ALCOHOL
I. What are the consequences of drinking alcohol?
1. Wickedness. Proverbs 4:17
2. Violence. Proverbs 4:17
3. Poverty. Proverbs 21:17, 23:21
4. Bodily reactions-vomit. Proverbs 23:7-8; Isaiah 28:8
5. Lose sweet words-speech. Proverbs 23:7-8
6. Woe. Proverbs 23:29-30
7. Sorrow.Proverbs 23:29-30
8. Contention. Proverbs 23:29-30
9. Uncontrolled speech. Proverbs 23:29-30
10. Wounds without cause. Proverbs 23:29-30
11. Bodily appearance-redness of eyes. Proverbs 23:29-30
12. Mind will respond to impure and adulteress thoughts. Proverbs 23:33
13. Brings insecurity. Proverbs 23:34
14. No feeling or awareness of what is happening around you. Proverbs 23:35
15. Habit forming-keep going back to it. Proverbs 23:35
16. Shame and humiliation. Habakkuk 2:16
17. Leads to carnality. Isaiah 22:13
18. Brings spiritual blindness.(err in vision, make unwise decisions)Isaiah 28:7
19. Drive one to sacrifice their most valuable possessions, including their daughter.Joel 3:3
20. A person will lose their heart’s commitment to God and marriage. Hosea 4:11
21. Causes others to stumble. Romans 14:21
II. How is drinking related to other sins?
1. Alcohol and immoral behavior go together. Noah Genesis 9:20-26, Lot Genesis 19:30-38
2. Alcohol, hatred, and murder go together. II Samuel 13:28-29; I Kings 16:8,10
3. Alcohol and marital discord go together. Ahasuerus Esther 1:5-20
4. Alcohol and death go together. Nabal I Samuel 25:33-38
III. What warnings are given from Scripture regarding drinking?
1. Do not drink anything that is alcoholic. Proverbs 23:31
2. Do not give alcohol to one's neighbor. Habakkuk 2:15
3. Do not associate with alcoholics. Proverbs 23:20-21, I Corinthians 5:11
IV. What are the Biblical solutions to the problem of drinking?
1. Allow the Holy Spirit to control every thought, desire, and action. Ephesians 5:18
2. Make a commitment to a sober mind. I Thessalonians 5:5-8
3. Put on Christlike characteristics. Romans 13:13-14
(Explanation to the counselor)
I. What are the consequences of drinking alcohol? To motivate a person to see the results of social drinking drinking a counselor may use the list of 21 consequences. he is now experiencing in his personal life at the time. Sample questions:
-Have you been having difficulty financially? (3)
-Have you had difficulty with controlling what you say? (5)
-Do you have conflicts at work or in your marriage? (9)
-Do you have difficulty with impure thoughts? (12)
-Are you insecure in your relationships with others? (13)
-After drinking, are there periods of time that you are not aware of what is happening? (14)
-Are you aware that drinking will lead to spiritual blindness? (18)
-What have you been sacrificing in order to have money to drink? (19)
-Are you aware that drinking will cause you to lose your commitment to God and your.
marriage? (20)
These questions will cause them to see the relationship between their drinking and the problems they are facing. You may then share with them how these consequences can be resolved through abstaining from drinking.
or problem
Have him check the ones
II. How is drinking related to other sins?
Alcohol leads to other types of sinful activities. The counselee must be made aware of what types of sins that alcohol will lead them in commit. Warn them that drinking will lead them to.. become involved in other sinful activities that will destroy their character.
Sample questions:
-Are you aware that alcohol use may lead to immoral behavior? Why is it that in bars, many immoral relationships develop?
The reason for this is that one’s inhabitions are taken away.
-Are you aware that one has greater conflicts if one drinks alcohol?
-Are you aware of the physical consequences of alcohol on the body? (Example: Cirrhosis of the liver, cancer of digestive tract, mental deterioration due to destruction of brain cells).
III. What warnings are given in Scripture regarding drinking?
These warnings should be shared with an explanation that God has our ultimate good in mind when he gave us these warnings. God wanted to protect us from harming our neighbor by involving them in drinking. God also knew that if we associated closely with those who drink we would be drawn to follow their thought pattern and begin drinking.
IV. What are the Biblical solutions to the problem of drinking?
If we look at the context of each of the passages related to drinking, we will find three suggestions given to help one who has a problem with alcohol. The first, is to allow the Holy Spirit to control every thought, desire, and action in one’s life. The second, is to make a commitment to become responsible for every thought, and make a commitment to never take anything that will dull your ability to think and control your speech and actions. (These principles also would apply to drug addiction). The third, is to make a commitment to reflect Christ’s character in your life. These three solutions are the steps one must follow to bring permanent change to the person who struggles with a drinking problem.
Copyright John Regier 1991
Notice: These materials are not intended to take
the place of professional, mental health services, but rather to provide
Biblical insight and helpful resources regarding various spiritual and emotional
problems. While we are glad to offer these resources for your personal
use, we encourage you to contact our pastor, Nolan
Jackson, Sr., for in-depth, free, Christian Counseling. If you are
interested in setting up an appointment, please call 770-786-8676 or e-mail
(be sure to include contact information).
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