Drinking Problems
Some shocking statistics (current as of June, 2008)
National Center for Health Statistics
61% of adults drank alcohol at least once in the last year.
32% of those drank more than 5 alcoholic drinks at least one day within the last years.
Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse
More than 100,000 deaths in USA caused by excessive drinking each year
65% of youth who drink get that alcohol from friends and family
Moderation is not an issue because most do not drink in moderation anyway. 74% of men and 72% of women drink more than what has been deemed “low risk”
Youth who drink are 50 times more likely to use cocaine.
Men are 4 times more likely to be heavy drinkers than women
Alcohol kills 6 ½ times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined.
In the last 30 days: 5-% of high school seniors said they drank alcohol; 32% said they were drunk at least once in the last 30 days.
McNeese.edu
College students spend 5.5 Billion on alcohol each year in the USA
They consume 430 million gallon each year—enough to fill an Olympic size pool at each university in the country
Nearly half of all college students are binge drinkers
40% of all academic problems in colleges in the US have their root in alcohol use
75% of male and 55% of females involved in acquaintance rape each year had been drinking or using other drugs at the time.
Alcohol is a drug. It is more dangerous than people like to admit.
The Bible says a lot about drinking. Many people are under the illusion that God permits it as long as it is done responsibly. As you will see, that is not true.
The use of alcohol can cause you great pain and distress
Proverbs 23:29-30, 32-34
The use of alcohol can bring addiction (60% genetic, 40% unknown variables)
Proverbs 23:35
What about the casual use of alcohol? or what is called responsible drinking?
God tells us that alcohol will influence you even when you think you are not being influenced. We all know the truth of this. Even one drink can impair your judgment.
Leviticus 10—Nadab and Abihu were put to death by God because they offered a profane fire to the Lord—something they knew they should not do.
Leviticus 10:8-11
Alcohol can prevent us from distinguishing between what is clean and unclean.
God tells us to avoid drinking.
Proverbs 23:31
Some say “God never said not to drink!”
Is He saying it’s OK as long as you don’t look at it? NO!
We are not to look at it because it will tempt us to drink it!
Ephesians 5:18
Instead of letting wine influence you, let the Spirit of God influence you
1 Peter 4:3
Many people need help and they may not realize it. Tragically, those seeking help from alcoholism is going down—not because people are drinking less. The % of people with problems are less likely to seek help today than 10 years ago.
Ten warning signs of alcoholism:
Do you ever drink after telling yourself you won't?
Does your drinking worry your family?
Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad?
Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
Do you get headaches or have hang-overs after drinking?
Does your drinking ever make you late for work?
Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
Do you ever forget what you did while you were drinking?
Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?
We want to help you! We can help get your life together again and point you in the right directions. This lesson is not about blame. We want to point out what the Bible says in a caring way. We also want to help you if you are having problems. Please contact us.