What Does The Bible Say About Drinking?
Although the Bible contains many instances of drinking we should remember that NONE of these were ever held up to us as examples for us to follow. The Bible and the weight of it's authority is against the evils of alcoholic beverages. We hope and pray that after you have had an opportunity to examine these scriptures and the sobering evidence herein, you will come to recognize alcohol as the "Enemy of every Christian". Total abstinence should be strived for!
| Alcohol contributes to more than 100,000 deaths yearly, making it the 3rd leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. (McGinnis & Foege, "Actual Causes of Death in the United States," Journal of the American Medical Association {JAMA}, Vol. 270, No. 18, 11/10/93, p. 2208). | The first "man of distiniction" and the tragic consequences of his alcohol abuse. | |
| Yearly (37%) of rapes and sexual assaults involve alcohol use by the offender (US Dept. of Justice, Alcohol and Crime: An Analysis of National Data on the Prevalence of Alcohol Involvement in Crime, 4/98). | Drinking contributes to Lot's debauchery of his own daughters. | |
| Heavy and chronic drinking depresses the immune system and predisposes one to infectious diseases, including respiratory infections, pneumonia, & tuberculosis (NIAAA, AHRW, Vol. 17, No. 2, 1993, p. 176). | God commanded Aaron and his sons not to drink wine nor strong drink while serving God. | |
| Fetal alcohol syndrome, which can occur when women drink during pregnancy, is the leading known environmental cause of mental retardation in the Western World (NIAAA, Eighth Special Report, op. cit. p.221). | The Nazarite's vow excluded drinking wine or other strong drink | |
| Studies of suicide victims show that over 20% of suicide victims are alcoholic (NIAAA, AHRW, Vol. 17, No. 2, 1993, p. 133). | Drinking alcohol was one of the attributes of a stubborn, rebellious and disobedient son. | |
| More than an estimated 6.6 million children under age 18 live in households with at least one alcoholic parent (NIAAA, Alcohol Alert, No. 9, 7/90, p. 1). | Samson's mother was commanded by the angel of the Lord not to drink wine or other strong drink. | |
| 41% of all traffic fatalities (the leading cause of accidental death) are alcohol-related (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts, 1996); | Nabal, an evil, drinking man was smitten ny the Lord. | |
| Alcoholics are 5 times more likely than others to die in motor vehicle crashes (NIAAA, Eighth Special Report, op. cit., p. 233). | David, by the use of strong drink, leads Uriah into a fatal trap. | |
| 4 in 10 violent crimes involve alcohol use by the offender. ( U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Alcohol and Crime," 1998). | Amnon, is murdered by his brothers servants while on a drinking spree. | |
| Among violent crimes the offender is far more likely to have been drinking than under the influence of other drugs. (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Alcohol and Crime, 1998). | Elah, King of Israel was murdered by one of his captains "While drinking himself drunk". | |
| Estimates suggest that alcohol is associated with between 47% and 65% of adult drownings (NIAAA, Eighth Special Report, p. 243). | Ben-hadad, the King of Syria and 32 other kings were drinking themselves drunk when a small band of Israelites fell upon the Syrians and put them to flight. | |
| 1/4th of all persons admitted to hospitals have alcohol problems or are undiagnosed alcoholics being treated for consequences of drinking (NIAAA, Eighth Special Report, op. cit., p. xi). | King Ahasuerus, after a week of feasting and drinking, drunkenly tries to subject Vashti, his queen, to the beastly gaze of the drunken princes and people. | |
| 2/3 of the population drink, but 10% of all drinkers drink 1/2 of all the alcohol consumed (NIAAA, Sixth Special Report to US Congress on Alcohol and Health, USDHHS, 1/87, p. 3). | No wise person will allow himself to be deceived by wine which is a mocker, or by strong drink which is raging. | |
| From 1985 to 1992, the economic costs of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems rose 42% to $148 billion. (NIAAA, news release, 5/13/98). | Drinking Leads to Poverty | |
| In the past decade, four times as many Americans died in drunk driving crashes as were killed in the Vietnam War (NHTSA, 1995) | Admonishes to refrain from even looking upon wine. | |
| Heavy and chronic drinking harms virtually every organ and system in the body (NIAAA, AHRW, Vol. 17, No. 2, 1993, p. xxvii). | Strong drink produces sorrow, woe, contentions, babbling, wounds without cause and redness of eyes. | |
| Heavy and chronic drinking contributes to approximately 65% of pancreatitis cases (NIAAA, AHRW, Vol. 17, No. 2, 1993, p. 171). | At the last alcohol bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. | |
| An association has been established in homosexual and heterosexual populations between alcohol use, and behavior that increases risks for contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (NIAAA, Eighth Special Report, op. cit., p. 245). | Alcohol fills mens minds with impure and perverse thoughts. | |
| In 1996 drinking and driving killed a human being every 31 minutes(National Highway Traffic Safety {NHTSA}, Traffic Safety Facts, 1996). | Alcohol brings on danger, accidents and insecurity. | |
| 4.4 million "binge" drinkers ages 12-20 (consumed 5 or more drinks in a row on a single occasion in 1996) (National Institute on Drug Abuse {NIDA}, 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse). | Insensibility follows drinking, rendering man into a clod; and it is habit forming so that the drinker upon awakening seeks it "Yet again". | |
| 3 million violent crimes (including rapes, robberies, sexual assaults; aggravated and simple assaults) occur each year in which the victims perceive the offender to have been drinking at the time of the offense. (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Alcohol and Crime," 1998). | Officials with the responsibility of human life on their hands should not imbibe. | |
| Heavy and chronic drinking is associated with cardiovascular diseases like cardiomyopathy, hypertension, arrhythmias, and stroke(NIAAA, AHRW, Vol. 17, No. 2, 1993, p. 172). | The writer of Ecclesiastes tried strong drink but in the end admitted that this too was vanity. | |
| Yearly (15%) of robberies involve alcohol use by the offender (US Department of Justice, Alcohol and Crime: An Analysis of National Data on the Prevalence of Alcohol Involvement in Crime, 4/98). | That nation is blessed whose leaders eat for strength and refrain from drunkeness. | |
| 1/2 of all boating fatalities had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .04; BAC's of .10 or more were found in 31% of the fatalities(US Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard, Boating Statistics 1994, 9/95). | Woe in pronounced of those who give themselves to strong drink. | |
| Inmates convicted of murder reported alcohol was a factor in 1/2 the murders committed U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Alcohol and Crime," 1998). | Further woe is pronounced upon drunkards. | |
| Yearly, about 1.4 million incidents of alcohol-related violence are committed against strangers. ( U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Alcohol and Crime, 1998). | Drinking often goes with carnal living. | |
| Heavy and chronic drinking is the single most important cause of illness and death from liver disease (alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis) (NIAAA, AHRW, Vol. 17, No. 2, 1993, p. 165). | A woe is pronounced upon the drunkards of Ephraim. | |
| Alcoholics are 16 times more likely than others to die in falls, and 10 times more likely to become fire or burn victims (NIAAA, Eighth Special Report). | The drunkards of Ephraim are to be trodden down and destroyed. | |
| 70% of alcohol-related incidents of violence occur in the home. ( U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Alcohol and Crime, 1998). | Prophets and priests become incapable of spiritual leadership because of their drinking. | |
| 82% of high school seniors have used alcohol (NIDA, 1997 Monitoring the Future Study, Seconardy School Students). | Drinking accompanies foolish optimism and the sinner's vain hope that his sins will not find him out. | |
| Junior/middle and senior high school students drink 35% of all wine coolers sold in the United States; they also drink 1.1 billion cans of beer(The Centers for Disease Control {CDC}, "Alcohol and Other Drug Use Among High School Students--United States, 1990," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report {MMWR}, 11/91, p. 776). | Reohabites who steadfastly held to total abstinence assured of God's continued blessings. | |
| Drivers under 25 were more likely than those over 25 to be intoxicated in a fatal crash (CDC, "Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities Among Youth and Young Adults - United States, 1982-1989," MMWR, 3/91, p. 179). | Daniel, who refused to drink the king's wine was especially blessed by the Lord. | |
| Based on inflation and population growth, estimated economic costs of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems for 1995 totalled $166.5 billion (NIAAA, news release, 5/13/98). | This is a tragic example of a king who drank and led his people to also. | |
| Per capita arrest rates for alcohol violations (including manufacture, possession and sale of alcohol, but excluding public drunkenness and DWI offenses) are highest at public, 4 year colleges. ( U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Alcohol and Crime, 1998). | Drinking leads to profaning sacred things. | |
| Among the 5.3 million convicted offenders under the jurisdiction of corrections agencies in 1996, more than 36% (Approximately 2 million) were drinking at the time of the offense for which they were convicted. ( U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Alcohol and Crime, 1998). | Moral degradation, of which drinking is a symptom, is ultimately punished by God. | |
| Yearly (27%) of aggravated assaults involve alcohol use by the offender (US Department of Justice, Alcohol and Crime: An Analysis of National Data on the Prevalence of Alcohol Involvement in Crime, 4/98). | Strong drink and immorality go hand in hand. | |
| 2/3 of teenagers who drink report that they can buy their own alcoholic beverages (OIG, HHS, "Youth and Alcohol: A National Survey. Drinking Habits, Access, Attitudes, and Knowledge," Washington, DC, 6/91). | The king, by his drinking was not only made sick, but became scornful as well. | |
| Studies suggest that women metabolize alcohol less efficiently than men, leading to higher blood alcohol in women over a shorter period of time. This difference may make women more vulnerable than men to alcohol-induced liver damage (NIAAA, Eighth Special Report, op. cit., p. xxvi). [For more information, see NCADD's "Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs Among Women"] | Young women were sold for the price of a drink. | |
| Alcohol-related problems more prominent for women than men include serious reproductive and sexual dysfunctions; rapid development of dependence; more serious liver disease; victimization by others, particularly spouses; and sexual victimization ((NIAAA, Eighth Special Report, op. cit., p.275). | Dissolute women, oppressors of the poor, call for their drink. | |
| Alcohol-related crashes cost $46.1 billion, including $5.1 billion in medical expenses in 1996. This represents 33% of all economic costs attributed to motor-vehicle crashes (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention {CDC}, Prevention of Motor Vehicle-Related Injuries, 1997, p. 66). | The evil, idle rich who are given uimbibing wine were not concerned about the affliction of the poor. | |
| Alcohol-related traffic fatalities remain a leading cause of death for teens and young adults (The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention {CDC},Prevention of Motor Vehicle-Related Injuries, p. 150). | Arrogance is inflamed by drink. | |
| 30% of children in grades 4 - 6 report that they have received "a lot" of peer pressure from friends to drink beer; 31% to try marijuana; & 34% to try cigarettes (The Weekly Reader National Survey on Drugs and Alcohol, Middletown, CT, Field Publications, Spring 1995). | It is wrong to lead another to drink. | |
| Heavy and chronic drinking can lead to reduced functioning of the testes and ovaries, which results in hormone deficiency, sexual dysfunction & infertility (NIAAA, Alcohol Alert, No. 26, 11/95). | Drink leads to shame and humiliation. | |
| 40% of on the job fatalities and 47% of on the job injuries can be linked to alcohol use and abuse(Bernstein & Mahoney, "Management Perspectives on Alcoholism: The Employer's Stake in Alcoholism Treatment," Occupational Medicine, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1989, pp. 223-232). [For more information, see NCADD's "Alcohol and Other Drugs in the Workplace" facts.] | Drinking is not consistent with alertness. | |
| Those who murdered intimates admitted drinking the largest quantity for the longest period prior to the offense. ( U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Alcohol and Crime, 1998). | The greatness of John the Baptist is linked with his total abstinence. | |
| Heavy and chronic drinking increases cancer risks, with an estimated 2-4% of all cancer cases believed caused directly or indirectly by alcohol abuse. (NIAAA, Alcohol Alert, No. 21, 7/93). | Christ warns against drunkenness. | |
| Compared with drivers who have not consumed alcohol, the risk of a single-vehicle fatal crash for drivers with BACs at or above .15%, the risk is estimated to be 380 times higher. (NIAAA "Drinking and Driving," Alcohol Alert No. 31, 1/96). | Drinking prevents men from being prepared for the judgement day. | |
| Separated and divorced men and women were 3 times as likely as married men and women to say they had been married to an alcoholic or problem drinker (NCHS, Advance Data, op. cit., p. 6). | All are admonished to walk honestly, not in rioting and drunkeness. | |
| Yearly (25%) of the 1.7 million lesser assaults involve alcohol use by the offender(US Dept. of Justice, Alcohol and Crime: An Analysis of National Data on the Prevalence of Alcohol Involvement in Crime, 4/98). | Christians are admonished not to drink lest a brother be caused to stumble. | |
| In 1996 there were 1.9 million admitted heavy drinkers (those consuming 5+ drinks on the same occasion on at least 5 different days) (National Institute on Drug Abuse {NIDA}, 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse). | Christians are forbidden to keep company with drunkards. | |
| Victims are injured in 60% of alcohol-related incidents of violence. ( U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Alcohol and Crime, 1998). | No drunkard shall inherit the Kingdom of God. | |
| In 1995 21. 5% (262,112) admitted to alcohol treatment programs were under age 24, including 18,194 under age 15(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Services, Advance Report No. 12, 2/97, p.30). | The Lord's Supper is no time for drunkeness. | |
| 9.5 million Americans ages 12 to 20 had at least 1 drink last month (96') (National Institute on Drug Abuse {NIDA}, 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse). | Drunkeness prevents men from inheriting the Kingdom of God. | |
| 3 out of 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives(National Highway Traffic Safety {NHTSA}, Traffic Safety Facts, 1996). | Christians are commanded not to be drunk with wine but to be filled with the spirit. | |
| On an average of every 31 minutes in 1996 a human being was killed in a alcohol-related U.S. traffic fatalities(National Highway Traffic Safety {NHTSA}, Traffic Safety Facts, 1996). | Church leaders must be "not given to wine." |
