Proverbs 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
This passage of scripture teaches us in graphic form the attendant evils associated with the habit of drinking alcoholic beverages in any shape, form, or fashion. The passage also describes the addictive nature of alcohol in verse thirty five, where, in spite of the negative effects we may have experienced, we are driven to consume even more, because those who drink from the broken cisterns of this world's pleasures, are never really satisfied.
The Bible clearly teaches us to refrain entirely from everything that is degrading in nature, and therefore the concept of drinking alcohol in moderation, is a doctrine concocted in the laboratories of hell. If something is not good for us, then it should be avoided altogether, and if it is good, then it must be used judiciously. Anything short of this constitutes bargaining with sin, and the tendency to negotiate with something the Bible has condemned, is the equivalent of trying to cut a deal with the devil, something we are never to do. Let's read:
Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
The effects of imbibing alcoholic beverages is also clearly delineated in the word, so that none need err as to what is God's will concerning this popular habit. Let's read:
Proverbs 31:4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: 5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
However, in attempting to rid ourselves of this plague, we should be aware of the timely instructions given in God's word in overcoming anything that is evil. We should not knowingly place ourselves in places and in circumstances that would make it difficult to resist the urge to drink. The Bible teaches us to exercise a living faith in God when trying to gain the victory, but faith without works is dead, and therefore we must wage relentless war against those urges which exert a gravitational pull on our decision making processes. Let's read:
1st Corinthians 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
1st Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Another very important factor in overcoming alcohol addiction is that of praying without ceasing, for the Christian wins all of his battles on his knees. When we turn to God for help in this, and any other area of spiritual battle, God responds by removing the desire to indulge that which is inherently detrimental to our well being, and as we press our petitions to the throne of grace in prayer, we are infused with increasing measures of His Holy Spirit, so that we are now enabled to withstand the incursions of satanic agencies against our souls.
In our day there are many agencies and products that abound, which offer to their subscribers a permanent solution to the drinking problem. While these are not to be condemned, yet we should be keenly aware that any real and permanent victory, must include the God-factor, or else, that which was once uprooted can return to haunt us, or as is often the case, another vice may step in to take the place of the evicted one. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which focuses our attention on the living God, who is not only able to deliver, but also saves to the uttermost, those who come to Him in faith. Let's read:
Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Let us then move forward in the full assurance of victory, for God is able to keep us from falling if we put our trust in Him. God bless!