Getting Drunk and Drinking
The Bible says we should not get drunk (Ephesians 5:8) and it also says we should not drink alcohol. The Lord says, “Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). And in Proverbs 23:29-35, we read a very clear description of the devastating effects of alcohol on people. Here, God gives a warning against being taken by the attractive appearance of the intoxicating drinks and getting caught up in their addictive nature. Satan tempts men to indulge in alcoholic beverages to cloud their reason and benumb their spiritual perceptions. The Lord teaches us to bring the lower nature into subjection.
Some often quote the wedding at Cana as evidence that Jesus was okay with drinking. When Jesus turned the water into “wine” at the wedding of Cana, we can be assured that it was pure, delicious grape juice, rather than fermented, alcoholic wine. It was Christ who in the Old Testament gave the warning to Israel in Proverbs 20:1. Christ did not contradict His own teaching. The unfermented wine which He provided for the wedding guests was a wholesome and refreshing drink. Its effect was to bring the taste into harmony with a healthful appetite. The wine which Christ provided for the feast was a symbol of His own blood. It was the pure juice of the grape.
The Lord instructed that John the Baptist should drink neither wine nor strong drink (Luke 1:15). It was He who enjoined similar abstinence upon the wife of Manoah (Judges 13:4). And He pronounced a curse upon the man who should put the bottle to his neighbor’s lips (Habakkuk 2:15). The Bible teaches in the story of Daniel 1:8, 11-17, how God blessed His children when they determined to abstain from any harmful substances.
Finally, Paul makes it clear that we need to keep our bodies pure. “Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). And he adds, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Health Problems Associated With Alcohol
Alcohol interferes with the brain’s functions, and affects the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination. Habitual drinking can also damage the heart, causing problems such as: Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of heart muscle, Arrhythmias – Irregular heart beat, stroke and High blood pressure.
Addiction to drinking Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations such as: Steatosis, or fatty liver, Alcoholic hepatitis, Fibrosis, and Cirrhosis. Alcohol also affects the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper digestion.
According to the National Cancer Institute: “There is a strong scientific consensus that alcohol drinking can cause several types of cancer. In its Report on Carcinogens, the National Toxicology Program of the US Department of Health and Human Services lists consumption of alcoholic beverages as a known human carcinogen. Finally, drinking alcohol weakens the immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease. Addicted drinkers are more prone to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
