America is drunk—and the consequences are devastating. Consider:

These statistics reveal some of the adverse effects which those who abuse alcohol have on others. Of course, the drunkard himself suffers most. A vivid portrait of the evil consequences of drunkenness, both physical and psychological, that burden him are presented in Scripture.

Scriptural Warnings

The tale of the drunkard's downfall begins with the pleasures that alcoholic beverages produce. For example, the appearance of wine entices (Prov. 23:31) and, moreover, it "goes down smoothly" (ibid.), making one "merry and warm" (Esther 1:18). In short, wine "delights the soul" (Ecclus. 40:20). But just as the mariners in The Odyssey were led to their doom by the irresistible charm of the Siren's song, so the same fate awaits those who find liquor irresistible—they destroy themselves in a sea of alcohol. Hence Scripture warns, "…wine deceiveth him that drinketh it" (Heb. 2:5). It deceives by affording a little pleasure, but "in the end it [wine] bites like a serpent, or like a poisonous adder" (Prov. 23:32.).

The harmful bite of drunkenness takes various forms. The alcoholic provokes God's anger because he gives "never a thought for the works of the Lord, never a glance for what His hands have done" (Is. 5:12). Alcohol is his god, for he "rise(s) up early in the morning to follow drunkenness and to drink till the evening, inflamed with wine" (Is. 5:11). The one desire of the drunkard is to indulge again: "When shall I awake to seek wine again?" (Prov. 23:35). Often he becomes so inebriated that he is insensible to bodily and moral harm (ibid.). In addition, his "eyes behold strange sights" which make him "shriek and scream" (Prov. 23:33, 29). Obviously, his mind and will are weakened (Osee 4:11), and his strength is lessened while his wounds are multiplied (Ecclus. 31:30)—and multiplied for no good reason (Prov. 23:29). Headaches, anger, strife, bitterness, and anxiety make his life miserable (Ecclus. 31:29; Prov. 23:29). Intoxication, moreover, leads to debauchery (Eph. 5:18) and poverty (Pro. 23:21; Ecclus. 18:33). Those who drink to prove their manliness are cautioned: "Let not wine-drinking be the proof of your strength, for wine has been the ruin of many" (Ecclus. 31:25). Because of the inebriate's poor reputation, Scripture counsels avoidance of him (Prov. 23:20; I Cor. 5:11). Lastly, drunkards—and this is the greatest tragedy—will be unprepared for the Second Coming of Christ, and therefore will not possess the kingdom of heaven (Lk. 12:45-46; I Cor. 6:10).

Not Intrinsically Evil

Even though excessive drinking is the source of many moral and physical evils, it is erroneous to conclude that drinking by its very nature is sinful. Scripture does not condemn drinking as such, for the fruits from which alcoholic beverages are made were created for our use and enjoyment (Ecclus. 31:27). As the Psalmist expresses it, God "produces…wine to gladden men's hearts" (Ps. 103 (104): 14). Ingested moderately and at the proper time liquor provides "joy of heart, good cheer and merriment"' (Ecclus. 31:28). It can even be a source of health: "Wine is very life to man if taken in moderation" (Ecclus. 31.27). Hence St. Paul's advice to St. Timothy is worth taking: "Use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thy frequent infirmities" (I Tim. 5:23; cf. II Mach. 15:40). Recall, too, that Our Lord Himself "came eating and drinking," (Matt. 11:19), and changed water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana (John 2 1-10). Moreover, at the Last Supper He consecrated wine to become His blood, which, together with His Sacred Body, takes away sins and gives eternal life.

So to drink in moderation is morally permissible, but too much alcohol is a vice. The question arises: How much is too much? More precisely, when does drinking become sinful? This depends primarily—but not solely—upon how the alcohol will affect the particular drinker. Here are some examples:

1) To drink until you no longer can distinguish between right and wrong, or until you lose the use of your senses, is a mortal sin. Instead of passing out on the floor, we should "stay wide awake and sober," as St. Paul urges (I Thess. 5:7).

2) It would be, too, a serious sin to allow, albeit indirectly, the shortening of one's life without sufficient reason. Suppose, for example, a heavy drinker is warned by his physician that unless he abstains from alcohol he will die of cirrhosis within a year. Abstinence would prolong his life for years. Because we have a moral obligation to take ordinary means to preserve our lives, the drinker would be forbidden, under pain of mortal sin, to continue drinking. The moral obligation stems from the fact that we are creatures; we did not make ourselves, rather God created us. Therefore, we are not our own masters; we are not free to act as we please. As creatures we belong to God. It follows, then, that because we did not create ourselves, all that we have has been given to us by God—our sex, body, physique, appearance, parents—everything. St. Paul puts it succinctly: "What hast thou that thou hast not received? And if thou hast received it, why dost thou boast as if thou hadst not received it?") (I Cor. 4:7). The alcoholic, therefore, should not exalt himself and say: "It's my life and I'll drink when I want to. No doctor is going to tell me what to do. I'm my own man." On the contrary, he should "know that the Lord is God; He made us, His we are" (Ps. 99:3).

3) We are obliged to avoid all places and circumstances in which as a rule we sin. Put another way, we are to shun all voluntary proximate occasions of sinning. An alcoholic would be guilty of mortal sin, for example, if he continued to visit a bar in which he becomes inebriated each time he is in it. Another proximate occasion of sin would be a certain companion who leads us to drink excessively every time we go out with him. To expose ourselves to proximate occasions of sin is to love danger; yet "he that loveth danger shall perish in it" (Ecclus. 3:27). As a remedy Christ counsels, "Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation" (Matt. 26:41).

4) It is sinful, furthermore, to give scandal. St. Thomas Aquinas defines scandal as "a word or action less right—minus rectum—which is the occasion of another's spiritual ruin" (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q.53, art. 1). The act is either external or the omission of an external act; the latter is included under scandal because to omit what one should do is tantamount to doing what is forbidden. By minus rectum St. Thomas means that the act must be evil in itself, or in appearance. In addition, the act of the scandalizer is the moral cause or occasion of another person's sin ("spiritual ruin"). Scandal is direct when damage to another is intended or desired; that is, when one deliberately tempts or entices another to sin. It involves, obviously, a twofold sin: a sin against charity and one against that virtue which the scandalizer attacks. Indirect scandal, in contrast, occurs when one's act, though good, has the appearance of evil and it is foreseen that the act will probably cause another to sin. By its nature direct scandal is a mortal sin, and Christ severely condemns it. Indirect scandal, on the other hand, may be licit or illicit according to the circumstances.

5) A drunkard who is "giddy" (Ecclus. 19:2); who "slithers in his vomit" (Is. 19:14); who "reels with wine, staggers from strong drink," and is "muddled" (Is. 28: 7-8), is at least guilty of venial sin, and perhaps even mortal sin.

How much an individual can drink without sinning, and his use of alcohol without sinning, in the last analysis is determined by the virtue of prudence. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, prudence is "right reasoning about what is to be done" (S.T., I-II, q.57, a.4). Note that prudence does not mean merely doing what is prudent in a certain situation. Because prudence is a moral virtue, and all virtues are habits, then prudence is a habit. But a habit cannot be produced by one act; it is caused by acts. Hence the virtue of prudence is not produced by a single prudent decision but is the acquired habit of choosing the best means to good ends. As such, prudence is absolutely necessary for leading the good life. If a person has the moral virtue of prudence in its perfect state, he necessarily has the other three—temperance, justice, and fortitude. On the other hand, to lack one moral virtue is to lack all four (S.T., I-II, q.65, a.l).

The drunkard manifests imprudence in his intemperance—he does not regulate, according to reason and faith, the attraction toward sense pleasure. He is a slave to the pleasure of sense associated with drinking. Instead of controlling alcohol, alcohol controls him. His attitude is, "Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die" (Is. 22:14). "Come then, let us enjoy what good things there are, use this creation with the zest of youth: take our fill of the dearest wines…let none of us forego his part in our orgy, let us leave the signs of our revelry everywhere" (Wis. 2:6-7, 9).

But this path leads to self-destruction; for "contumacious desire destroys its owner" (Ecclus. 6:4; 19:3).

Opposed to the spirit of self-indulgence and self-gratification is the doctrine of the Cross, which is one of self-denial and mortification. Following Christ entails curbing the general inclination to desire excessive sense pleasure, which is the result of original sin. "You cannot belong to Christ Jesus," declares St. Paul, "unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires."

1. Ross Fishman, Ph.D., Alcohol and Alcoholism (New York:, Chelsea House, 1986), p. 19.

2. Ibid., p. 97.

3. Ibid., p. 44.

4. Ibid., p. 100.

5. Ibid., p. 14.

6. Stanley L. Englebardt, "When Your Child Drinks" (Reader's Digest, Nov. 1986), pp. 110-111.