Christians & Alcohol — Do They Mix?
by Dr. Ray Self
Pros and Cons of Drinking
Click the play button to begin video lesson and follow along with the lesson notes below the video window.
Pros or Advantages
- Relaxing
- Taste
- Social Mixer
- Some wine goes well with certain foods.
Cons
- Driving under the influence - Three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives. In 2009 10,839 people who died in an alcohol-related crashes (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
- Alcohol causes nearly 4 percent of deaths worldwide, more than AIDS, tuberculosis or violence, the World Health Organization warned this week.
- Approximately 2.5 million people die each year from alcohol related causes, the World Health Organization said in its "Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health."
- Alcohol is a factor in 60 types of diseases and injuries, according to World Health Organization.
- Studies have linked drinking alcohol to cancer, heart problems, and liver disease.*
- Drinkers are more likely to get divorced, have problems with domestic violence, struggle with unemployment, and live in poverty.*
- Both short and long term negative effects can hurt your health from head to toe. What an alcoholic drink does is create havoc in your body and mind. It is addicting and it can lead to abuse. Abuse is drinking more than what is considered as moderate.*
- Its long term consequences on your immune system are more harmful, especially if you also smoke cigarettes.*
- Genetic Mutations -The membranes of your cells are easily penetrated by any alcoholic drink. Genetic mutations in the DNA of your genes occur with every intake of alcohol.*
- Tobacco with alcohol enhances carcinogenic properties*
- Even short term negative effects of alcohol make cancer prevention an uphill climb.*
- Alcohol ranks as the third leading cause of preventable, lifestyle-related deaths every year in the U.S., coming after tobacco use and poor eating habits. The most common types of deaths associated with alcohol in the U.S. are traffic accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, cancer and homicide.*
- Suicide statistics show that one-third of all suicides involve the use of alcohol.**
- There is one alcohol related death in the US very thirty minutes.**
** http://www.ehow.com/facts_4922631_alcohol-related-deaths-us.html#ixzz2i0DveRHm
Notes on Alcoholism
The risk of becoming an alcoholic — You may have a drinking problem if you...
- Feel guilty or ashamed about your drinking.
- Lie to others or hide your drinking habits.
- Have friends or family members who are worried about your drinking.
- Need to drink in order to relax or feel better.
- "Black out" or forget what you did while you were drinking.
- Regularly drink more than you intended to.
Common signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse include:
- Repeatedly neglecting your responsibilities at home, work, or school because of your drinking.
- Using alcohol in situations where it’s physically dangerous, such as drinking and driving, operating machinery while intoxicated, or mixing alcohol with prescription medication against doctor’s orders.
- Experiencing repeated legal problems on account of your drinking.
- Continuing to drink even though your alcohol use is causing problems in your relationships. Drinking as a way to relax or de-stress.
Tolerance: The 1st major warning sign of alcoholism. It takes more to have the same effect.
Withdrawal: The 2nd major warning sign of alcoholism. There are physical withdrawals if the person has not had a drink for a period of time.
Personal Observations
It quenches the anointing. It is difficult to hear the voice of God or feel His presence when under the influence of alcohol.
It is difficult to have a relationship or a real conversation with a person under the influence. You are not talking to the real person so whatever they say or do is questionable at best.
Why would someone want to purchase and drink alcohol thereby supporting an industry that has been responsible for millions of deaths?
No one ever chooses to become an alcoholic.
The lie is that a person will only become an alcoholic if they have no self control or drink too much.
The truth is no one knows which level of drinking or which drink will trigger the addictive gene.
Since a person is four times more likely to become an alcoholic if there is alcoholism in their family history, why would such a person choose to drink? Drinking with a family history of alcoholism is the equivalent to smoking with a family history of lung cancer.
Drinking causes a deadly trap to occur. Most drinkers have their judgment impaired which causes denial of the risk involved. That is the catch.
The Bible only declares excessive drinking as a sin but please remember the culture of the day the alcohol content of the wine they drank was very low.
The Bible also declares that we should not cause our brother to stumble. A Christian drinking alcohol can send out the wrong message to a brother who is likely to stumble or fall into alcoholism.
Romans 14:21- It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.
Mark 9:42 - "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea."
The Bible calls for us to be separate from the world and be conformed to the Lord not conformed to society and its ways. Romans 12:2 - And do not be conformed to this world..
The reasons not to drink are many and very serious so why would a person insist on doing it unless perhaps they already are prone to addiction?
Satan has used alcohol as a tool to cause death and destruction on millions of children and adults throughout history so why would we want to support his scheme?
As followers of Christ we are to set a different example. We are not to be like everyone else. We are called to be different. To me social drinking simply puts a Christian in agreement with the ways of the world and is a poor testimony of Christ.
1 John 2:15 - Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Drinking alcohol is a deadly problem I encourage you today to think about what was said in this webinar.
One final serious warning and consequence of drinking from scripture - 1Corintians 5:11- But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one.
What's Next?
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