“By definition, drinking is the consumption of beverages containing ethyl alcohol.\u00a0 From a sociological viewpoint, drinking is described as a particular group’s customary way of using beverage alcohol.\u00a0 Such a custom is learned by other members of that group and is continued by the group because drinking serves to promote interpersonal relations and to enhance feelings of camaraderie and solidarity.\u00a0 The pleasure derived from drinking is primarily reciprocal, that is, drinking by one of the group brings satisfaction to the other drinkers.\u00a0 Alcohol is seen as the ‘social lubricant’ in which the conscience is dissolved and rigid inhibitions are lowered. For Americans, this social drinking is the common way of using alcoholic beverages.” Carroll, Charles R., Drugs in Modern Society<\/em>, 2nd Edition, William C. Brown Publisher, Dubuque, Iowa, 1989, page 106.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Photo by Kelsey Chance on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n There are enough factors involved in the use and abuse of alcoholic consumption to warrant intelligent people to strongly favor complete prohibition again. (See the Eighteenth Amendment at the end. drs).<\/p>\n The apostle Paul wrote, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God<\/em>” (Galatians 5:19-21)<\/p>\n The words here should register deeply in the heart of those who fear God — for those who do not fear God, may God give you more time to reflect on where you are headed.\u00a0 The expression “shall not inherit the kingdom of God” means primarily the loss of one’s immortal soul in an eternal hell.\u00a0 The expression may also very well mean that those blessings awarded to those in Christ can never be enjoyed by one whose life is filled with the works of the flesh.\u00a0 In other words, there is no place for the individual who engages in these works of the flesh either in the church now or heaven after a while.<\/p>\n But someone is probably going to think, “That condemns drunkeness — not drinking.”\u00a0 But read\u00a0it again.\u00a0 Peter wrote, “For the time past of [our] life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries<\/em>” (I Peter 4:3).\u00a0 Look carefully at the wording.<\/p>\n First, note the expression “excess of wine.”\u00a0 That means very clearly that a danger exists in the very act of drinking wine.\u00a0 But it is not only the excess of wine that is condemned, notice also “revellings.”\u00a0 Revellings are boisterous parties in which drinking of alcoholic beverages, or other mind altering substances are ingested causing drunkenness.\u00a0 Then there is the word “banquetings.”\u00a0 Another word for it is drinking parties.<\/p>\n The late G.W. Blenkin, a “Fellow” of Trinity College in England, wrote on the term\u00a0potois<\/em>, “carousings, drinking-parties,” and noted that this is the single instance of the use of this word in the entire New Testament.\u00a0 When people get together to do what is called “partying” hardly anyone is interested unless either drugs or alcohol is available.\u00a0 This is clearly and forthrightly condemned in this passage.<\/p>\n But again, let me give a very simply test relative to any consumption of alcohol at all.\u00a0\u00a0Is there any doubt that those who engage in drunkenness, wine swillings, drug abuse, and the other works of the flesh are endangering their immortal souls?\u00a0 Since that is a very real and serious danger, what is the single best way to avoid ever being drunk or inebriated?\u00a0 The answer I have is very simple — never drink alcohol, never use drugs of any kind for recreational purposes, and never encourage others to do so.\u00a0 That is the best and sure fire way to avoid any disasterous fall out from a sinful life.<\/p>\n Should one take the first drink of liquor? Jesus told of a householder who employed a steward to look after his affairs (Luke 12:42ff). The steward was unfaithful and mean. Verse 45 reads, “But if that servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken.<\/em>” Notice that the term for “drunken<\/em>” is from the Greek\u00a0methuo,\u00a0<\/em>which is defined as inebriation or drunkenness. Question: When did the evil steward begin beating the servants? Answer: with the first blow. When did he begin eating? With the first bite. When did he begin to be inebriated or drunk? Answer: With the first drink.<\/p>\n If this sounds like someone wanting to return to the “Prohibition Era,” that cannot be helped.\u00a0 One of the strangest inconsistencies any society has ever generated is the one where we legalize the sale and consumption of ethly alcohol but make other drugs illegal.\u00a0 Prohibition is a bad word in society, for it harks back to a so-called “Puritanical Past.”\u00a0 But have we improved things?\u00a0 Consider some rather startling facts.<\/p>\n Alcoholic Consumption in America Supports a Huge Financial Industry.\u00a0 Americans, today, spend an average of 31 billion dollars annually on alcoholic beverages.\u00a0 That brings in around 13 billion dollars in revenue and taxes.\u00a0 This makes it possible for our nation to have better schools, roads, and public facilities — among other things.\u00a0 But the facts show clearly that this is the worst kind of business procedure.\u00a0 The very same statistics show that between 117 and 120 billion dollars are required because of problems directly related to alcohol consumption.\u00a0 These problems include deaths, loss of work productivity, rehabilitation programs, the bureaucracy involved to administrate it, the cost in property damage (including a huge amount of automotive insurance costs in both premium increases, repair and\/or replacement of wrecked automobiles), law enforcement administration, and prisons (already well overcrowded).\u00a0 No business could remain in operation with such figures on their books.<\/p>\n Look at those figures again.\u00a0 We have a homeless problem that is escalating rapidly.\u00a0 If you subtract 13 billion dollars from 117 billion (the conservative cost figure alcohol-related problems cause) you come up with 104 billion dollars.\u00a0 That might be appreciated by some homeless people.\u00a0 And if alcoholic beverages were completely eliminated, banned, prohibited, and made unavailable would that not reduce some of the homeless problem by eliminating at least some of the “winos” and street drunks?<\/p>\n It is argued that if liquor is made illegal and unavailable someone will find a way to illegally produce it.\u00a0 In some instances, there may be some merit to that argument.\u00a0 But, in the case of alcoholic consumption, with its related problems and expense, will someone just show how legalizing it, making it available, and taxing it has helped our nation as a whole?\u00a0 That would be interesting.<\/p>\n (Proposed 18 December 1917; Declared ratified 29 January 1919).<\/p>\n After one year from the ratification of this article, the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.\u00a0 The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.<\/p>\nThis article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of submission hereof to the States by the Congress.\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Dudley Ross Spears We live in a world where social drinking is accepted by over two-thirds of our entire population.\u00a0 That segment also accepts just about any other kind of drinking.\u00a0 But social drinking has been elevated a few steps above ordinary honkey-tonk or bar room drinking.\u00a0 No matter what name it is known…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[371],"class_list":["post-25182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-alcohol"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25179,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-you-tell-me-your-source-for-your-opening-statement-in-social-drinking\/","url_meta":{"origin":25182,"position":0},"title":"Can you tell me your source for your opening statement in “Social Drinking”?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 10, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm an addictions counselor. Having recently read your article \"Social Drinking,\" (Dudley Ross Spears), I have a question: How did you come up (substantiation for) with your opening statement: \"We live in a world where social drinking is accepted by over two-thirds of our entire population\"? Answer: One of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89164,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/social-drinking-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":25182,"position":1},"title":"Social Drinking","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by David McPherson Most folks are clear on the fact that drunkenness is condemned throughout the pages of the Bible. What some are not as clear on is that social drinking is also condemned. \"Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/social-drinking-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":29411,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/drinking-in-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":25182,"position":2},"title":"Drinking in the Bible","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Old Testament Sermon with Audio: Drinking in the Old Testament Article: Old Testament Beverages New Testament Sermon with audio: Drinking in the New Testament Article: New Testament Beverages","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/scan0013_tif-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":34718,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/thank-you-for-all-the-work-you-did-to-produce-the-study-on-drinking-in-the-old-testament\/","url_meta":{"origin":25182,"position":3},"title":"Thank you for all the work you did to produce the study on Drinking in the Old Testament","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear Brother, Answer: Thank you. You may be interested in the companion lesson:\u00a0Drinking in the New Testament. Also, both of these lessons were written in article format and can be found at: Old Testament Beverages New Testament Beverages","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36020,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/adolescent-alcohol-use\/","url_meta":{"origin":25182,"position":4},"title":"Adolescent Alcohol Use","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Source:\u00a0David Murphey, et al., \"Alcohol Use,\" Adolescent Health Highlight, Child Trends, Publication 2012-34, November 2012. Though continuing a downward trend, alcohol use remains a problem among teenagers despite the fact that the minimum drinking age is 21 throughout the United States. 40% of high school seniors, 27% of high school\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51397,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-value-of-taking-a-drink\/","url_meta":{"origin":25182,"position":5},"title":"The Value of Taking a Drink","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kent Heaton Alcohol has always been a demon that plagues man with its sparkle and alluring appeal to the desires of the flesh. Noah planted a vineyard and \"drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent\" (Genesis 9:21). The children of Israel did not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/wineBottles.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25182\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/social-drinking-300x200.jpg\")
\nTHE EIGHTEENTH AMENDMENT<\/h3>\n