2. What questions will we consider about the use of alcohol?

² An enjoyable gift is good only when used properly. For example, honey “is good,” but “the eating of too much honey is not good.” (Proverbs 24:13; 25:27) While drinking “a little wine” may be agreeable, the abuse of alcohol is a serious problem. (1 Timothy 5:23) “Wine is a ridiculer,” warns the Bible, “intoxicating liquor is boisterous, and everyone going astray by it is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1) What, though, constitutes going astray by alcohol?a How much is too much? What is a balanced view in this regard?

“Going Astray” by Alcohol​—How?

3, 4. (a) What shows that drinking to the point of drunkenness is condemned in the Bible? (b) What are some of the symptoms of drunkenness?

³ In ancient Israel, a son who was an unrepentant glutton and a drunkard was to be stoned to death. (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) The apostle Paul admonished Christians: “Quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man.” Clearly, drinking to the point of drunkenness is condemned in the Scriptures.​—1 Corinthians 5:11; 6:9, 10.

⁴ Describing the symptoms of drunkenness, the Bible states: “Do not look at wine when it exhibits a red color, when it gives off its sparkle in the cup, when it goes with a slickness. At its end it bites just like a serpent, and it secretes poison just like a viper. Your own eyes will see strange things, and your own heart will speak perverse things.” (Proverbs 23:31-33) Excessive drinking bites like a poisonous serpent, causing sickness, mental confusion, even unconsciousness. A drunkard may see “strange things” in that he may hallucinate or fantasize. He may also be less inhibited in expressing perverse thoughts and desires that are normally suppressed.

5. In what way is overindulgence in alcohol harmful?

⁵ What if one uses alcohol but is careful not to drink to the point of being visibly drunk? Some individuals show very little sign of drunkenness even after consuming a number of drinks. However, to think that such a practice is harmless is to engage in a form of self-deception. (Jeremiah 17:9) Gradually, progressively, one may develop a dependency on alcohol and become “enslaved to a lot of wine.” (Titus 2:3) Concerning the process of becoming an alcoholic, author Caroline Knapp says: “It’s a slow, gradual, insidious, elusive becoming.” What a deadly trap overindulgence in alcohol is!

6. Why should one avoid overindulgence in alcohol as well as food?

⁶ Consider also Jesus’ warning: “Pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of all the earth.” (Luke 21:34, 35) Drinking does not have to reach the level of drunkenness before it makes a person drowsy and lazy​—physically as well as spiritually. What if Jehovah’s day catches him in such a condition?

10. How can alcohol affect our mind, and why is that dangerous?

¹⁰ Immoderate drinking hurts people not only physically but also spiritually. “Wine and sweet wine are what take away good motive,” states the Bible. (Hosea 4:11) Alcohol affects the mind. “When someone has a drink,” explains a publication by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, “the alcohol is absorbed through the digestive system into the bloodstream and reaches the brain quickly. It begins to slow down the parts of the brain that control thinking and emotion. The person feels less inhibited, freer.” In such a state, we are more likely to ‘go astray,’ to take liberties, and to be exposed to many temptations.​—Proverbs 20:1.