What does the Angelic Doctor Have to Say About Alcohol?
Catholics are known to enjoy a good drink– especially when it comes to wine or beer. As much as I personally love a good cabernet, an Irish amber, or a good Old Fashioned, I know it is also true that alcohol can be detrimental to our lives if it is abused.
I spent many years viewing alcohol with contempt. There were relationships in my life that were ruined or at the very least, severely damaged, because of the dark reality of alcohol abuse and addiction.
As I was exposed to alcohol more, I found myself curious and eventually used it myself to forget about the stresses of my life at the time and ‘let-loose’. There were countless times I made bad decisions under its influence, but I never thought much about the impact of alcohol on my spiritual life, nor did I consider drunkenness to be a mortal sin. Sure, I knew getting drunk was sinful, but it took me a long time before I realized that drunkenness is a grave matter.
It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that a priest shared with me the truth about drinking to excess, and that realization really convicted me. He explained that alcohol itself isn’t sinful, but drinking to excess is because of how it impairs our intellect and ability to reason.
Our intellect and will are the distinguishing characteristics of human nature and what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God. To do things that disrupt God’s beautiful design is a way that we dishonor Him and offend our own dignity. Not to mention that regular excess drinking can take a major toll on our bodies to which we have a duty to treat with honor as they are temples of the Holy Spirit.
A lot of us don’t know much about a true Catholic approach to drinking, and sadly, there is very little Catechesis on this matter. Thankfully, we can turn to the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas for a thorough explanation on how we should approach drinking alcohol and in what ways consuming alcohol can de facto be sinful. Here are a few noteworthy ways in which St. Thomas explains that alcohol should be avoided as it can be de facto sinful for someone to drink these circumstances:
If drinking is a hindrance to having a good disposition and reason.
If someone chooses to drink alcohol after making a vow to God not to for whatever reason.
If it is scandalizing to others to drink in another’s presence for some reason– for example if someone chooses to drink in the presence an alcoholic even if they have recovered but are greatly tempted by its presence.
Whether or not drunkenness is a mortal or venial sin can vary depending on the situation. There are certainly situations in which someone’s culpability is lessened. For example, one is less culpable for drunkenness if they drink something they’ve never had before that unknowingly has high alcohol content like a Long Island (I *may or may not* be speaking from experience here) or if their drink has been spiked.
However, it is true that more often than not that the situation in which someone gets drunk is one of these two scenarios: 1.) because someone begins drinking with the intention of getting intoxicated or 2.) begins drinking and due to their lowered inhibitions lacks the willpower to stop drinking because they would rather be drunk than disciplined.
In both of these cases, St. Thomas Aquinas says such an individual is by definition a drunkard and should repent by having true contrition and confessing their sin in the sacrament of Penance (reconciliation). What is interesting about this is that according to St. Thomas, alcoholics are not the only drunkards, but anyone who chooses to drink to excess rather than exercise their capacity for reason and exert their will. (Lord have mercy on me, a sinner!)
He also classifies overconsumption of alcohol as a form of gluttony. The thing that makes alcohol tricky is that alcohol, by its nature, lowers our inhibitions which makes it more difficult to moderate. As such, we have to exercise caution and diligence when we enjoy it.
So the natural question is, how can we have a sober approach to drinking alcohol?
In my most recent interview with Trevor Alcorn from Tridentine Brewing, Trevor and I discuss four simple things you can do to prevent getting drunk:
Consume alcohol with food and not on an empty stomach.
Consume with others that will hold you accountable and will not encourage you to get drunk.
Know your limit and stick to it.
Drink things that you will drink slowly and appreciate.
I love to sit down with friends and family to enjoy a drink. Some of the best conversations I’ve ever had with my husband have been just us sitting around a bonfire after the kids have gone to bed and we’re enjoying each other’s company with an ice cold drink.
I think alcohol can bring people together by lowering our walls and relaxing us and is somewhat akin to breaking bread. Perhaps this is why Our Lord chose bread and wine to be the means by which He comes into being on the altar for a true communion?
Let me know what you think!
