What are your views on binge drinking?

TheImpossibleGirl said:

Hello,
For a project for Year 10 Christian Life I have to document some of the opinions/views of Christians and others on the topic of binge drinking.

It would really help me if you wrote your opinions in a reply

Thanks
TheImpossibleGirl

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Peace, and greetings ImpossibleGirl:

Intentionally drinking (which can be perfectly moral) for the effect of drunkenness (which would be immoral) is my understanding of "binge drinking". While alcohol, and it's use are not sinful in and of themselves, there is an immoral way in which one can experience them, and this would be one of those ways, unless I don't understand your meaning by the words "binge drinking".

Proverbs 23:19 Listen, then, my son, and show yourself wise, keeping still an even course. 20 Be not of their company, that drink deep and pile the dishes high at their revels; 21 ruined they shall be, sot and trencherman, and wake from their drunken sleep to find themselves dressed in rags. .........29(b) ever falling, scarred but not from battle, blood-shot of eye? 30 Who but the tosspot that sits long over his wine? 31 Look not at the wine’s tawny glow, sparkling there in the glass beside you; how insinuating its address! 32 Yet at last adder bites not so fatally, poison it distills like the basilisk’s own. 33 Eyes that stray to forbidden charms, a mind uttering thoughts that are not of their own, 34 shall make you helpless as a mariner asleep in mid ocean, when the tiller drops from the helmsman’s drowsy grasp. 35 What! you will say, blows all unfelt, wounds that left no sting! Could I but come to myself, and be back, even now, at my wine!

Ephesians 5:15-18 - "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

Galatians 5:13 Yes, brethren, freedom claimed you when you were called. Only, do not let this freedom give a foothold to corrupt nature; you must be servants still, serving one another in a spirit of charity. 14 After all, the whole of the law is summed up in one phrase, You shall love your neighbour as yourself........18 It is by letting the spirit lead you that you free yourselves from the yoke of the law. 19 It is easy to see what effects proceed from corrupt nature; they are such things as adultery, impurity, incontinence, luxury, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, feuds, quarrels, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, dissensions, factions, 21 spite, murder, drunkenness, and debauchery. I warn you, as I have warned you before, that those who live in such a way will not inherit God’s kingdom.

1 Thessalonians 5:6 We must not sleep on, then, like the rest of the world, we must watch and keep sober; 7 night is the sleeper’s time for sleeping, the drunkard’s time for drinking; 8 we must keep sober, like men of the daylight. We must put on our breastplate, the breastplate of faith and love, our helmet, which is the hope of salvation.

This is not to say that we should not drink at all. Sharing food and drink with friends and family in a time of joy, and in thankful praise is a blessing and is perfectly moral Christian kinship and fellowship.

"Binge drinking" wouldn't seem to match that description, however. It rather implies excess and drunkenness in it's very name.

I just want to point out that Jesus enabled binge drinking!

Read the story of the wedding at Cana. Jesus provided more wine when most of the guests were so drunk that they could no longer tell good wine from poor wine.

I can still tell 10 drinks in.

My ex wife who grew up in a wine producing region in Germany could tell well beyond where I could. I'd think most at Cana would fall somewhere in between, which means well into a binge.

I can easily go out for a night on the town and drink 5 beers over the course of 6 hours and be totally fine. That is NOT binge drinking.

I've always thought of binge drinking as someone just absolutely downing alcohol and getting totally and stinking DRUNK (there's another word we use for it but I can't use it here). The ones I've known who have gone binge drinking in this manner have been either underage kids with access to alcohol or someone trying to kill some sort of pain in their lives.

I don't think drinking to get drunk is wise. There are SO MANY bad decisions made while people are drunk. Sure, it's easy to say that no harm is happening while we sit here sober but I've seen drunks do too many stupid things to themselves AND others that I just can't agree with that statement.

Blessedj01 said:

perhaps, but i try to simply disrespect the action, not the person. there are people i avoid if i an uncomfortable with their behaviors. and people i dont like based on the wider picture of who they are or what they do or say. i wouldnt cast my judgement based solely on thier private habits unless they affected me in some way. in these discussions where people are frank about thier habits its not always helpful to say that you dont respect people.

perhaps in private, to yourself you could hold those opinions but im not sure why you'd need to share them here. you're welcome to think what you like, just be careful that your judgements dont prejudice you against an entire character on behalf of one behavior. you're right that tolerance is not agreement, but that doesnt require disrespecting people.

another problem is that you can move from seeing johnny have a drink regularly to assuming johnny is harming himself and others when he may not be and jump to completely disrespecting johnny even though he's just exercising his prerogative to visit the pub. we all have a different idea on these issues.

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Ok, to clarify, I was actually talking about the fact that I don't respect the behavior more so than respecting the person on a whole. However, there aren't many people who binge drink on a regular basis who do other, more respectable activities, whom I have available to respect despite their less than respectable drinking habit.

Respect, in my world, is earned. It is not just given. I don't "respect" someone just because they exist. So the idea that I might disrespect someone who makes stupid choices in his or her life isn't far-fetched for me.

It's not a good idea and you shouldn't do it.

That's pretty much all that needs to be said.

PreachersWife2004 said:

Respect, in my world, is earned. It is not just given. I don't "respect" someone just because they exist. So the idea that I might disrespect someone who makes stupid choices in his or her life isn't far-fetched for me.

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Pretty much. Trust is like that too

PsychoSarah said:

Pretty much. Trust is like that too

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I almost put trust, too, but decided against it. Not sure why...

keith99 said:

Again the 5 is in 'one session'.

So being male if I throw down 4 shots in 30 seconds it is no problem. If instead I go out to a baseball double header and over the course of 6 hours or more consume 5 beers it is.

Oh yea, if I'm doing those 4 shots head to head with a female she is binge drinking! (For some reason the number if 4 for females).

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i dont think it matters how long you take to drink them, its more about drinking 'large' amounts suddenly when you usually dont.

keith99 said:

I just want to point out that Jesus enabled binge drinking!

Read the story of the wedding at Cana. Jesus provided more wine when most of the guests were so drunk that they could no longer tell good wine from poor wine.

I can still tell 10 drinks in.

My ex wife who grew up in a wine producing region in Germany could tell well beyond where I could. I'd think most at Cana would fall somewhere in between, which means well into a binge.

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yes and jesus made the best wine. i dont know if we should call it binge drinking though. they certainly drank as much as they liked, but the 'binge drinking' label refers to a culture of going out to drink 'to excess' infrequently in a regular pattern - like not drinking for most of the week, then one night having a lot, and repeating this week after week - and generally disregarding ones normal restraint.

good passages stevenfrancis, but binge drinking technically refers to drinking a 'mass amount' once in a while as opposed to having 'low amounts' freqently. so binge drinking is the entire 6 pack in one sitting and then not drinking for a few days and then doing it again as opposed to one drink a night for several days. it doesnt always imply that you get drunk or drink what everyone would consider excess. i think the argument goes that there are risk factors associated to drinking a higher amount suddenly as opposed to drinking lower amounts in a more planned environment.

personally i think its a very subjective matter, but there is evidence to show that if you drink one larger amount in one night, once per week, in the quantity that you would normally drink over several days, then you are at higher risk.

- so binge = 5 drinks on friday. no consequences.
- 'normal' = 1 drink on monday, 1 on wed, 2 on friday, 1 on saturday. no consequences.

the argument also goes that more alcohol tends to follow the initial binge and that bingers generally complicate their drinking behavior over time.

- so after 6 months of this the binger = 8 drinks friday night, 5 drinks saturday night. minor consequences.
- the 'normal drinker' = same amounts a few nights a week. no or very little consequences

- after 12 months the binger = 8 drinks friday night, 5 drinks saturday night, plus knocks back some shots and maybe carries on into the morning and still believes they dont drink a lot because they only stick to two nights. consequences potentially becoming more serious.
- normal drinker = still sameish pattern, very few consequences.

i made up the amounts etc. just for illustration. i believe thats the theory anyway.

PsychoSarah said:

Ok, to clarify, I was actually talking about the fact that I don't respect the behavior more so than respecting the person on a whole. However, there aren't many people who binge drink on a regular basis who do other, more respectable activities, whom I have available to respect despite their less than respectable drinking habit.

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fair enough

PreachersWife2004 said:

Respect, in my world, is earned. It is not just given. I don't "respect" someone just because they exist. So the idea that I might disrespect someone who makes stupid choices in his or her life isn't far-fetched for me.

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you should give people respect without them having to earn it. if you give respect you generally get it back. everyone has innate worth. there's a basic level of respect that people deserve until they have 'lost' your respect by doing something that damages your relationship or the way you view thier character. there is also respect from admiration which is different. respecting a stranger is honorable and different from blind trust. if you dont respect their stupid choices that is perfectly fine. you should especially try to show respect to people with habitual issues because it allows you to show compassion.

the pattern i have seen is that people who dont afford respect unless it is earned, generally are blind to their own faults and consider themselves superior to people they know nothing about. im not saying this is you. most of the tough guy 'gangtsas' you see on tv are kinda like this. it fosters barriers between people.

showing respect is integral to receiving respect.

Blessedj01 said:

yes and jesus made the best wine. i dont know if we should call it binge drinking though. they certainly drank as much as they liked, but the 'binge drinking' label refers to a culture of going out to drink 'to excess' infrequently in a regular pattern - like not drinking for most of the week, then one night having a lot, and repeating this week after week - and generally disregarding ones normal restraint.

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Wow, where di you ever get this idea? It does not fit any definition of binge drinking I have ever heard of. It surely does not fit the pattern of cultures where binge drinking is a significant problem.

And it seems you are saying it is fine to drink to excess on the weekend as long as you drink during the week too. Or at least that your weekend excess is then not binge drinking.

TheImpossibleGirl said:

Hello,
For a project for Year 10 Christian Life I have to document some of the opinions/views of Christians and others on the topic of binge drinking.

It would really help me if you wrote your opinions in a reply

Thanks
TheImpossibleGirl

Click to expand...

I have strong opinions and feelings about those into binge drinking. I was married to alcoholic in the last years of my marriage completely out of control in need of intervention. He was a teenager when he started drinking and drugged himself. His family was born again he ggrew up in church, and et. He had double life and hate authority. I met him in a phase he was clean and not drinking. He nowdays is worse than before, negating everything he onced believed and a heavy pot user.

keith99 said:

Wow, where di you ever get this idea? It does not fit any definition of binge drinking I have ever heard of. It surely does not fit the pattern of cultures where binge drinking is a significant problem.

And it seems you are saying it is fine to drink to excess on the weekend as long as you drink during the week too. Or at least that your weekend exceiss is then not binge drinking.

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'binge drinking' is also referred to as 'heavy episodic drinking'

Binge drinking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

it is a type of classification of behavior. i am not referring to what people think binge drinking is.

its entirely in keeping with the nz definition where we have a 'problem'. i have even graduated from a community alcohol and drugs program.

i am not saying anything is fine. where did you get that sentiment from.

i am saying that drinking each or most days to x amount is not classified the same as drinking the same x amount in single sessions intermittently.

in other words, there are behaviors and risks associated with going out and drinking 'alot' on one night, often in that pattern, that are studied differently from consistent consumption of alcohol spread over many nights.

...one might have a drinking problem and he drinks often. another might have a drinking problem but he drinks once or twice a week. the theory is that the first person may acknowledge they have a consistent problem but the second person may think there is no problem because they dont often drink. or they may underestimate the risks.

the way it is applied to society is that there is a pattern of heavy weekend drinking followed by a week long abstinence. the common risk associated with this is that people think it is normal and they increase their risk by consuming all their alcohol in one go. thats the simplest explanation i can provide.

KitKatMatt said:

I never said I had a problem with it. I said I think it's stupid. I also think NASCAR is stupid, but I don't have a problem with it or fans of it, either.

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I don't see why doing something dangerous is necessarily stupid. If someone accepts the risk, then there's nothing stupid about it. It's only stupid if you do something dangerous without thinking.

I saw an issue of respect come up somewhere in this thread. I don't lack respect for people who drink, it's just something I don't like.

Drink all you want. As long as people obey the law (don't drive, etc) then there's nothing wrong with it.

Like I said, there's tons of stuff I do that most people would think is stupid. That's cool, and there's no reason for me to care.

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That's fair enough.

Blessedj01 said:

you should give people respect without them having to earn it. if you give respect you generally get it back. everyone has innate worth. there's a basic level of respect that people deserve until they have 'lost' your respect by doing something that damages your relationship or the way you view thier character. there is also respect from admiration which is different. respecting a stranger is honorable and different from blind trust. if you dont respect their stupid choices that is perfectly fine. you should especially try to show respect to people with habitual issues because it allows you to show compassion.

the pattern i have seen is that people who dont afford respect unless it is earned, generally are blind to their own faults and consider themselves superior to people they know nothing about. im not saying this is you. most of the tough guy 'gangtsas' you see on tv are kinda like this. it fosters barriers between people.

showing respect is integral to receiving respect.

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I respect many and I am respected by many. My way has worked for me plenty well, thanks. There's a difference between "showing respect" and respecting someone, too.

I may disrespect someone, but it's not something that comes out publicly, generally speaking.

so you dont respect me because i havent earned your respect.. in that case, since i am a lowly man, many men and women like me will never earn your respect. thus we will be expected to respect you with nothing in return. the end result is that neither side will have respect for the other.

'your way', is harsh and mean. no offense but here is a good example. you said you disrespected people with alcohol issues - that they have to earn your respect, but they never will because no one is interested in earning respect from someone who judges them without knowing them

even though im god's creation and might be the nicest person, you will never know because i look funny and i have nothing to brag about in life and i used to drink too much, thus you wont respect me and ill never be able to respect you back. even if i choose to, you'll probably make it hard for me to 'earn' it and you'll have an adverse effect on my self esteem...so why bother.

why not just be nice and respect people until they force you to think otherwise. why does everyone have to place a permanent chip on their shoulder. and you say it doesn't come out in public, but you can only treat people the way you view them, unless you fake it. do you think people wont notice

the measure of a person is not how many people respect them, its how many people they respect. the compassion they show to others. by saying you dont respect an entire category of ppl, and in fact no one until theyve passed your testing, you are writing off many people who might have had good relationships with. you dont have to respect everything about them but why put them on a low level of respect until they earn more. like youre running a respect rewards scheme.

take my advise or leave it. if you say you're a preacher's wife though, if that is literal, you might want to stop making people meet your standards before you respect them. its not about admiring people, just not categorizing people and judging them. remember jesus sat down with the sinners, and we could all do better at relating to ppl who are lesser than ourselves.

1 Peter 2:17
Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

Blessedj01 said:

good passages stevenfrancis, but binge drinking technically refers to drinking a 'mass amount' once in a while as opposed to having 'low amounts' freqently. so binge drinking is the entire 6 pack in one sitting and then not drinking for a few days and then doing it again as opposed to one drink a night for several days. it doesnt always imply that you get drunk or drink what everyone would consider excess. i think the argument goes that there are risk factors associated to drinking a higher amount suddenly as opposed to drinking lower amounts in a more planned environment.

personally i think its a very subjective matter, but there is evidence to show that if you drink one larger amount in one night, once per week, in the quantity that you would normally drink over several days, then you are at higher risk.

- so binge = 5 drinks on friday. no consequences.
- 'normal' = 1 drink on monday, 1 on wed, 2 on friday, 1 on saturday. no consequences.

the argument also goes that more alcohol tends to follow the initial binge and that bingers generally complicate their drinking behavior over time.

- so after 6 months of this the binger = 8 drinks friday night, 5 drinks saturday night. minor consequences.
- the 'normal drinker' = same amounts a few nights a week. no or very little consequences

- after 12 months the binger = 8 drinks friday night, 5 drinks saturday night, plus knocks back some shots and maybe carries on into the morning and still believes they dont drink a lot because they only stick to two nights. consequences potentially becoming more serious.
- normal drinker = still sameish pattern, very few consequences.

i made up the amounts etc. just for illustration. i believe thats the theory anyway.

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Yea that's a really fair comparison. Lets go with one a bit more realistic.

A every night drinker has one drink each weeknight to unwind. Then one bad day he has 2, next bad day he has 2 and it stays at 2.. 10 years later he is up to 4-5 drinks every day.

Binge drinker goes out and parties hard. He starts at 5 or 6, but then one weekend he has 15 drinks and wakes up with the hangover from hell and swears off booze. It does not last and 6 months later he is back to 5-6 when he goes out drinking. But that is only once or twice a month.

Personally I'm beginning to think the whole making binge drinking the big thing is an invention of guys my age to make their 2-3 drinks a day habit seem fine while vilifying the younger set who drink less often but party hard when they party.