]

A couple of weeks ago I went to a wedding of one of my best friends, and since I am shy and nervous by nature I wanted to have a couple of drinks to loosen up and become more sociable.

I ended up having a couple too many, and by the end of the day I had a strong buzz. However, I didn’t lose control of my reasoning faculties, and I didn’t drive anywhere or get sick (no vomiting, passing out, or hangover the next day).

Do you think that I committed a mortal sin, because I knew beforehand that drinking to get drunk constitutes grave matter, even though I didn’t neccessarily do this on purpose?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Only you can determine whether or not you committed mortal sin. Based on what you’ve said, my guess would be that you did not intend to get drunk, that you stopped drinking once you realized that the alcohol was taking effect, and that you were careful not to drive anywhere while under the influence. However, if you are unable to determine for yourself the status of the sin, I recommend discussing it with your confessor. Confessors can help us determine whether or not sin was committed, in addition to absolving the sins we commit.

As a side note, the practice of drinking for the purpose of “loosening up” or shedding one’s inhibitions against sociability can be an occasion of sin and a dangerous practice. Basically, what it does is to open one to actions one might not otherwise commit. This can be innocent – as it sounds like it was in your case – or it can open someone to the possibility of immoral activity. It can also be a cause of dependency on alcohol when someone relies upon the expediency of the alcohol instead of addressing the underlying problem. While moderate, responsible drinking is a morally permissible action, the intention to use the drink as a tool for masking one’s shyness and lack of sociability is seriously problematic.