What does the Bible Say About Drinking?

A friend asked me for Scriptures that dealt with the subject of the drinking of alcohol.  Many members of my natal family have done battle with the chains of alcoholism for many years and so I am familiar with the effects of drunkenness.  Friend Hubby and I did not choose to imbibe in front of our children until they were young adults.  We wanted to demonstrate to them through our actions that it was possible to drink without becoming drunk, and also that it was possible to lead a joyous life without it.

The first instance of drunkenness in the Bible occurs following the flood that had destroyed every living creature upon the earth except what had been housed in the ark; eight people and some animals.  Everything and everyone that Noah had known was gone.  Life had taken a turn and nothing was the same.  He had seen it coming, tried to warn them, but in the end only he and his family had been saved.

Hebrews 11:7 (TS2009) -  "By belief, Noaḥ, having been warned of what was yet unseen, having feared, prepared an ark to save his house, through which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to belief." 

Is it possible that Noah had a severe case of what modern psychologists call survivor's guilt?  Noah was saved when others weren't and even though he had preached to those around him, still they had not repented.  Elohim had pronounced judgement on the whole lot of mankind.

Genesis 6:5-7 (TS2009) -  "And יהוה saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.   And יהוה was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.  And יהוה said, “I am going to wipe off man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping creature and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 

And yet, of Noah it is said: 

Genesis 6:8-9 (TS2009) - "But Noaḥ found favour in the eyes of יהוה.  This is the genealogy of Noaḥ.  Noaḥ was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. Noaḥ walked with Elohim."

 To be judged the most righteous man on earth could not have been an easy title to hold.  In order to be righteous, he'd also have to be humble so it's not like he wore a neon sign proclaiming his own righteousness before the people.  On the contrary, his humility and fear of The Most High is what motivated his impassioned plea for the people to turn their hearts away from their evil ways.  Even in this time before the Word of Elohim was written in stone, the requirement of righteousness was no mystery.  It was not then nor is it now the equivalent of rocket science.

Micah 6:8 (TS2009) -  "He has declared to you, O man, what is good.  And what does יהוה require of you but to do right, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your Elohim?"  

Noah must have realized that he was not responsible for what had happened to the people, but it still did not prevent him from the emotional effects of what had happened.  So while the flood wiped out mankind, it did not wipe out Noah's memory of alcohol and its effects.

Genesis 9:20 (TS2009) - "And Noaḥ, a man of the soil, began and planted a vineyard." 

It is clear that Noah's efforts were intentional.  This begs the question:  How Long Does It Take for Grape Vines to Produce Grapes?  According to a California online newspaper, "Your backyard grapevine can take up to three years to produce viable grapes, but that timeline is based on several environmental factors as well as how you care for the plant."  According to the Beginners Guide to Wine Making, it "usually take 10-15 days to ferment."  From the flood, it had to have taken Noah at least 3 years and two weeks to create a substance that would make him forget that terrible flood.

The Hebrew word for drunkenness is shakar:

The root-verb שכר (shakar I) means to be or become drunk, which is not all that far removed from the previous verb (to hire; to acquire the services of a person or persons for money) when one realizes that prior to the invention of money, workers were paid in essentials, which were food and drink. The consumption of water was ill advised in urban settings, and ancient civilizations took to drinking beer; young and old, three meals a day. It's probably in that same context that death was deemed the "wage" of sin (ROMANS 6:23), and the kings of the earth were "drunk" with the wine of immorality (REVELATION 17:2).

Drunkenness in the Bible is mostly achieved by the consumption of wine, and please see our article on the noun יין (yayan), meaning wine, for a lengthy look at the literary usages of wine and drunkenness.

The first recorded instance of drunkenness in the Bible is curiously by the same man who is also responsible for the first shipwreck: Noah (Genesis 9:21), although his vineyard (כרם, kerem) probably represents human culture (see our article on the name Noah). Noah became so drunk that he passed out, but our verb שכר (shakar) also covers a less forceful, recreational and social drinking. The eleven brothers of Joseph feasted and "drank" (Genesis 43:34) and so did the lovers of the Song of Solomon (5:1; obviously neither context suggests intense intoxication).

Still, drunkenness is not only an image of plenty and merriment, it also denotes weakness and disgrace (1 Samuel 1:14, Jeremiah 51:57, Nahum 3:11).

Our verb yields the following derivatives:

• The masculine noun שכר (shekar), which denotes a drink that makes drunk (Deuteronomy 14:26, Isaiah 29:9, Micah 2:11). Some translations (NIV) translate this word with "beer", while others use "strong drink," but in the end it's simply unclear whether this word is a proper noun or the name of a particular beverage.
• The adjective שכר or שכור (shikkor), meaning drunken (1 Samuel 25:36, 1 Kings 16:9) or drunken one (Isaiah 28:1, Joel 1:5).
• The masculine noun שכרון (shikkaron), meaning drunkenness. This word occurs only in Jeremiah 13:13 and Ezekiel 23:33, both times denoting a decidedly unpleasant state of distress and perplexity brought about by God.

In the Hebrew culture, nouns are described by their function, not by how one feels about them.  If something functions the way it was created (such as in the days of creation), it is said to be good.  Alcohol (or any other non-man-made substance one may use) does have a proper function that would be good.  There are a few verses that speak in favor of using alcohol.  

Psalm 104:13b-15 (TS2009) - "The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.  Causing the grass to grow for the cattle, And plants for the service of mankind, To bring forth food from the earth, and wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make the face shine, And bread which sustains man’s heart."

From these verses we see that wine was a gift to man to make his heart glad.  The drinking of wine during celebratory times such as the Feast Days (Leviticus 11) or weddings such as the wedding of Cana where Yeshua (Jesus) turned the water to wine (John 2:1-11).

We should NEVER drink in service to Yehovah.  It is thought that one reason why Aaron's sons Nadab and Abahu offered up strange incense and were annihilated was because they had been performing their duties while under the influence of alcohol. 

Leviticus 10:8-11 (TS2009) - "And יהוה spoke to Aharon, saying, “Do not drink wine or strong drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Meeting, lest you die – a law forever throughout your generations, so as to make a distinction between the set-apart and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and to teach the children of Yisra’ĕl all the laws which יהוה has spoken to them by the hand of Mosheh.” 

Obviously, alcohol impairs our judgment.  Under the influence of alcohol Noah went to bed naked and was seen by his son.  He pronounced a curse on his grandson that influenced generations of Europeans to oppress people of color believing they had a right to because of Noah's curse.  Under the influence of alcohol, Lot slept with both of his daughters.  Isaiah 28 describes a disgusting scene of drunken revelry by those who are supposed to be shepherding the flocks of Yehovah.

Isaiah 28:7-8 (TS2009) - "And these too have gone astray through wine, and through strong drink wandered about.  Priest and prophet have gone astray through strong drink, they are swallowed up by wine, they wander about through strong drink, they go astray in vision, they stumble in right-ruling.  For all tables shall be covered with vomit, no place without filth."

 Alcohol is like a pied piper, leading the foolish into places they ought not be.

Proverbs 20:1 (TS2009) - "Wine is a scoffer, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise."   

The Apostle Paul's admonition against drunkenness is most often quoted in the King James Version:

Ephesians 5:18 (KJV) - "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"

The Scriptures version says it this way:

Ephesians 5:18 (TS2009) - "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is loose behaviour, but be filled with the Spirit."   

We can see that it is not a sin to drink alcohol, but it is a sin to get drunk.  So how much is too much?  According to a website called Drunk Man's Guide, after the first or second drink:  "This initial onset of pleasure causes the person to crave another drink.  After all, if one drink made me feel this good, just imagine how good you'll feel after another?"  It goes on to say, "As your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) rises to around 0.08% you generally have positive feelings.  This is really the optimum level, and for most people this means about one drink per hour."  One drink per hour!  Anything more than that would be considered drunkenness.  The article goes on to describe what happens to your body when you exceed one drink per hour.

As you will see by reading the rest of this article, continued consumption of alcohol past the 0.08% BAC point will not result in more pleasure. Instead, you will start to experience problems.

At around 0.10% your decreased ability to control your muscles becomes noticeable. Many people become emotional at this point and begin to make bad decisions due to a marked decrease in personal inhibitions. The loss of inhibitions and the desire to re-achieve the feelings of elation that were experienced at lower BAC levels compels some people to have another drink. It is best to try and resist this temptation.

At around 0.15% BAC you will lose your ability to function with any degree of normalcy. You feel sleepy, your speech is noticeably slurred, and you are no longer in complete control of yourself.

At 0.20% BAC your vision becomes severely impaired. Many people report blurred vision, or seeing double. At this level you are no longer making good decisions. In fact, you probably aren't making any decisions at all.

At 0.30% the room is spinning, and you might be vomiting. This is falling down drunk. If you find yourself at this point then it is very important to stop drinking. Further consumption of alcohol will likely lead to alcohol poisoning.

Above 0.30% BAC things get dangerous. This is the point where you will most likely pass out. Even if you pass out, your BAC will continue to rise as your body attempts to absorb the alcohol still in your stomach and small intestine. Hopefully you don't have much left to absorb.

As your BAC increases above 0.35% your respiration will slow and your body's ability to maintain processes begins to fail. This is the danger zone where brain damage, coma or even death can result (around 0.35% to 0.40% or so). This is referred to generally as alcohol poisoning.

The more you drink in a day, the slower your body is able to process alcohol. The enzymes that are required to break the alcohol down become depleted and your liver loses its ability to do its job. The alcohol begins to attack the cells in the liver causing liver damage (more on that later).

The book of Proverbs describes a night of drinking and carousing this way:

Proverbs 23:29-35 (TS2009) - "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who feels hurt without cause? Who has redness of eyes?  Those staying long at the wine, Those going in to search out mixed wine.  Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it gives its colour in the cup, As it flows smoothly; in the end it bites like a snake, And stings like an adder – Your eyes look on strange women, And your heart speaks perversities.  And you shall be as one Lying down in the midst of the sea, And as one lying at the top of the mast, saying, 'They smote me, I was not sick! They beat me, I did not know! When shall I wake up?  Let me seek it again!'”

The Recovery Village, an alcoholic rehabilitation center has a self-test to make one aware if he or she is indeed an alcoholic.

Ten Warning Signs You’re An Alcoholic:  The following are ten warning signs of alcoholism that might help answer the question “Am I an Alcoholic?”:

• Drinking alone and in secrecy
• Losing interest in other activities that were once enjoyable
• Alcohol cravings
• Making drinking a priority over responsibilities, such as employment and family
• Alcohol withdrawal symptoms (sweating, anxiety, etc.)
• Extreme mood swings and irritability
• Feelings of guilt associated with drinking
• Having a drink first thing in the morning
• Continuing to drink, despite health, financial and family problems
• Inability to stop or  - control the amount of alcohol that’s consumed

But what about when Paul tells Timothy to drink some wine? 

1 Timothy 5:23 (TS2009) - "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent ailments."   

One of my readers pointed out in the comments section below about the oft-touted benefits of fermented foods, including fermented grapes a.k.a. "wine."  Remember that water in biblical times did not flow through a closed system and was subject to parasites and other water-borne illnesses.  WebMD has a whole discussion on the health benefits of fermented foods.  Dr. Axe has a discussion about the benefits of red wine verses white wine as well.  Please note that Paul tells Timothy to use a LITTLE wine.  A little!  Please do not take this verse out of context to say that Paul is telling Timothy, "Bottoms up!  The more the merrier!" 

I pray that this helps to answer questions about the biblical use of alcohol.

Shalom and blessings!