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Old 02-20-2009, 12:02 PM
 
Location: Twin Cities
3,570 posts, read 8,695,151 times
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I've often wondered what the attraction is to drinking so much alcohol that one gets rip roarin' drunk. I've heard that you have a better time at a party if there is alcohol. Why is that?

Can a Christian drink alcohol? I believe so. I don't believe it's a sin to drink in moderation. I also believe that drinking alcohol can be a stumbling block for many so Christians need to be cognizant of that.

I grew up in a family where drinking was simply a part of our everday life. If mom and dad weren't having a drink after work or with dinner, then someone must be ill. Family gatherings always included Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and all of their companions. Special occassions called for the good Irish stock to come out.

So yes, I have been around drinking and have also been an active participant. However I'm simply at a place now in life where I truly don't get it. Why get trashed? Why? What makes it so exciting? I hear of people who "gear up" for a lot of drinking while on vacation. Again, just don't understand that mindset. Any thoughts?

And really, on the biblical end of things since this is the Christianity forum, all things are okay in moderation.
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Old 02-20-2009, 12:14 PM
 
7,784 posts, read 14,844,585 times
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Escape
Release
To deal with stress
Actually, a coping mechanism for any situation

The list goes on and on.

My question to you is:

Why do you drink at all?

Why not a glass of tea or a pepsi or water.

Why do you reach for alcohol if something else is available?

I'm not saying you are right or wrong in your decision, mind you. I'm just kinda flipping the question around.
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Old 02-20-2009, 12:14 PM
 
1,788 posts, read 4,740,383 times
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Different people use different methods to get high. Some people prefer chemical methods, some are adrenalin junkies, some veg out too much on the computer, and other people prefer to get a religious "high". It's all the same, just different methods of numbing or stimulating yourself.
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Old 02-20-2009, 12:26 PM
 
Location: Mississippi
6,712 posts, read 13,424,067 times
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I used to make a point of it to get completely, knock-down, drag-out hammered when I was in my late teens and early twenties. Living in Tokyo where the bars don't close, I can specifically remember on more than one occasion actually partying for twelve to fifteen hours. I used to love it because it seemed like everyone in the whole city was drunk on Friday and Saturday nights, the bars didn't close and everyone seemed loose, laid back and the 'nerves' of societal interaction were lowered due to the alcohol. So, the alcohol served several purposes... It fueled a desire to interact with people on a less 'guarded' level, it could be a common social topic universal to people of any language or culture (i.e. - "What would you like to drink?", "Can I buy you a drink?", etc...). This, of course, fueled a sort of 'superstition' that the alcohol was the thing to be worshiped and there was an embodiment and embrasure of the thing that aided in these social gatherings. So, what do people do when they worship things? They immerse themselves in it and that's exactly what we did.

Despite the extreme punishment I knew what I was going to face the next day I would continue doing it because... that's just the way things were. I don't drink nearly as much now... In fact, I'm lucky to get plowed over once a month but I'll still do it if the mood strikes me just right. Why do I do it? At this point, it's usually a social thing. I'll be in a group of people, everyone's drinking, I'll have a beer or two, decide they taste really good, have a few more beers, then I'll decide that I'm catching a really good buzz that I don't want to stop, so I'll have a few more beers, then I realize that my buzz is good so I'll break out the tequila and do some shots to maintain the buzz, then I'll chase it with a few more beers followed by a little more tequila and before you know it, my buzz has turned into me saying things to my boss' wife like "Hey baby, you ever run with the bulls in Spain?" And then everything gets interesting...
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Old 02-20-2009, 12:35 PM
 
Location: Twin Cities
3,570 posts, read 8,695,151 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpha8207 View Post

My question to you is:

Why do you drink at all?

Why not a glass of tea or a pepsi or water.

Why do you reach for alcohol if something else is available?

I'm not saying you are right or wrong in your decision, mind you. I'm just kinda flipping the question around.
I don't drink alcohol anymore. I gave it up when my father almost died due to alcoholism. He still drinks as does my mom...I refuse to drink because I see what havoc it's wreaked in my family. Alcoholism runs rampant in the rest of my family too....so I choose to step back.
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Old 02-20-2009, 12:44 PM
 
1,788 posts, read 4,740,383 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hoosier View Post
I don't drink alcohol anymore. I gave it up when my father almost died due to alcoholism. He still drinks as does my mom...I refuse to drink because I see what havoc it's wreaked in my family. Alcoholism runs rampant in the rest of my family too....so I choose to step back.
Good on ya! Alcoholism is a choice, not a disease. You should be proud of yourself for having a handle on it, given your genetic disposition.
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Old 02-20-2009, 01:14 PM
 
Location: Gaston, North Carolina
4,213 posts, read 5,805,723 times
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There is a variety of excuses but I believe the real reason is they start by thinking it is something great or expected because of peer pressure or because Mom and Dad did it. They get addicted and feel they have to have it, then more excuses come into play and they actually convince themself it releaves stress or helps them cope or helps them forget when in actuality very often it just help push their problems off on someone else while they are delerious and it often times amplifies what is bothering them. My father died from alcohol abuse, his liver ruptured. He drank to cope with the pain of Vietnam, but as I told him his drinking made him take Vietnam out on everyone else. My grandfather died 10 months before my father of the same thing. His deal was he had a rotten childhood and my grandmother mentally abused him so he drank to get away from her. I can attest to the abuse by my grandmother but when it really came down to a true reason for both my father and grandfather, they enjoyed the taste. I can relate, I drank beer because I enjoyed the taste, no other reason, I dont drink very often and when I do I usually dont finish it because I just dont have a taste for it anymore. I actually have three beers in my frige that have been there for over 6 months, there were 4 but I opened one, took a swallow and poored the rest out because it tasted like crap. I believe the Lord has removed that from my life like so many other bad things and I see this as growth in my faith.
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Old 02-20-2009, 01:45 PM
 
Location: Columbia, SC
10 posts, read 29,587 times
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When I was living in England, as a family it was customary through society, to visit a local pub and to socialize with friends young and old. As a married couple with children you would sit in the eating area and socialize with a drink. This continued on through teens and then on to adulthood. I remember after church seeing the preacher in there drinking a pint of beer. Now living in the US most social gatherings tend to be based around alchol. I too have over indulged on a number of occassions and this is becoming less as I get older. It is rare for me to have beer in the fridge as I tend to be more of a social drinker. Stats show that to drink between 3-5 beers a day means you are addicted! Living in the south, 99% of people that I meet and or employ have alcohol somewhere in their home. The worst thing about over drinking is that you can make a fool of yourself, say the wrong things or to be load! My biggest concern is the 21 and over here in the US, as drinking is a major issue. I have been running a number of promotions recently for a number of companies tied to the beverage industry, where I was re-introduced to my past teen years. Although everyone was having fun, I wondered how many of our younger generation will suffer with heart and liver disease, which could end their life early. I tend to work long hours and sometimes to meet deadlines I have to phone a number of my sales and promo teams, some slur through drink and I have to worry about them if this is an on going every night occassion. I have turned to the Bible and searched on drinking and found this info on the web: [url=http://www.biblestudy.org/question/is-it-a-sin-to-drink-wine-alcohol.html]Is it a sin to drink wine or alcohol?[/url] We are all sinners in one way, or another and I keep my life as clean as possible with the odd flaw in my life. I do not encourage excessive drinking to others and keep both personal and business life, as ethical and honest, as God intended through Biblical scriptures.
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Old 02-20-2009, 02:00 PM
 
Location: LAT: 40.77 LON: 73.98
605 posts, read 1,103,591 times
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I don't drink, but I will admit I watch The world's Dumbest on TruTV just to laugh my butt off watching drunk people do some of the craziest things.

Personally I could never understand the fascination with getting wasted just like could never understand the fascination with ingesting smoke to get a high.This coming from a person who grew on an island where a mixed drink is $1.50 and marijuana grows wild in my backyard. A bottle of white Hennessey costing $75 dollars here is half that back home.
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Old 02-20-2009, 02:43 PM
 
Location: Pilot Point, TX
7,874 posts, read 14,103,804 times
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Good points have been made already, but I'll say that "drowning" or "running" from problems is probably the biggest reasons. I was guilty of drinking myself into oblivion and smoking my share of hay bails worth of pot, not to mention shooting meth when I was younger.

There it is, you know my past - praise His holy name it's not my future.

There is the smaller faction of people who earnestly try to get closer to God by going into altered states, but it's my opinion that you only put up a wall when doing these things.
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