The legal drinking age throughout the US is 21 The average American has his or her first drink at around 14

According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, almost 80% of high school students have tried alcohol

“Alcoholic beverages have become America’s number one public health problem, costing over $117 billion a year and claiming at least 100,000 lives per year, 25 times as many as all illegal drugs combined.” – Wine in the Bible. by Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi.

“One-half of all traffic fatalities and one- third of all traffic injuries are related to the abuse of alcohol. One-third of all suicides and one-third of all mental health disorders are estimated to be associated with serious alcohol abuse.” – Daniel Whitfield.

“Approximately 240,000 to 360,000 of the nation’s 12 million current undergraduates will ultimately die from alcohol-related causes — more than the number that will get M.A.s and Ph.D.s combined.” – National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

“… 10.8% of youth ages 12 to 17 are current drug users, having used an illicit drug at least once in the previous month.” “… 20.8% of youth reported using illicit drugs at least once in the past year, and 28.4% reported having used drugs at least once during their lifetime.” – National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

“Among youth that smoked cigarettes, the rate of past month illicit drug use was 48%, compared with 5.3% for nonsmokers.” – National Household Survey on Drug Abuse

Average age for using tobacco – 12 Average age for drinking alcohol – 13 Average age for smoking marijuana – 14

“At least half of adults arrested for major crimes — including homicide, theft, and assault — tested positive for drugs at the time of their arrest. Among those convicted of violent crimes, approximately half of state prison’s inmates and 40% of federal prisoners had been drinking or taking drugs at the time of their offense.”

► Some Christians themselves have problems ► Children whose parents are users ► Parents of children have to be concerned ► An unbelieving spouse, close friend, co-worker

Alcohol is Deceptive Prov.20:1– “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” Prov.23:31,32– “31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly: 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.” Jer.25:27– “Therefore you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: " Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more …” “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

Alcohol causes Errors in Judgment Isa.28:7– “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. ” Hos.4:11– “11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the understanding. ”

Alcohol Lowers Moral Standards Hab.2:15–NKJV– “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, Pressing him to your bottle, Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his nakedness! ” It happened with Noah -- Gen.9:20-23

Solomon’s Description Prov.23:29-35– “29 Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly: 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, [shalt thou say], and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”

Alcohol is Addictive Prov.23:35– “... I will seek it yet again.” Isa.5:11– “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!” Joel 1:5– “Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and wail, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.”

It is Illegal 1 Pet.2:13,14– “13 Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether to the king, as supreme; 14 or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evil- doers and for praise to them that do well.” Rom.13:1,2– “1 Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the [powers] that be are ordained of God. 2 Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment.”

They impair our ability to serve the Lord 1 Cor.6:15-20– “ Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own; 20 for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body. ” Rom.6:12,13– “12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof: 13 neither present your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. ”

They are addictive 1 Cor.6:12– “12 All things are lawful for me; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any. ”

They destroy our influence 1 Pet.2:13-16– “13 Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether to the king, as supreme; 14 or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evil-doers and for praise to them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that by well- doing ye should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bond-servants of God.”

Titus 2:7,8– “7 in all things showing thyself an ensample of good works; in thy doctrine [showing] incorruptness, gravity, 8 sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of us. ” They destroy our influence

They rob us of our mental control 1 Pet.4:7– “7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer:” 2 Cor.5:13– “13 For whether we are beside ourselves, it is unto God; or whether we are of sober mind, it is unto you.” Mk.5:15– “15 And they come to Jesus, and behold him that was possessed with demons sitting, clothed and in his right mind, [even] him that had the legion: and they were afraid.”

They rob us of our mental control Rom.12:3– “3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think as to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to each man a measure of faith.”

They rob us of our mental control 1 Thess.5:6-8– “6 so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night: and they that are drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

They rob us of our mental control 1 Pet.1:13– “13 Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” 2 Tim.4:5– “5 But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry.” 1 Pet.5:8– “8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,”

They rob us of our mental control 2 Cor.10:5– “5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ ;”

Admit that you have a problem Take full responsibility for the problem Turn to God and plead for help from Him Remove all occasions of temptation Allow God’s word to be your guide Fill the void with Good things Seek other Christians who can help