What's wrong with drinking? The answer is: nothing. The Bible never forbids people to drink alcoholic beverages. Some fundamentalist Christians of various stripes may be appalled to see any believer drink, but the fact is that Scripture has not blanket prohibition of drinking.

According to the Bible, the problem with alcohol is not its use, but its abuse. We may not call sin what the Bible does not call sin.

One abuse of alcohol clearly forbidden is drunkenness. To be drunk is to be so affected by alcoholic drink that you lose normal control over bodily and mental faculties. The Bible views drunkenness as a real threat for all believers. That's why there are so many warnings against it. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul says that drunkards will not inherit the Kingdom of God (v. 10). The church is even warned to be careful not to appoint leaders who are addicted to wine (1 Timothy 3:38). Drunkenness is typical of the old Gentile way of life, and must be avoided (1 Peter 4:3).

Proverbs 23 contains a famous description of the drunkard. Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine, those who go to try mixed wine. Do not look at wine, when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. At last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder. Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind perverse things. You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast.

They struck me, you will say, but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink.

This passage describes the deceit of alcohol. It goes down smooth and feels so good. But it leads to delirium, to the spinning of the head, to wounds (caused by bar fights etc.). Drunk people lurch about in an utterly degrading manner. Verse 35 is the saddest part of all. When the drunk comes to his senses, he is so depressed that all he can say is: "Get me another drink." He resubmerges himself in alcohol.

These verses speak then about the habitual drunkard at the party or bar and about the wino, the alcoholic, about people who have a passionate, slavish desire for wine and yet more wine (or beer or rye etc.).

But what about the more sophisticated uses of alcohol? There are many people who have never (or only rarely) engaged in a wild drinking bout. They don't lurch and stagger about, they don't get super aggressive or noisy, and they don't vomit on the table.

Yet they drink. They drink regularly. Each weekend find them at home with friends and the inevitable case of beer. Or else they while away many valuable hours at the lounge or bar. If we are honest, we will admit that these practices have become common in our circles.

Why has this happened? For one thing, people have more money than in previous times. Even in the Bible, most warnings against drunkenness are directed against rulers and aristocrats, since only they could afford the habit. Even today, however, alcoholic beverages are expensive. Widespread usage by young people reflects poor stewardship. Proverbs 20:20, 21 warn us of a frequent connection between drinking and poverty. Drinking empties our pockets and can kill drive and ambition.

But still, why is drinking so popular amongst young people? Why can many hardly imagine a get-together without some form of booze? Is the answer not to be found in the mood-altering power of alcohol? Alcohol is a drug. It changes the way we feel about ourselves. It can temporarily reduce tension. It makes people feel looser, at ease and more able to enjoy a social gathering.

In addition, a few drinks can make contact with the other sex a little smoother. Booze unseals the lips. It can make you feel more confident! Of course, the alcohol industry contributes to our attitudes concerning alcohol. Their ads display drinkers in a fun-filled environment. We see beautiful men and women laughing and joking, being close to each other and seemingly on top of the world in every respect.

It's pretty clear then, that not too many people drink alcoholic beverages because they are thirsty. They drink instead, because alcohol has a pleasant short-term impact on their state of mind.

Is this permissible? Are we allowed to enjoy the effects of alcohol? I think the answer is that, in moderation, we may. Psalm 104:15, for example, states that God gives wine "to gladden the heart of man." A glass of wine or a mug of beer can be enjoyed as a created gift and can refresh and cheer us – as does a good slice of bread. Our Lord also drank wine. Although some may choose to abstain, this may not be enforced as a rule.

But still, our drinking habits are very much open to question.

• First of all, there is the question of environment. If you are going to drink, you must ensure that you do so as a Spirit-filled believer. Remember that the Spirit is Holy. This means that He is grieved when you choose to go to an unholy place, for example, to the bar which caters to a completely worldly life of excess and debauchery. It may be safely said that as you walk into the bar, the Holy Spirit walks out on you.

• Secondly, ask yourself why you drink. The man who drinks because he feels he must to be a man among men, or to be accepted, or to project the kind of image he wants to have, or who drinks to deal with his problems of loneliness and anxiety, is a person headed for trouble and possibly to a lifetime dependency on alcohol. Teenage alcoholism is a rampant social plague in North America. Some of you may be a lot closer to this nightmare than you think.

• Ask yourself these questions: Are you looking forward to your next drink already, even though you won't have it for another hour or two? Do you drink to overcome shyness? Is drinking affecting your reputation? Have you gotten into financial difficulties because of drinking? Has drinking decreased your ambition? Do you crave a drink at a definite time every day? Do you want a drink the next morning? Do you drink to escape worries or troubles? Do you drink to boost self-confidence? Do you turn to unsuitable companions and an inferior environment when drinking? Do you drink alone? Do you drink because of peer pressure?

If you answer yes to a few of these questions you are almost certainly on the road to alcoholism! Of course, you may have said "no" to all the questions. Even then, you may still be in the grip of alcohol, since alcoholics notoriously deny they have a problem. Even as slaves of liquor, they maintain they are "in control." And often they'll keep saying that until they die an alcohol-related death. In the end alcohol "bites like a snake and poisons like a viper."

So the rule must be: "Let the User Beware." Think of the tens of thousands who die each year in North America in alcohol-related traffic deaths (not to mention the hundreds of thousands who are injured). Talk to the police and ask how much crime is alcohol-related. This is what they say: 80% of murders; 70% of assaults; 60% of child abuse; 50% of rapes; 50% of fires and drowning; 40% of home accidents; 33% of suicides are alcohol-related.

And think also of the damage to the alcoholic himself: wasted health, reduced efficiency and drive, broken relationships and constant guilt. (By the way, if you find yourself in this portrayal of the alcoholic, please call your elder or minister and have him get you in touch with necessary help. You're not going to win the battle alone.)

But let’s look at some other effects of alcohol which can hurt even if you don't drink a lot and even if you are convinced that you are not on the road to alcoholism. First of all, even in smaller amounts, alcohol robs you of a clear mind. Professional counselors have concluded that after one or two beer or drinks, gaiety increases and inhibitions begin to recede. After 3-4 beer or drinks, judgment is slower, coordination is off and you get a little giddy. After 5-6 drinks, vision gets blurred, speech is fuzzy and reaction time is slower. After 6-8 drinks, people start staggering, they see double and lose their sense of balance.

Obviously, people fall "under the influence" long before they are stone drunk. We can summarize the effects of alcohol by saying that when you drink you almost immediately begin to lose some control over yourself.

Such loss of self-control is forbidden in Scripture. In Ephesians 5:17,18, the apostle Paul writes as follows:

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit.

Drinking causes us to lose self-control. It robs people of the keen edge of Christian discernment. Many people have to live with lifelong consequences of a single instance of abusing alcohol. We don't need to seek excitement and "freedom" from the excessive use of alcohol, for that leads to debauchery, that is, to recklessness and unrestrained behavior. And we don't need the cheap high of alcohol. It ends quickly and usually leaves us feeling worse than before.

What we need is the Holy Spirit. We need to beg God unceasingly to fill us with His Holy Spirit. When He dwells in us, we don't lose, but gain self-control. Drinking can cause us to lose inhibitions. We forget the will of the Lord. Our intelligence is diminished. But when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, then our minds are sharpened. Our sensitivity is enhanced. We gain a finely-tuned sense of knowing God's will. Our spirits are lifted in true, Christian exhilaration.

In conclusion, if you are going to drink, remember that you are dealing with a dangerous substance. Every beer can and every bottle should be marked with a skull and crossbones. Even as you drink you may never allow those bottled spirits to drive out the Holy Spirit!

Practically speaking, this means avoiding the bar and lounge scene. It means that you consume no more than one or at the very most two drinks on any one occasion. And as a final point, Spirit-filled believers do not feel the need to always have alcohol on hand whenever they come together as young people. If alcohol is always present, that is in itself a clear sign of abuse, and it must be stopped. (It may also be appropriate to mention that drinking by minors is illegal in all public places. And even in private homes, minors may only drink if the liquor is provided under supervision of a parent or guardian.)