Creator knows how we are made, and his Word permits moderate use of alcoholic drinks. (Ps. 104:15; 1 Tim. 5:23) But the Bible also warns against ‘heavy drinking,’ and it strongly condemns drunkenness.—Prov. 23:20, 21, 29, 30; 1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Eph. 5:18.

Use of alcoholic beverages or abstinence from them is viewed as a personal matter among Jehovah’s Witnesses. But they adhere to the Scriptural requirement that overseers must be “moderate in habits.” That expression is translated from the Greek ne·phaʹli·on, which means, literally, ‘sober, temperate; abstaining from wine, either entirely or at least from its immoderate use.’ Ministerial servants too must be men “not giving themselves to a lot of wine.” (1 Tim. 3:2, 3, 8) So, heavy drinkers do not qualify for special service privileges. The fact that those taking the lead among Jehovah’s Witnesses set a good example gives them freeness of speech in helping others who may be inclined to rely on alcoholic beverages to cope with stress or may, in fact, need to be total abstainers in order to remain sober.