Alcohol Destroys “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whosoever errs thereby is not wise” - Proverbs 20:1 - “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whosoever errs thereby is not wise” - Proverbs 20:1 -

Alcohol in America An average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before first arrest. This year, 10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes - one every 50 minutes. One in three people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetime. One in three 8th graders drinks alcohol. One in three will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetime. Every minute, one person is injured from an alcohol-related crash. 50 to 75% of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license. One in five teens binge drink. Only 1 in 100 parents believes his or her teen binge drinks. Teen alcohol use kills about 6000 people each year, more than all illegal drugs combined. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens and one out of three of those is alcohol related. Kids who start drinking young are seven times more likely to be in an alcohol-related crash. Drunk driving costs each adult in this country almost $500 per year. High school students who use alcohol or other substances are five times more likely to drop out of school or believe good grades are not important. Every minute, one person is injured from an alcohol-related crash.

Alcohol in America Each year, a typical young person in the United States is inundated with more than 1,000 commercials for beer and wine coolers and several thousand fictional drinking incidents on television. Alcohol is involved in 50% of all driving fatalities. In the United States, every 30 minutes someone is killed in an alcohol related traffic accident. Over 15 million Americans are dependent on alcohol. 500,000 are between the age of 9 and 12. Each year the liquor industry spends almost $2 billion dollars on advertising and encouraging the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Americans spend over $90 billion dollars total on alcohol each year. An average American may consume over 25 gallons of beer, 2 gallons of wine, and 1.5 gallons of distilled spirits each year. Pregnant women who drink are feeding alcohol to their babies. Unfortunately the underdeveloped liver of the baby can only burn alcohol at half the rate of its mother, so the alcohol stays in the baby's system twice as long. Each year students spend $5.5 billion on alcohol, more then they spend on soft drinks, tea, milk, juice, coffee, or books combined. 56% of students in grade 5 to 12 say that alcohol advertising encourages them to drink. 6.6% of employees in full time jobs report heavy drinking, defined as drinking five or more drinks per occasion on five or more days in the past 30 days.

Alcohol in America The highest percentage of heavy drinkers (12.2%) is found among unemployed adults between the age of 26 to 34 Up to 40% of all industrial fatalities and 47% of industrial injuries can be linked to alcohol consumption and alcoholism. In 2000, almost 7 million persons age 12 to 20 was a binge drinker; that is about one in five persons under the legal drinking age was a binge drinker. The 2001 survey shows 25 million (one in ten) Americans surveyed reported driving under the influence of alcohol. This report is nearly three million more than the previous year. Among young adults age 18 to 25 years, almost 23% drove under the influence of alcohol. Drunk driving is proving to be even deadlier then what we previously know. The latest death statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), using a new method of calculation show that 17,488 people where killed in alcohol related traffic accidents last year. This report represents nearly 800 more people where killed than the previous year. Alcohol is the number 1 drug problem in America. 43% of Americans have been exposed to alcoholism in their families. Nearly one out of 4 Americans admitted to general hospitals have alcohol problems or are undiagnosed alcoholics being diagnosed for alcohol related consequences. Alcohol and alcohol related problems is costing the American economy at least $100 million in health care and lost of productivity every year. Four in ten criminal offenders report alcohol as a factor in violence.

Alcohol in America Among spouse violence victims, three out of four incidents were reported to have involved alcohol use by the offender. In 1996, local law enforcement agencies made an estimated 1,467,300 arrests nationwide for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Alcohol Will Destroy You Internally ( Physical Problems ) Blurred speech and vision, imbalance, slowed reflexes, blood poison, digestion disorders, infections Stomach, liver (cirrhosis), kidney and heart diseases, cancers, and ulcers Brain cell damage, deterioration of vital organs and tissues Neuritis or paralysis of the limbs

Alcohol Will Destroy You Internally ( Physical Problems ) “They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits' end” (Psa. 107:27) “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?” (Prov. 23:29) “Jehovah hath mingled a spirit of perverseness in the midst of her; and they have caused Egypt to go astray in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit” (Isa. 19:14)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Internally ( Physical Problems ) “…they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean” (Isa. 28:7-8)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Internally ( Emotional Problems ) As a depressant, alcohol depresses or slows down brain activity leading to the slowing down of restraint (mental brakes), good judgment, and self-criticism Loss of memory, loss of morality, paranoia, epilepsy, hallucinations, delirium, blackout Depression, suicide

Alcohol Will Destroy You Internally ( Emotional Problems ) “And Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken. And he was uncovered within his tent … And Noah awoke from his wine…” (Gen. 9:20-24) “come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father” (Gen. 19:32) “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whosoever errs thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Internally ( Emotional Problems ) “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes to say, Where is strong drink? Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the justice due to any that is afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, And wine unto the bitter in soul: Let him drink, and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more” (Prov. 31:4-7) “Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink; that justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!” (Isa. 5:22-23)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Internally ( Emotional Problems ) “And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment” (Isa. 28:7) “Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the understanding” (Hos. 4:11) “that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph” (Amos 6:6)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Internally ( Emotional Problems ) “Woe unto him that gives his neighbor drink, to thee that adds thy venom, and makes him drunken also, that thou may look on their nakedness!” (Hab. 2:15) “But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare” (Lk. 21:34)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Externally Your reputation and influence is hurt (indecent acts) Your income (poverty) and contribution is hurt Your family is hurt (domestic violence, abuse, neglect, abandondment, fighting, divorce, adultery, poisoned pregnancy, child alcoholics) Your neighbor is hurt (drunk driving, crime)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Externally “and he drank of the wine, and was drunken. And he was uncovered within his tent” (Gen. 9:21) “For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags” (Prov. 23:21; also 21:17) “and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink” (Joel 3:3)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Externally “And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Eternally It will lead you away from God It will keep you out of heaven

Alcohol Will Destroy You Eternally “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that tarry late into the night, till wine inflame them! And the harp and the lute, the tabret and the pipe, and wine, are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of Jehovah, neither have they considered the operation of his hands” (Isaiah 5:11-12) “Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to-morrow shall be as this day, a day great beyond measure” (Isa. 56:12)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Eternally “If a man walking in a spirit of falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people” (Mic. 2:11) “Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy” (Rom. 13:13)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Eternally “I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat” (1 Cor. 5:11) “Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Eternally “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envying, drunkenness, reveling, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19-21)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Eternally “For the time past may suffice to have wrought the desire of the Gentiles, and to have walked in lasciviousness, lusts, winebibbing, reveling, carousing, and abominable idolatries: wherein they think strange that ye run not with them into the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you” (1 Pet. 4:3-4)

Alcohol and the Christian Didn’t Jesus turn water into wine (Jn. 2:10)? Yes, but “wine” in the Bible can be both unfermented (Isa. 65:8) and fermented. Jesus did not violate Hab. 2:15 or other passages like this one. Didn’t Paul tell Timothy to take “a little wine” (1 Tim. 5:23)? Yes, but this was for medicinal purposes (Lk. 10:34), not social or recreational purposes. Doesn’t the Bible condemn “drunkenness” (Gal. 5:19), and not small amounts of alcohol? No, both large and small amounts (1 Pet. 4:3) of alcohol are condemned.

Alcohol and the Christian A Christian is to be a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1) A Christian is not to be brought under the power of any (1 Cor. 6:12) A Christian is to be glorifying God in his body (1 Cor. 6:19-20) A Christian is to be Christ-controlled (Gal. 2:20) A Christian is to be sober (1 Thess. 5:6; Tit. 2:2,5,6)

Alcohol Will Destroy You Don’t let society tell you that alcohol is not all that bad (some say it is a “sickness” or “disease” … other say we teach “responsible drinking”) Alcohol will destroy you internally, externally, and eternally Those who THINK don’t drink! Those who DRINK don’t think!

Alcohol Will Destroy You “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whosoever errs thereby is not wise” - Proverbs 20:1 -