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I don't drink. I don't think that I ever will. I have no interest in drinking ever. Not even a slip. Just who I am.

No..but i like self control...and im not really obsessed or a big fan of alcohol. And beer tastes crap to me D: (no i didnt say all alcohol = beer... for those who will be a smart a**)

Yes, I do. I am eating vegetables and fruits everyday, and trying to stay away from junk food a lot.

Ricette, Im kind of creeped out. i feel like you just keep following me. lol

I am actually very against it....

God gave it to us wine to drink in celebration, but not to get drunk off our butts!!!
It says in the bible that you're not supposed to get drunk, you can consume alcohol, but you shouldn't become a drunkard....and most people take that as alcoholic, but its really just one who gets drunk.

I know so many people who place alcohol as their idol, their god, even when they know who the one true GOD is!!! it makes me sad...

Actually a drunkard is an alcoholic, not just somebody he gets drunk.
Figure I'd fact check that for you.

i.e. "******** yeah I'm getting married tomorrow! Let's drink!
"You don't drink often!"
"I know, but it's a celebration!"

Then that person gets so plastered that they can't see straight.
They aren't a drunkard, they're just drunk.

I just want to point out that the passage Thisle_Whistle quoted above, in Numbers 6, is talking about a very specific situation where someone makes a vow to be devoted to God and separated from the world for a certain amount of time that they have decided. It's called a Nazarite vow. The requirements for a Nazarite vow, such as not getting your hair cut, not drinking wine, and not going near a dead body, were not things that were required or expected of the Israelites; it was only required of a person who made the decision to take a Nazarite vow.

The vast majority of the time, a Nazarite vow was made voluntarily and only lasted a certain amount of time. There are a couple examples in the Bible where God required someone to be a Nazarite for his entire life, because he wanted to use them for a special purpose. Samson is the most famous example. (See Judges 13). He's known for never cutting his hair, because, like abstaining from wine and strong drink, that was one of the requirements of a Nazarite. But no one could say that all Israel was required to never get their hair cut. So, it is also not fair to apply this verse as evidence that they were all required to never drink alcohol.

However, the passage does show that a Christian willingly abstaining from things that God has otherwise allowed people to do, like drinking or having sex, is a healthy practice that can potentially deepen your relationship with God. But such practices are not required of a Christian and are completely voluntary. It's similar to fasting. Eating isn't sinful, but fasting can be a spiritually beneficial practice. (You could abstain from drink or sex your whole life, but I would advise against fasting for your whole life.)

Thistle_Whistle, I respect that you choose not to drink, and I really appreciate that even so, you acknowledged in your first post that it is not a sin to drink, in and of itself. You're right that it can lead to temptation, but how strong that temptation is depends on the person. For me, I've never really had any trouble of knowing when to stop. But if I did repeatedly have trouble, it would be better to completely quit drinking than to continue falling into sin. As Christ said, if you eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. But still, there's nothing wrong with having eyes and looking at things.

I'm surprised no one has brought up this verse: No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. (1 Timothy 5:23) It's also a very specific situation; Paul is advising Timothy about his health. In this particular verse, he's not talking about drinking wine for pleasure, but because it's better for him than just drinking water all the time. (Water back then was not always the cleanest thing to drink.) But it does at least show that drinking wine is not bad in and of itself.

Well... there is that big gap in the bible, the missing 18 years that no one knows a thing about. Who are we to say he was celibate and sober the entire time?