Why is drunkenness a mortal sin?

[HailMary]

Drunkenness can be turned into debauchery which can surely increase your attachment to worldly thing. Not to mention, the primary reason it is sinful is because it destroys the image of God in your mind.

 

[Ramalama]

As an alcoholic, I consider alcoholism a mental disease, like depression, sczhiz . . shcz . . (aw forget it), paranoia, etc. I haven’t had a drink in 20 years, but I’m still an alcoholic. If I have one drink today, I know I will be drunk today, and tomorrow and . . . you get the idea.

I really don’t think I chose to be an alcoholic. At least I don’t remember having made that decision. (Maybe I was drunk at the time. ) I do remember, from the first time I drank, how very good it made me feel. Therefore, I feel I was pre-disposed to it.

I don’t think it’s a sin to be alcoholic, but I believe it’s a sin to know you are, and not do anything about it. It would also be a sin for me to drink now.

Note, I’m not telling any of you that you’re wrong for your views – I’m simply telling you mine. God bless you all.

 

[His_Ruby]

Alcoholism itself is not a sin, but choices made within the addiction can still be a sin. Once one is aware of his or her addiction, if he continues to deny the problem while simultaneously inflicting hurt or danger upon his children as a result of drunken behavior, for example… I do believe this is a sin. Alcoholism is a condition, but it does not leave one constantly unable to make good choices. Even if you can’t make the choice not to drink, you can make the choice to get help. And not getting help that’s readily available or refusing help is a sin of pride (as is often the case with any addiction – addiction makes people prideful). That’s my mother’s sin in her alcoholism.

 

[quasimodo]

as the child of a former (yes, former) alcoholic, I can attest to the fact that you don’t GET to alcoholism without drinking yourself there. People aren’t born drunk, they choose to go that route.

As the child of an Alcoholic - I disagree - completely. Not because of my experiece at home, but because of things I have learned at an AA meeting (not all AA meetings are closed). I heard a witness from guy who had the monkey from the very first sip. He was a really impressive guy - kinda funny looking though: the rats in the gutter he passed out in one time ate part of his ears off.

 

[Eworms]

I think that the discussion of alcoholism brings us full circle and straight into an excellent reason why drunkenness is a sin. Having heard some testimonies, it seems as though alcoholism is usually a series of decisions that leads one to contract a disease. Each decision to get drunk leads a person that much closer to alcoholism. For anyone who understands such a risk, drunkenness would have to be a mortal sin. Not only does it entail the short-term damaging of the body (a precious gift of God’s) through the consumption of toxic levels of a substance, it needlessly puts one at risk for disease.

Most anyone who chooses to get drunk knows that it causes a temporary decrease in rationality, realizes that drunkenness is the body’s reaction to a poisonous substance, and really is the only thing that can put someone at risk for alcoholism. Deliberately putting oneself in a situation conducive to mortal sin can in itself be sinful.

 

[fear_n0_evil]

Does the Catechism address this issue?

 

[dolphinlove]

When you go to AA meetings and start telling your story, the first thing you say is ‘hi my name is blah, and im an alcoholic’.
Once the disease gets you, the only sure way to cure it is by not drinking EVER.

I went through the stage of thinking, oh yeah, i can control the amount i drink… yeah right, back to the drawing board, an alcoholic never knows what limits are!

 

[Smber2c]

The problem with such a mortal sin as “drunkenness” is that it comes in degrees.

I’m sure that most sins don’t come in degrees.

Adultry:

• thoughts
• lingering thoughts
• a phone call
• coffee
• dinner
• etc…

Pride:

• proud of your kids faith
• proud of your faith
• proud of your kids accomplishments
• proud of your own accomplishments
• proud your kids are better than others
• proud you are better than others

Lies by degree.
Masterbation by degree.
Sloth be degree.

Every sin I can think of right now has some shades of degree.

 

[coyote_killer]

I started a similar thread just a couple of weeks ago. I’m a big guy and I can drink 3.2 beer forever and never get more than a buzz. I quit drinking completely just a few weeks ago because it interfered with my prayer life. I neglected my spiritual life all because of drinking. Its very hard if not impossible to pray with your heart when even slightly buzzed.

Then my conscience bothered me because I was neglecting my spiritual life so I drank more to sooth my conscience. And on and on. If I could just drink a few beers or whatever just once a week or so then it would be great but I wanted to drink every day. Anyway I can live with myself much better by quitting completely.

 

[Harsalter]

Drunkenness is a sin because it eliminates what self control we may or may not have. Does that mean that we commit something sinful while drunk each time we drink? No. But it does mean we are willing to take that risk, and we should try and avoid sinning in any form.

Social drinking is NOT a sin. Remember, Mother Mary, ‘The Mother Of God’, at the wedding feast at Cana was troubled that they were running out of wine at the merry occasion, so much that she had her divine Son do something about it, and He made more wine [from water] than they could drink .

But IMO habitual drinking that disrupts and creates problems is a sin. And I disagree that alcoholism is a disease and not a sin. That’s just a modernistic, liberal excuse and crutch for people to use that are unwilling to change.

 

[kbharbert]

Getting back to a related comment about children:

If you are drunk, and something happens to someone, perhaps a choking incident or a fall, will you be coherent and coordinated enough to help them? I would want to be at my best mental state all the time to be in a position to help others if the need arises.

**this is EXACTLY what i tell my adult children.
occasionally (and i MEAN VERY occasionally—like 3 or 4 times a year) i will have a beer with dinner.
1.
we are raising our 7 year old grandson, our daughter (his mother) and her 2 youngest are living here for another month or so (the kids are 4 and 20 months) and our son has his 5 year old son here every other week.
i ALWAYS have in the back of my mind…what if the house caught fire and i really COULDN’T get one or more of the children out?
under ‘normal’ circumstances the pain and guilt would be HORRENDEOUS…how much MORE if i was left to wonder whether the alcohol i drank affected my judgement.
‘i’ think the ‘drunkenness’ that is a sin isn’t necessarily something that CAN be a line in the sand.
since i drink so little, 2 beers and i have a buzz.
someone who drinks a few beers after work EVERY day might not feel anything til they drank much more.
the ‘line’ would be crossed when a person finds themselves more willing to say something they might otherwise have tactfully left unsaid.
at THAT point, a persons inhabitions (and better sense) are lowered and good choices can’t always be counted on.
**

 

[migurl]

I have had this conversation with my hubby before we got married. I believe, after reading religious books and the Bible, that when it comes to alcohol there are many questions you have to ask yourself.

1. Why am I drinking? Are you doing it to celebrate, toast, because you are tense, upset, sad etc.
2. Where am I drinking? Are you at home, a bar, a friends house, a party, a restaurant?
3. Who am I drinking with? Alone, a friend, a member of the opposite sex, your spouse?
   After considering these questions, you have to consider what can come out of the situation. Could you end up not being able to say no to more drinks or to other things? Are you in a relationship with someone who isn’t there? Can you trust the people you are with to take care of you if you go to far?
   I think that having wine or beer with a meal or around a campfire and just hanging out is ok, but when you start going thru a 24 pack of beer, a fifth of hard alcohol and a bottle of wine…that is sheer stupidity. Alcohol is ok in moderation, but once it is overused, or you might not be able to say no to it, then you are commiting a sin, especially if you know ahead of time that it is a possibility. Does that make sense AT ALL???

 

[TobyLauren]

Here is a thought. If having a few drinks… enough to feel a definite buzz - were a grave sin, then why would Jesus’ first miracle be to create wine? According to the wine steward, most provided the worst wine last “when the guests were already drunk”. This indicates to me that the guests had already imbibed a fair amount of alcohol when Jesus made MORE. I know that God would not lead people into sin, and the miracle was presented in scripture as a positive thing, and not a negative one, or a “test” for those present.

I am of the firm opinion that wine (other alcohol as well) is for our enjoyment, and only becomes sinful when it impairs judgement of the drinker to the point of being unable to care properly for one’s responsibilities.

 

[Harsalter]

Alcohol is ok in moderation, but once it is overused…then you are commiting a sin,

Sure it is a sin, it is a sin of “Gluttony”. But the key word here is “overused”.

I probably had too many beers over the Memorial Day weekend when we had family and friends over, and I intend on confessing “possible gluttony” of beer at my next confession. I am not sure I got to that point of “gluttony”, as everyone had a good time and there were absolutely no incidents or anything like that, not even a simple disagreement. But just to be safe, I’ll include it at confession.

I am of the firm opinion that wine (other alcohol as well) is for our enjoyment, and only becomes sinful when it impairs judgement of the drinker to the point of being unable to care properly for one’s responsibilities.

I absolutely agree.

 

[NotWorthy]

Social drinking is NOT a sin. Remember, Mother Mary, ‘The Mother Of God’, at the wedding feast at Cana was troubled that they were running out of wine at the merry occasion, so much that she had her divine Son do something about it, and He made more wine [from water] than they could drink .

But IMO habitual drinking that disrupts and creates problems is a sin. And I disagree that alcoholism is a disease and not a sin. That’s just a modernistic, liberal excuse and crutch for people to use that are unwilling to change.

I think my statement was “Drunkenness is a sin…” not, “Social drinking is a sin…”.

However, in my case (and I’m only speaking for myself), Social Drinking would be sinful, because I have the nasty habit of not being able to stop once I start. That is a weakness of mine that I am best able to avoid ONLY if I don’t take the first drink.

For me, once the buzz hits… It’s on, brother!!! So it is by far best for me to avoid the buzz.

 

[theAuthor]

drunkeness CAN be a sin in the sense of the examples in the old testament… when one becomes too drunk to behave with the moral propriety expected of a Christian. Furthermore, ALCOHOLISM is DEFINATELY a sin, as I’m sure we can all agree on.

Alcoholism is not a sin. In fact alcoholism reduces the culpability of being drunk. Alcoholics have a different physical makeup to non-alcoholics which results in their bodies braking down alcohol differently:

elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/642alcoholmet.html

About 10% of people have a certain genetic makeup which changes the way they metabolise alcohol.

Alcohol metabolism occurs in two stages. In alcoholics, alcohol is converted to acetaldehyde (poisonous) more quickly than in non-alcoholics, and remains in that state longer, before being converted to acetic acid.

So to call alcoholism a sin is like saying someone is a sinner because they are born with red hair. An alcoholic who does not drink is still alcoholic, because if they ever drink again, alcohol will have the same effect, It is not a moral issue, but a health issue.

 

[Harsalter]

Alcoholism is not a sin.

So to call alcoholism a sin is like saying someone is a sinner because they are born with red hair. An alcoholic who does not drink is still alcoholic, because if they ever drink again, alcohol will have the same effect, It is not a moral issue, but a health issue.

Ok, then if the above is true, then anyone who abuses alcohol is sinning. I drink myself, sometimes too much probably. I suppose when I do it is considered gluttony.

So IMO anyone that abuses or drinks excessively is sinning. Our liberal, modernistic world gives us all kind of terms of excuses, but they are just that, excuses.

 

[Harsalter]

I just watched a clip of Pat Madrid on EWTN in one of his segments called, “Where is that in the Bible?”.

He was talking about this very subject, and he said that altho the Church says that “intentionally drinking to get drunk” is a mortal sin, that enjoying spirits is not. He quoted (among several scriptures) Deuteronomy 14:26, "You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household."

Madrid also stated that Jesus often made merry with wine, and was often accused by his critics of being a drunkard.

Guess I don’t have anything to worry about with my occasional drinking as I never ‘plan’ to get drunk, which the intent is needed for drunkenness to become a mortal sin.

But I don’t think that there is any disagreement that drinking in excess is a sin.

 

[NotWorthy]

I just watched a clip of Pat Madrid on EWTN in one of his segments called, “Where is that in the Bible?”.

He was talking about this very subject, and he said that altho the Church says that “intentionally drinking to get drunk” is a mortal sin, that enjoying spirits is not. He quoted (among several scriptures) Deuteronomy 14:26, "You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household."

Madrid also stated that Jesus often made merry with wine, and was often accused by his critics of being a drunkard.

Guess I don’t have anything to worry about with my occasional drinking as I never ‘plan’ to get drunk, which the intent is needed for drunkenness to become a mortal sin.

But I don’t think that there is any disagreement that drinking in excess is a sin.

I recall seeing that a couple of years ago. It was one of the very episodes that made me question my drinking habits.

 

[kbharbert]

I just watched a clip of Pat Madrid on EWTN in one of his segments called, “Where is that in the Bible?”.

He was talking about this very subject, and he said that altho the Church says that “intentionally drinking to get drunk” is a mortal sin, that enjoying spirits is not. He quoted (among several scriptures) Deuteronomy 14:26, "You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household."

Madrid also stated that Jesus often made merry with wine, and was often accused by his critics of being a drunkard.

Guess I don’t have anything to worry about with my occasional drinking as I never ‘plan’ to get drunk, which the intent is needed for drunkenness to become a mortal sin.

But I don’t think that there is any disagreement that drinking in excess is a sin.

**while drinking in moderation i think is FINE, it’s the 'i wasn’t ‘planning on getting drunk so i haven’t sinned’ part that MIGHT be a problem.
unless one was drinking spiked punch or something (without KNOWING it had alcohol in it) i can’t imagine getting drunk by accident. (and even then i’d think that getting a buzz from what was supposedly a fruit punch might be a clue to stop BEFORE drunkenness set in).
nor can i imagine a scenerio where i’d say: well gee…i wasn’t PLANNING on getting drunk but what the hell!


**