Why I don’t drink.

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“Why don’t you drink?” This question has cropped up numerous times over the years in my work with teenagers as a youth minister, and to explain why I don’t drink has always struck me as odd. Alcohol is the only drug in my experience that I’ve had to explain why I don’t use it. And I was asked the question just this past week. I’m intrigued.

So I’m diving into this today. Now – pay attention: this is NOT a discussion as to why you shouldn’t drink, Christian or not. So, I’m not riding some moralistic high horse here. I am not doling out judgement. There are many Christians who will drink wine with a meal, or have the occasional craft beer.

The only thing I would say is that “Is it wrong?” is NOT the only question a Christian needs to ask, and I’ll leave it at that.

I’m Southern Baptist by choice. There are those semi-humorous tags that come along with that. It’s all those don’t’s … over the years, it’s been stuff like Baptists shouldn’t dance, shouldn’t play cards, shouldn’t go to movies, shouldn’t drink – you get the picture. That’s not what this is about.

I’ll try to explain why I don’t drink, and I’ll start with some scriptural acknowledgements. These are well-known:

  • Jesus’ first miracle was the changing of water to wine at the marriage in Cana. I’ve heard people try to explain that the wine of that day didn’t have the alcohol content of what we have today. Well, the word for wine in Greek is oinos, and this is the same word used when the Good Samaritan poured oil and wine on the man’s wounds (there’s an antiseptic quality here).
  • Paul famously told Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach’s sake. That oinos again.
  • Ephesians tells us to “not be drunk with wine.” Yeah, that’s oinos. What Jesus made at Cana would make you drunk.

Scripture doesn’t speak of abstaining from alcohol. But it does say plenty about drunkenness. Some simple research will affirm that: Proverbs 20:1, Galatians 5:19-21, Luke 21:34, Proverbs 23:29-35, Isaiah 5:11, and lots more. Drunkenness isn’t going to be a neutral state. Scripture says “Nope.”

In our culture, it’s almost as if sobriety makes people uncomfortable.

Storytime!

When our daughter Amy was preparing for her wedding and subsequent reception, she and Teresa looked at several different venues to host the reception. They trusted me enough to do a little vetting, with the understanding that they had the final say.

One spot I visited was gorgeous. The menu they could put together makes me salivate just to even think about it.

The owner asked me if we wanted an open bar. I said, “Thanks, but no. We won’t be serving alcohol.”

He looked at me like I had seven heads. “W-what?” he stammered.

I repeated myself, but didn’t offer any explanation. Once he composed himself, his face sort of clouded and he said sarcastically, “Well, I hope you folks enjoy your punch and cookies!”

That was that.  I thanked him for his time and left.

Going back further, I could talk about the alcohol-fueled experience that was college life. I sampled stuff a couple of times, and didn’t see the appeal. (More later.) There wasn’t any real pressure on me – about the only comments were along the lines of “What could it hurt?” or “You’d be so funny drunk.”

There was one horrific experience in New Orleans when our marching band performed at halftime for a Saints football game. Afterwards, there were shuttle buses running all night from the French Quarter to our hotel. The little group I was hanging with wanted to go to Pat O’Brien’s, home of the notorious hurricane. I thought the glasses this rum concoction came in were pretty cool, and I wanted one. Of course, I didn’t realize that (a) I could have just purchased a glass, and (b) I could’ve got a non-alcoholic version. I got one for the glass, and figured if I chugged it quickly it wouldn’t affect me. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. I’m not proud of any of that.

About the only other experience I had was as a kid at a wedding reception. There was champagne, and I’d always heard about how wonderful champagne was. I took a sip when no one was looking. It tasted like a burp.

One and done.

There’s your background. I’ve heard every argument for and against. Maybe you’ve gotten curious and have done the same kind of research, and come up with an answer that is consistent with what God teaches you.

For me, here are seven of my reasons for not drinking – why I don’t drink. They may or may not be yours. This may be a non-issue for you.

  1. I just don’t like the taste. Pretty basic, huh? I’d much rather have sweet tea.
  2. We all have this great freedom because of Christ on the Cross. Because of that freedom, we’re allowed to do certain things as Christians without fear of condemnation. (Paul does a deep dive on this in 1 Corinthians 10). But just because I have the freedom in Christ to do something doesn’t mean that I should.
  3. If there is such a thing – this is scientifically debatable – I have an addictive personality. Personalities are complex, and there is no one factor in an addiction, other than you have to be exposed to that substance. Look – I’ve struggled with weight all my adult life, and trying to eat right is a bear. Sugar, for instance, or carbs. Ack. For some folks, it may be drugs, or porn, or social media, or Candy Crush. Perhaps, God forbid, SEC football. Even running! Shopping! Chocolate! You feelin’ me? I just know once something gets ahold of me, shedding it is perfectly awful. Drinking would be a really, really bad idea for me.
  4. If I don’t drink, I don’t have to worry about abusing it.
  5. I’ve seen the bad side of alcohol too, too many times. After performing a few funerals for adults and teenagers who died because of alcohol, you start asking those hard questions. No one sets out to be an alcoholic. Everyone begins with the attitude of “I’m just a social drinker and there’s nothing wrong with it. God doesn’t forbid it.” All those destroyed people, friendships, marriages, life itself – gone. Chocolate typically doesn’t cause that kind of destruction. (We can make a case how someone who doesn’t take care of their health can certainly hurt those they love, too.)
  6. I don’t see how it would make me any closer to God. Okay, bingewatching The Mandalorian, or cheering for the New Orleans Saints doesn’t either. Still, it’s a matter of what would do me the more heinous damage. And it’s also a matter of what has the greater influence on me. Jesus hung out in some seedy places, with folks of questionable character, but He was also the Son of God.
  7. The big one for me, as for why I don’t drink, comes down to the issue of being a stumbling block. There are some areas in life where I don’t want others to follow my example. I’ve been aware, as a father and a student minister, that impressionable eyes were watching me. There’s an argument out there that, as a parent, I could’ve shown my kids how to “drink responsibly.” You know, demystify it. Don’t make it glamorous or treat it like some forbidden fruit. Show it as a part of day-to-day living. Perhaps. But if I were to drink responsibly, and one of my kids couldn’t, or didn’t, then I would struggle with some real guilt there. The exercise of my freedom in Christ would have not been a good thing.

Those are seven of mine. And again, I’m not obligating you to come up with any reasoning, for or against.

In my walk with Christ, I want to stay as close to Him as possible. If anything interferes with that, I need to kick it to the curb and be done with it. Lord knows I struggle with consistency on this one! It’s easy for me to justify most anything. I just don’t want alcohol to be added to that list. There is enough I have to contend with already.

I want to become one with Christ. That means that I shouldn’t do things that get in the way of that.

Be well.

I sure would appreciate your comments below.

 

8 thoughts on “Why I don’t drink.

  1. Our physicians asking if we drink, is a good indicator it is not good for our health to drink on a regular basis.

  2. My reasons are very similar to yours. With a family history of addictions I know I’m one drink away from being an alcoholic and I don’t know which drink that is, so I abstain. Also, I don’t want to be a stumbling block to anyone else. And finally it’s not something that I feel Jesus is calling me to do. Thank you for sharing!

  3. All the things you said are pretty much on target for me, too….and I just don’t like the taste of alcohol, which is a good thing I think..

  4. I have fallen into this question so often. I just never cared anything about it, tastes gross, and also terrified me as I live in a family full of past and present addictions. Being a role model for a now young woman made me think twice about many choices…..And it’s expensive lol!

  5. I agree with what you said, but the stumbling block thing can go both ways. When we make a big issue out of not drinking, it sometimes creates a barrier with other Christians from different denominations and cultures that need not be there. I really wish it could be a non-issue because I’ve seen it perpetuate a stereotype against Baptists that includes being judgemental and hypocritical. Don’t we think ladies who won’t wear pants or makeup in public are missing the point? I think staunch abstainers are viewed the same way by some. I wish Baptists were known more for what we are FOR vs against. But your points are very valid also!

  6. I have never really been drawn to it. If I do drink it is very rare, and I usually only have one or two drinks. I also make sure I am in company I fully trust.

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