drinking - what is too much?

[Guest shekina1c619]

It's been said, in this phorum, and everywhere else that drinking "in moderation" is not a sin. As someone soon to be 21, I'd like some advice on knowing what exactly does "in moderation" mean? How do I know how many drinks is sinful? Obviously the number varies person to person. In defending drinking, I once compared its effects/usage with coffee or Mountain Dew. Would it be fair to say that if alcohol affects you more than a couple cups of coffee or cans of Mountain Dew, then it is sinful?

[Adeodatus]

I don't think it's wise to have an alcohol-Mountain Dew scale for people to look at. Each person has a different metabolism, and anyone who has drunk alcohol recongnises its effects. Initially there's nothing, then a warm, cosy feeling, then mellowness, then you think you're wonderfully witty and the centre of attention, then you think you're God's gift to the world of stand-up comedians, and then it's all downhill from there.

It varies how one goes through these stages I've just devised, especially on what you're drinking and with whom. The sinfulness of drunkenness comes from loosing our control over our actions. I think the stage of mellowness is compatible with having control over oneself (except one shouldn't be driving!). If you think you're witty and the centre of attention, that's probably already the delusion of drink, and is one step too far. In some situations, especially with people you don't know well or can't trust, one should probably stop drinking at the warm, cosy-feeling stage.

The Church will not and cannot draw a chart for you. Instead it urges us to avail ourselves of the Holy Spirit's gift of wisdom and prudence, the ability to know when to do things, and how to do them well. Pray for these gifts, and for friends you can trust and rely on.