Are you an alcoholic? Do you suspect that a friend or loved one may be an alcoholic? Answer the following questions honestly and forthrightly.

1. Do you lose time from work due to drinking?

2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?

3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?

4. Is drinking affecting your reputation?

5. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?

6. Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of drinking?

7. Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking?

8. Does your drinking make you careless of your family's welfare?

9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?

10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?

11. Do you want a drink the next morning?

12. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?

13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?

14. Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business?

15. Do you drink to escape from worries or trouble?

16. Do you drink alone?

17. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?

18. Has your physician ever treated you for drinking?

19. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?

20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drinking?

It you have answered YES to any one of these twenty questions, there is a definite warning that you may be an alcoholic. These questions have been drawn up by John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. They are widely used in determining whether or not a person is alcoholic. If you have answered YES to any two of the questions, it's very likely that you are an alcoholic. If you have answered YES to three or more of the questions, you are definitely an alcoholic and you definitely need help immediately.

Alcohol is a major chemical ingredient in beer, wine, and other distilled beverages. Alcohol is a natural substance formed by the reaction of fermenting sugar with yeast spores. There are many different kinds of alcohol. The kind found in alcoholic beverages is known scientifically as ethyl alcohol, a colorless, flammable liquid which has an intoxicating effect.

The effects of alcohol vary in proportion to the amount consumed and according to personal physical and psychological differences. In small doses alcohol has a tranquilizing effect, causing a person to feel relaxed and free from tension. In larger amounts muscular coordination, memory, and judgment may be temporarily impaired, as brain activity is depressed. More intake over a short period of time can result in loss of control and dulling the senses. Continued, steady, heavy drinking can completely anesthetize the brain, and result in coma or death.

Several factors contribute to determine alcohol's overall effect on a person. How fast the person drinks and whether his stomach is empty or full affect how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream and is carried to the brain. The type of alcoholic beverage a person drinks also contributes to the effects. The person's weight, his mood when he starts drinking, and even the setting in which he drinks, all contribute to the effects his drinking will have on him.

That alcoholism is a problem in the world can hardly be denied. At present, only one out of three adults in the U.S. is a non-drinker; and one out of nine people who do drink is an alcoholic. Recent studies indicate that 63% of boys and 54% of girls in grade 7 have used alcoholic beverages. By grade 12, the figures increase to 93% of boys and 87% of girls. Alcohol is the most popular drug in the U.S. today, besides being one of the most easily available. Last year over ten billion dollars was spent on drink in our county. At present there are over 5 million alcoholics in the U.S. Alcoholism ranks as the fourth most serious health problem. One out of nine casual drinkers will become an alcoholic; that's better than 10%.

And let's not kid ourselves, the problem exists in our own churches and among our own people. We had better not act as the proverbial ostrich and, confronted by this problem, stick our heads in the sand. But we had better face the fact that there is a problem, and we had better deal with the problem. We all know that there is good deal of "social drinking" among our people. There are also certainly problem drinkers, or alcoholics. Many of our pastors and elders have confronted the problem. It's a problem that shows itself now and again among the younger people. Almost all of us know someone who has had the problem, or has the problem presently.

From a certain point of view, it ought not surprise us that the problem does exist among us. It's not a new problem; it's always been a problem in the church. Genesis 9 tells us of Noah's drunkenness; we know from I Corinthians 11 that there was drunkenness in the congregation of Corinth, drunkenness, mind you, at the Lord's Table. Granted, now, that the problem exists; and granted that we must face the problem; what must be our approach to the problem? How must we deal with it? In this article we want to discuss how the Christian ought to approach the problem of alcoholism.

Basic Symptoms of the Problem⤒🔗

In order for us to discover the problem of alcoholism, either in ourselves or in a friend or loved one, we need to know some of the basic symptoms of the problem.

• One of the first warnings that one is on the way to alcoholism is an increased tolerance for alcohol. Many states have set a level of .10 blood alcohol as the level of legal drunkenness. According to this standard a one hundred fifty pound man who drank three to five twelve-ounce beers (not even a six-pack), or three to five six-ounce glasses of wine, or three to five one-ounce glasses of whiskey would be legally drunk.

• But the point is that the more one drinks, the greater his tolerance level and the less he shows the outward characteristics of being intoxicated. For someone who has been habitually drinking heavily, he may be able to consume more than the minimum described for legal drunkenness and still behave in a fairly normal way. Increased tolerance is a clear warning that one is on the road to alcoholism.

• A second danger signal is what is often called "pattern drinking." This means that the drinker follows a certain pattern in his drinking at the same time every week, say every Friday afternoon after work. Then the pattern intensifies so that the person begins drinking or craving a drink at the same time every day. Especially is this seen in the person who drinks the first thing out of bed in the morning, as soon as he gets home from work in the afternoon, or in order to relax before going to bed at night.

• A third warning signal is a change in behavior. This may involve a change in mood. A person who was happy becomes brooding and moody. A person who was outgoing becomes withdrawn. A person who was quiet and reserved becomes loud and demanding. Note well, these are changes in behavior, not when the person is drunk, but when he is sober. Particularly is this change of behavior noticed within the immediate family: a husband's treatment of his wife, a wife's attitude toward her husband, a parent's treatment of the children, or a teenager's attitude and behavior toward his parents. A husband may begin to abuse his wife, not necessarily physically, but verbally. A wife may begin to be unsubmissive and contrary. A parent may becomes harsh or abusive of the children. A teenager may becomes rebellious and unmanageable. There are definite signs of alcoholism.

• A fourth warning signal is "blackouts." Blackouts are not the same as passing out; we mustn't confuse these. A blackout refers to a temporary amnesia, loss of memory, induced by alcohol. A person who doesn't remember where he was, what he was doing, or with whom he was the day or night before.

• A fifth warning signal is surreptitious drinking, that is, drinking on the sneak. A housewife may hide her liquor in different places around the house; it's reported that a favorite place is the toilet tank. A factory worker may have a bottle tucked away in a secret place at the shop. A farmer may have bottles stashed in strategic places on the farm. This also involves drinking secretly and alone.

All of these are warning signals that a person is on the road to alcoholism. If you yourself show these symptoms, you need help. If a loved one or friend shows any of these symptoms, he needs help and you ought to convince him that he does need help.

The Scriptural View of Alcoholism←⤒🔗

But what kind of help does the alcoholic need? And, where must we go for help? In order to answer these questions, it's important that we answer the prior question: What is alcoholism? What must be our view of the problem itself? Only if we have a proper understanding of the problem itself, will we go on to seek the right kind of help for the problem, and seek that help in the right place.

It must be emphasized that our view of this problem must be derived from Holy Scripture. Our view is not to be based upon the opinions of worldly counselors and psychiatrists, even though they undoubtedly have the advantage of experience and frequency in dealing with the problem. Our view must not even be based ultimately on the testimony of the alcoholic and recovered alcoholic, as valuable as that testimony may be, especially if he is a Christian. But our view must be based upon Holy Scripture. Holy Scripture speaks on alcoholism and drunkenness. The Scriptures describe the problem, its nature and seriousness. The Scriptures provide all the material the Christian needs to understand the essence of the problem, as well as how to approach the problem. And, thank God, the Scriptures also point out the way of deliverance from alcoholism in the sovereign grace of a merciful God. Here, too, we must show ourselves to be Reformed Christians, whose only rule for faith and for life is the Word of God. And we must bow before that Word of God.

What is the Scriptural view of alcoholism? How do the Scriptures describe this problem? First of all, there can be no question that the Scriptures teach us that alcoholism is sin. This is basic, both as regards our view of alcoholism itself and our approach to the alcoholic. Surely, what alcoholism IS is going to determine what our approach must be to this problem. To go astray here will have inevitable bad effects on our approach to alcoholism, and our approach will be less than biblical and really be an approach that does not have the best interests of the alcoholic in mind.

From this point of view, the term "alcoholism" is a bit unfortunate and really a euphemism. The problem we're concerned with is the sin Scripture calls "drunkenness." Nevertheless, we'll use the word "alcoholism." It does have the advantage of carrying the connotation of habitual drunkenness, that one is addicted to alcohol, and not simply that he has once or twice fallen into the sin of drunkenness. But by our use of the word we do not want in any way to take away from the fact that alcoholism is sin.

The biblical proof that alcoholism is itself sinful is clear. That anyone can profess to believe in the authority of Holy Scripture and deny that alcoholism is sin is inexcusable. In Romans 13:13 we read:

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

In this passage the apostle describes drunkenness as a dishonest and unholy walk. In more than one place Scripture speaks of the impenitent drunkard as being outside the kingdom of heaven. 1 Corinthians 6:10: "Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."

In Galatians 5:19-21 drunkenness is classified as a work of the flesh. The prophet Isaiah warns in Isaiah 5:22: "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink."

In Proverbs 23:20, 21 Solomon warns his son: "Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags."

Alcoholism is sin. This is our basic position on the issue of sin versus sickness as regards alcoholism. We certainly do not deny that alcoholism affects a man physically, that there are even serious and permanent effects. Nor would we minimize the physically addictive power of alcohol. But, at bottom, alcoholism is sin. The physical disorders connected to this sin are the results of the sin itself. The problem of alcoholism is a sin problem. This means that the alcoholic is not primarily a sick person, but a person who is guilty before God, a sinner. I can't help it if I catch a cold; and certainly my becoming sick is not itself sinful. This is not true of alcoholism.

That alcoholism is basically a sin, implies that alcoholism is essentially a spiritual problem. Basically the alcoholic doesn't need sobriety, the ability to lead a normal, addictive-free life. Nor is sobriety itself the answer to the problem. But basically the alcoholic needs the forgiving grace of God, a grace that comes only in the way of confession of and breaking with sin.

This position of ours, that alcoholism is sin, is a unique position. This is NOT the position of psychiatrists, counselors, counseling centers, church organizations, and other groups which work with alcoholics today. Both the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association have designated alcoholism as a disease. The most popular group treating alcoholics today, Alcoholics Anonymous (hereafter A.A.), views alcoholism as an illness, an incurable illness.

Secondly, alcoholism is a sin, not only because alcoholism itself is sinful, but because alcoholism leads to other sins. The Scriptures show this plainly. Drunkenness often leads to immorality; for this reason the Scriptures often speak of drunkenness and immorality in the same breath. We have only to think of the wicked scheme of Lot's daughters in Genesis 19:32 ff., according to which they made their father drunken in order to seduce him. Immediately after his warning against drunkenness, Solomon adds in Proverbs 23 a warning against fornication: "Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things," vs. 33.

In Ephesians 5:18 Paul exhorts: "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit."

The "excess" to which the apostle refers is not excess of wine; that's been mentioned already when he spoke of not being "drunk with wine." But the excess is licentiousness, sexual excess, fornication. The effect of alcohol is that it breaks down our natural inhibitions. This exposes us to sin against the 7th commandment.

Besides, drunkenness often leads to violent behavior, recklessness, and carelessness. Always drunkenness strains marital and family relationships. It's true of drunkenness as it is of every sin, that by our sins we hurt those the most who are closest to us.

Even the world recognizes the bad consequences and other sins to which alcoholism leads: 20% of all deadly falls, 20% of all drowning, 20% of deaths by freezing, 50% of all fire deaths, and well over 60% of all fatal car accidents are alcohol related. Alcohol is a contributing factor in over 60% of all suicide attempts, and in over 70% of all murders and violent crimes. In the large majority of child abuse and spouse abuse cases, excessive drinking is a major factor.

In the third place, alcoholism is sin because of the damage, often permanent damage, that it does to the body. Drunkenness tears down the temple of the Holy Spirit, which Paul says our body is in I Corinthians 6:19. Drunkenness leads to ulcers and cancer of the esophagus, stomach ulcers, intestinal ulcers; heaving drinking breaks down the lining of the stomach, causes pancreatitis, hepatitis, permanent and fatal liver damage, degeneration of portions of the brain, damage to the central nervous system, impotency, and serious birth defects in babies born from alcoholic mothers.

This, now, is the sin of alcoholism itself, and the sins with which it is connected and to which it leads.

The Approach of A.A. to the Problem of Alcoholism←⤒🔗

What now is to be our approach to this problem and to the individual who has this sin problem in his or her life? One of the most popular and widespread approaches to the problem of alcoholism today is the approach of A.A.

The Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous is an international organization whose sole purpose is to gain and maintain recovery from alcoholism. The A.A. program is apparently the only program with significant success. A.A. groups exist in nearly every sizable city in the U.S. Nearly all of the treatment and counseling centers in this country use A.A.'s approach, including most of the Christian counseling centers.

A.A. originated with two men trying together to overcome their dependency on the use of alcohol. Bill Wilson, a businessman from New York, and a certain Dr. Bob, a surgeon from Akron, Ohio, were introduced to each other one day by a mutual friend. Soon they became close friends and visited often. Through their conversations they discovered that both of them were struggling against dependency on alcohol. It seemed to them that the more they talked together, the more they were strengthened in their battle against alcoholism. Soon Wilson and Dr. Bob began helping other alcoholics, using as their main approach group therapy. In 1941 The Saturday Evening Post wrote a favorable article describing the approach and accomplishments of Wilson and Dr. Bob. Almost overnight A.A. increased from 1500 members to 8000 members. The movement continued to grow and today has an estimated 750,000 members, in more than 22,000 groups in the U.S. and in 91 other countries around the world.

The approach of A.A. is summed up in what are known as "The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous." These "Twelve Steps" may be regarded as the constitution of A.A. The "Twelve Steps" are as follows:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. We entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

The "Twelve Steps" presents the basic approach of A.A. to the problem of alcoholism. The "Twelve Steps" reflect A.A.'s view of alcoholism itself and how the problem of alcoholism can be overcome. Without going into great detail, we have serious objections to A.A., objections which make it impossible for us to recommend the use, especially the extended use, of A.A. What are these objections?

First of all, we object to the view that A.A. takes of alcoholism, a view that does not regard alcoholism as sin. In the "Twelve Steps" alcoholism is called many things. It is referred to as something that makes the alcoholic's life unmanageable, as taking away the alcoholic's sanity, as bringing injury to others, as a defect of character and a shortcoming. But the "Twelve Steps" come short of describing alcoholism as sin against God.

This failure to view alcoholism as sinful shows itself in all of the A.A. books and pamphlets. In a pamphlet entitled, "A Clergyman Asks About A.A.", this question is asked: "Does A.A. regard alcoholism as a sin?" The answer is given:

As a fellowship, A.A. is committed to no theological concept of alcoholism. A.A. members may be said to be concerned more with handling the problem of alcoholism than with defining it. Within the Society, there is, of course, complete freedom for the individual to express his own viewpoints on this question. Most members regard alcoholism as an illness that cannot be cured but can be arrested by alcoholics who honestly attempt to practice the Twelve Suggested Steps in all their affairs.

Very obviously, A.A. refuses to regard alcoholism as sinful. A.A. refuses to take a biblical view of alcoholism, and rather than regard alcoholism as sin against God, regard alcoholism as an illness for which the alcoholic cannot ultimately be held accountable.

Secondly, the God presented by A.A., the "Higher-Power" whose help the alcoholic is to seek, is definitely not the God of the Scriptures and of the Reformed faith. A.A. does profess belief in a god. In several of the "Twelve Steps" mention is made of God and of "God, as understand Him." In "A Clergyman Asks About A.A." we read:

Reliance upon a Higher Power is, however, central to the success of most men and women who have achieved sobriety in A.A. To many members, this Higher Power is a personal God, to whom they turn for help in achieving and maintaining sobriety. (p. 10).

In Hope For the Children of Alcoholics we read: We don't have to get hung up on God, or imagine Him as a Person. If we can't think of the "Higher Power" as God, we can interpret this step as realizing we don't know everything and other people can help us. The group can be our higher power. If we keep an open mind and really listen for new ways to handle our problems, we will find we won't have to be alone. (p. 13).

For the most part, A.A. does not attempt specifically to define God, or this so-called "Higher Power." His identity is left indefinite. In the "Twelve Steps," after "God" is usually added the phrase "as we understand Him." Yet, in a way, A.A. does in fact define its god. From all the A.A. literature it's very clear that the god of A.A. is not the Sovereign God of Scripture and the Reformed faith, but a weak, helpless, beggar-god who is dependent upon man. He is the kind of God that we conceive Him to be. He is the god of the universalist who loves all men and desires to make all men happy and secure. And above all, He is a god who does not have a Son, Jesus Christ, who saves men from their sins. Never does A.A. speak of Jesus Christ. Because of this false, unbiblical teaching concerning God, we disapprove of A.A.

Thirdly, we object to A.A.'s view of man, which is essentially a Pelagian and Arminian view of man, teaching that a man is saved by his own efforts and his own will-power. In the book One Day At A Time, the alcoholic reader is reminded, "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul," and, "God helps those who help themselves." This Pelagian-Arminian view of man comes out in the "Twelve Steps," especially in Step #3: "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him."

Ultimately, A.A. puts the cause for deliverance from alcoholism, not in the sovereign, saving grace of God, but in the power and efforts of the alcoholic himself. Alcoholism is a terrible thing, but not so terrible that man cannot save himself. Ultimately, the alcoholic is his own savior. On account of this very clear denial of man's total depravity and salvation by grace alone, we cannot recommend A.A.

Besides, in the fourth place, we are concerned about the fellowships and associations struck up through A.A. All different kinds of men and women attend the A.A. group sessions. Many are agnostics, atheists, and humanists. Not only are they not Reformed, but they are outright godless and unbelieving. Attendance at these meetings, we believe, encourages fellowship with unbelievers. These meetings are for encouragement and for mutual support. How is this possible if the majority of an A.A. group are not children of God? It is the testimony of more than one of our ministers that attendance at A.A. meetings, especially by young men and women, was a means to wean these people away from the church, so that they eventually left the church. Because we are concerned with fellowship with unbelievers, we cannot recommend the use of A.A.

Our Approach to the Alcoholic←⤒🔗

We cannot use the approach of A.A., we feel. But what, then, must be our approach? Will we approach the alcoholic? Or will we abandon him? We must approach him.

Our basic approach must proceed from our insistence that alcoholism is sin. Oh, this brings out the urgency of our need to reach out and help the alcoholic. Don't you see: alcoholism is sin. That means that the alcoholic is on the road to hell. He needs our help desperately! We MUST make an approach to the alcoholic! The officebearers must, the pastor and the elders. So must the members of the congregation. We're not always so ready to do that. We hear about someone's alcoholism and our first reaction is that we have contempt for the brother, we put him at arm's length, and deliberately avoid him and his family. But this is wrong. Just ask yourself: Where would I be if the Lord took this kind of attitude toward me on account of my sins? We must approach the alcoholic.

In our approach to the alcoholic, we must not only recognize that alcoholism is itself sinful, but we must recognize that usually alcoholism is caused by other sins. Usually other sins lead to the sin of alcoholism. The alcoholic is filled with fear, anxiety, is unable to cope with the responsibilities and pressures of life. For some reason the alcoholic is unable or unwilling to face the realities of his life. He cannot handle life. And so he turns to alcohol, the bottle becomes his "enabler," his god. Basically, the sin lies behind his alcoholism in his refusal to trust in God. This deeper sin is especially the sin we must address in our approach to the alcoholic. We mustn't be concerned only with his alcoholism, but with what lies behind his alcoholism.

This doesn't mean that there is no place for a treatment center for alcoholics. I believe that there is such a place, even an important place. But I believe that their use should primarily be for what is technically called "detoxification," that is, for getting the alcoholic sober and free from his physical dependency on the alcohol. He must be "dried up," after all, before you can bring him God's Word and before he's in a condition to receive instruction from God's Word. In my own mind, I've thought of it like this: Suppose a promiscuous fornicator, a whoremonger, comes to me for help. As a pastor and as a Christian, I'm called to help that man. But the help that I give the man is spiritual help, instruction out of the Word of God concerning a holy life. But for this man's venereal disease, I send him to the doctor. As a minister I can't treat his venereal disease, and it's not even my calling. For that aspect of the problem he needs a doctor. The same applies, I think, to alcoholism. This sin, too, has consequences in our physical life. For those consequences the help of a treatment center may legitimately be sought. But for what is the root of the problem, the sin problem, what is needed is the Word of God. And since it is the church which preaches and teaches the Word of God, the place where we must seek help for alcoholism is in the church.

We must bring to the alcoholic the Word of God, the whole Word of God. First, we must bring to the alcoholic the Word of God concerning his sin. We mustn't be afraid to confront him with his guilt. For God exactly uses the conviction of the guilt of our sins to bring us to repentance. Secondly, we must speak to him the Word of God concerning God's grace in Jesus Christ for the repentant sinner. We must speak to him of the blood of Jesus which is able to cover any and all sin. And finally, we must bring to him the Word of God concerning a thankful, holy life.

In this way our approach will be an approach that brings about reconciliation between the alcoholic and God, as well as between the alcoholic and the church. The church must receive the repentant alcoholic with open arms. It's a shame, a dirty shame on us that the recovered alcoholic has to go to A.A. for fellowship and encouragement because he can't find it in the church. We must be the kind of people who receive the repentant alcoholic and who stand ready to assist him and encourage him in his life-long struggle against this besetting sin.

Let it be emphasized that our approach to the alcoholic must be a humble approach. We must never approach the alcoholic with a holier than thou attitude. But we must approach him humbly. That means that we must approach him in the consciousness that we ourselves are sinners, the chief of sinners. His sin is not foreign to us. The apostle points this out to us in 1 Peter 4:3:

For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when WE walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.

We are given to excess of wine. This is our nature, too. And if you don't know that about yourself, you don't know the depravity of your nature. The alcoholic's sin is our sin. We too are those who do not trust in God, who often are driven to despair because of the problems and trials of life. What causes him to turn to alcohol, causes us to turn to other things. We know his sin in our own experience. Because we do, we approach the alcoholic humbly. We don't point the finger at him, but together with him we go to the cross and with him beseech forgiveness in the blood of Christ. We may be confident that this approach will be blessed by God. James puts it like this in James 5:19, 20:

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.