Why is Getting Drunk a Sin?

Jesus was not against alcohol. The example of the Weeding at Cana shows us that there is absolutely nothing wrong with consuming alcohol and celebrating important occasions. In fact, as Catholics, wine is a central part of our worship of God, as we celebrate Christ's death and resurrection through the Eucharist, in which wine becomes the blood of Christ.

However, like many things, problems arise when we don't use alcohol in moderation. Our physical bodies tell us when we have consumed too much alcohol by things such as vomiting and headaches, and that doesn't even include the long term effects. Just like too much alcohol can harm our bodies, too much alcohol can harm our soul.

First, as humans, we have a duty to properly care for our bodies, which are a gift from God. Imagine you give a gift of flowers to someone, and they go home and put them in the trash. It would be pretty obvious that they didn't appreciate your gift right? Same too with our bodies. Our bodies are a gift from God, and so we have a responsibility to take good care of ourselves from a physical standpoint.

Second, alcohol affects our behavior, generally for the worst. Some of us can become more angry or gossip more under the influence, or fall into worse habits, such as smoking or sexual sins. Even if you feel like getting drunk doesn't affect you negatively in these ways, it still inhibits your free will, which is a another gift from God and fundamental to our human nature. We see this mentioned throughout the Bible is filled with sayings against drunkenness, such as in Galatians 5:21, Proverbs 20:1, Ephesians 5:18, and Isaiah 5:22.

The purpose of this is not to judge and condemn. Rather, it is to grow and learn, so that we can be empowered to make the best decision and lead holier lives on our path to sainthood. This doesn't mean that you must give up alcohol altogether, but instead focus on exercising discipline so that you don't drink to excess.