Is it a Sin to Get Drunk?

Alcoholic drinks are accessible and available everywhere. You can order it in a restaurant, or a bar, and even buy it from your local grocery shop. Alcoholic drinks are a part of today’s society and can be seen as something both positive and negative. Is drinking alcohol a sin? is it a sin to get drunk? How should we approach alcoholic drinks as Catholics? Let’s dive in a bit deeper to find out!

Are Alcoholic Drinks Evil?

Alcoholic drinks have been around since 5400BC, which means the availability of fermented beverages was around even before Jesus arrived. Their presence has been around for years and years and has been really ingrained in society. In fact, we can see how relevant wine is even in the bible as in John 2:1-12 this is where Jesus performs his first miracle involving turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana. This shows how alcoholic drinks are not evil, God allowed alcoholic drinks to be made and be part of our lives, as it is something that belongs to a celebration. Even in during Mass, the priests use wine to symbolize the blood of Christ.

So by all means, alcoholic drinks are not evil.

Is Drinking Alcoholic Beverages a Sin?

No. Drinking alcoholic beverages is not a sin. It’s absolutely acceptable and normal. However, we do advise that it is a must for you to always follow the legal drinking age.

When Does Drinking Alcohol Become a Sin?

Just like in other things, if you drink alcohol too much, and you are well aware that you are drinking too much, then it becomes a sin. As we mentioned above, drinking alcohol isn’t a sin, but overindulging in it can be.

Drinking alcohol becomes a sin when you abuse it to the point that you are no longer yourself, and is incapable of making conscious decisions.

Is it a Sin to Get Drunk?

Getting drunk can be caused by different situations and some of them may or may not be a sin. For starters, if you choose to be drunk in your own free will, then that is considered a sin. This can be in situations wherein your primary intention for drinking isn’t for relaxation, or socialization but for intoxication.

However, if you find yourself in an instance where you got drunk because someone drugged your drink, or someone forced you to drink without any of your knowledge and consent, that is not a sin. Although we do advise you to get help as soon as you can from your local authorities, drugging someone or spiking someone’s drink is illegal.

The Sinfulness of Drunkenness

When you are in a state of drunkenness, your ability to make more conscious and informed decisions tend to get blurred and resort to more slow or poor judgment. Sometimes being in this state, may lead you to do actions that are sinful, such as violence, fornication, or saying nonsense hurtful words to others. Even though these actions were done out of your own free will because of your drunkenness, you are still held responsible for them, as you chose to be in the state of intoxication deliberately.

One aspect of the sinfulness of drunkenness is also how it impacts your health and body. Choosing to be drunk all the time, knowing that it is a grave physical danger to your health, is the same as choosing to intentionally neglect your own health which may be seen as a sin.

Drinking and Sinning

We hope we were able to answer your question, is it a sin to get drunk? If you’re interested to know more about the depths of sin and how it is part of our daily lives, and how we can overcome it, we suggest for you to check out our posts on Is it a Sin to Overeat? Is Anger a Sin? and Is Manifesting a Sin? Also, check out our posts on The Sacrament of Reconciliation.

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