Does an occasional, social drink really hurt anything?

I cannot tell you how often that question or some form of it has been presented to me. This morning I was looking at some statistics about alcohol that you might find interesting. Here they are:
• Alcohol is the number one drug problem in America.
• There are more than 12 million alcoholics in the U.S.
• In the United States, a person is killed in an alcohol-related car accident every 30 minutes.

This tells only some of the story. Alcohol is a factor in 73% of all felonies, 73% of all child beating cases, 41% of rape cases, 81% of wife beating cases, and 83% of homicides. Let there be no confusion about this, alcohol is involved in many serious crimes.

Additionally, the drinking and behavioral patterns of alcoholics affect their family members. Spouses, siblings, parents, in-laws, grandparents- all are affected by the alcoholic. If there are 12 million alcoholics, there are an estimated 40 – 50 million family members directly affected by alcoholism. The cost of alcoholism is simply mind boggling. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimated the annual cost to be 184.6 billion dollars and that was 12 years ago!

So, does an occasional, social drink really hurt anything?

If you are a Christian, it hurts your testimony. Some counter that Jesus turned water into wine and that Paul actually told Timothy to use a little wine. I have heard these arguments all of my life. I do not find in them grounds for supporting the use of beverage alcohol. Why? We have an abundance of beverage choices to say nothing of pure water. There is simply no need for alcohol in our day. The risks to the one using alcohol are too great. Maybe you can drink and “handle it.” Are you sure those watching you can? I would not wish to show my children or grandson that I can drink and “handle it responsibly” and have one of them start. What if they could not handle it?

It can harm your body. The teaching of the New Testament is that we are to glorify God in our bodies. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 Alcohol affects the brain. It dulls the brains capacity for reasonable judgment. Even those that advocate the use of red wine for medicinal purposes state that in addition to aiding the digestion of food, alcohol “calms the nerves”. Alcohol enters the bloodstream and touches virtually every organ in our bodies. Alcohol can cause damage to the heart and liver. It can cause brain and neurological problems. Alcohol causes gastrointestinal diseases, nutritional deficits, and reproductive impairments.

It is highly addictive. As a Christian, I have a new Master! I am no longer under the old master. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:12 that "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. Yes, we could be enslaved by many things that are non-alcoholic. That is true. But honesty demands that we admit that one that becomes enslaved to alcohol has much more potential to harm himself/herself and others than one enslaved to soft drinks. And on that note, I have never heard of an ER visit from drinking too many soft drinks. I have never heard of the police being called to a home to deal with a domestic fight because of soft drinks. I have never heard of tragedy on the highway from too much soft drink in the blood stream. I have never heard of anyone losing their job because of soft drinks. I have never heard of little children scared to death because Daddy had his soft drink bottle out again. I have never heard of anyone dying from drinking too many soft drinks, yet more than 100,000 people die every year from alcohol related causes.

A Christian cannot use alcohol and be separated from the world. Romans 12:1-2, 1 John 2:15, and 2 Corinthians 6:17 all remind believers that we are not to be identified with this world. In fact, we are to be separated from this world. We are “in it” but not to be “of it.” It is hard for me to justify using something that is associated with so much hurt, sorrow, pain, and even death.

Does an occasional, social drink really hurt anything? Yes, it definitely does. Instead of looking for loopholes and making excuses to use alcohol, why not just avoid it? To quote Nancy Leigh DeMoss, “We do need to guard against making absolutes out of personal standards that are not specified in Scripture, or assuming that others are sinning if they don't adopt our standards about issues that may not be traps for them. But why are we so prone to defend choices that take us right to the edge of sin, and so reluctant to make radical choices to protect our hearts and minds from sin?”

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
Proverbs 20:1