“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with drunkenness and cares of this life, and so that day come on you unawares.”
-Luke 21:34
Research has it that the average person consumes 6.4 liters of Alcohol every year globally—that’s 53 bottles of wine! A report by the CDC and the ADRI, from 2015-2019, more than 140,000 deaths in the US alone were associated with binge drinking of Alcohol. Pleasures of the world, Laxity, substance abuse, and other reasons have caused this decadence.
You could say people failed to tame their tastes and sadly got the wrong side of it. Have you been thinking that it’s impossible to tame your taste, desire, or appetite for something dangerous? Do you constantly wet your pillows in tears and frustration over a strong addiction to alcoholic drinks? If so, I’ll walk you through Biblical principles that will help you tame your taste for alcoholic drinks.
Proverbs 23:31-33 says, “Do not look on the wine when it is red When it sparkles in the cup When it swirls around smoothly; at the last, it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things.”
Let me bake this for you, Alcohol promises delight but delivers death. It translates fun into futility, does not produce happiness but hangovers, and drowns the boldness in anyone.
The scriptures remind us that Alcohol which leads to drunkenness, has caused irreparable generational mistakes. For instance, Noah got drunk, and this exposed his nakedness; as a result, he cursed one of his sons (Genesis 9:20-27). Likewise, Lot got drunk and committed incest with his daughters (Genesis 19:30-38). That’s what it can do: push you to make regrettable decisions.
Learn from this strategy
On taming your tongue, I’ll share a little analogy from the strategy used by an animal trainer. Among many who used unique techniques to tame lions was one Clyde Beatty. He used a whip, a gun, and a chair when taming a lion. You could guess what the whip and the gun were for-to scare the big cat. But why the chair? What would a chair do to intimidate a lion? The lion isn’t afraid of the chair but is confused by the chair. Strange, right?
Because cats are single-minded animals, the lion is sufficiently distracted by the four points of the chair that it loses its focus. So the chair is what stops the lion from attacking its tamer. This means that shifting the lion’s focus from one point to another keeps the man alive. It’s that simple in theory.
Taming or training means to bring under domination or control; culture, especially by repetition. Lion-taming is a fantastic metaphor if nothing else. When teachers discipline a group of unruly students, they are taming lions. When a businessperson calms an irate client or holds a snarling boss, they are taming lions. To approach something intimidating and powerful and disarm it with your wits and well-learned techniques is to tame a lion.
This time, you’re neither using whips, guns, nor chairs to diffuse the bombs attached to your appetite. Instead, when you become intentional about dealing with drunkenness, lifting off your shoulders the weight of the world of alcoholism by using specific spiritual and mental tools, you’re taming a familiar lion to you. You tame your taste when you’re actively shifting your mind and life from the lifestyle. But how can you do that? Let’s go deeper, shall we?
A Small Step and a Mighty Ocean
We know that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step expresses one simple truth, every great thing starts small. The same thing goes for a lifestyle of alcoholism and drunkenness: it begins with just one small cup and results in bingeing.
Drunkenness is the word used to describe behavior associated with alcohol intoxication. The Bible is expressive in describing a drunkard as senseless and ragged-looking. “for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.” Proverbs 23:21 (NKJV). But what ignites this lifestyle of alcoholism and drunkenness in you?
There are several reasons people delve into the abuse of Alcohol because that’s what it is: abuse. Alcohol isn’t bad because it’s made from plants created by God for certain health benefits. However, abusing it means using it for purposes other than what it’s been designed for.
This abuse begins with a desire, but there are certain ‘drops of water’ that fill the ocean of desires in people, a single step that begins the journey. Some of these drops include attempts to escape the reality of problems just for fun and because Alcohol is easily accessible and always advertised.
Just as the ignition is the first step to reaching a destination with a car, allowing yourself to try to drown your sorrows by drinking Alcohol and getting drunk is the first step to a whole new round of problems. Would you let it reach that point?
Threatening side effects
According to 2009 data, Alcohol was responsible for an estimated 3.5% of cancer deaths in the United States (about 19,500). That’s scary! You really don’t want to be part of the statistics.
Yes, a lifestyle of alcoholism and drunkenness has nothing good to offer you. If you persist, it can be your undoing. What are the dangers of drunkenness? Are they avoidable? How can you escape them?
Another bad side is that Alcohol disrupts the brain’s communication pathways and alters the functionality of the brain. These disturbances can alter mood and behavior, making it difficult to think clearly and move with coordination.
The next most fatal damage done is to the heart! Drunkenness causes the heart muscles to get weakened and droopy. There’s also the problem of irregular heartbeats, stroke, and constant increase in blood pressure. That’s a lot for one person, created in God’s image!
The liver and pancreas are not left out of the pack, as they break down Alcohol. As a result, drinking Alcohol can cause the liver to become fatty and swollen; the pancreas also gets inflamed. This could account for the abnormal swelling of the belly of heavy drinkers.
Beat the Statistics
“And do not be drunk with wine, which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”
Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV)
Now, to the question of how you can escape from the hands of the statistics placed by the lifestyle of alcoholism, do you want to be free? Is it even possible to be free? The answer is here, beloved!
There are two things you must understand. First, the devil desires to bring you to nothing through alcoholism and drunkenness. Secondly, you must keep in mind that you can’t do it on your own. You may have walked into the pit of alcoholism and drunkenness, but you can’t just crawl out of there yourself; you need help, and fast! The good news is that God is always ready to help you, as revealed by the Psalmist. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalms 46:1 (NKJV). Apply these steps for your freedom today:
Salvation
You need Jesus to save you. It starts with you giving yourself entirely to Him. And as simple as it may seem, it’s the best decision you could ever make. Even if you’ve made it before and yet struggling with alcoholism, you can rededicate yourself to Him when you “…confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead….” Romans 10:9 (NKJV). That’s where salvation begins.
Self-denial
Beating the dreadful statistics continues with you intentionally living in self-denial of what your flesh craves, proving your repentance. Jesus said, “Bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance [let your lives prove your change of heart]” Matthew 3:8 (AMP). Later, Paul writes to the Galatians, “Those who live only to satisfy their sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.” Galatians 6:8. Your life after deciding to stay sober must be lived with all intentionality.
Self-respect
It’s highly improbable for you to see society’s most revered and respected people drinking themselves to stupor and wallowing like pigs in the mud. It’s because even amid a terrible alcoholic lifestyle, they know their worth and subconsciously live in it. You need to know your worth and live in it by controlling your flesh and not the other way round.
Separation
Now this is very important. This is where you cut out the hand or foot and pluck out the eye that causes you to sin (Matthew 5:29-30). Not literally, of course! You’re not going to slit your…never mind. This is where you remove or separate from you anyone and anything that draws you back to that lifestyle. Paul re-echoes what God says, “Therefore, ‘come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.'” 2 Corinthians 6:17 (NKJV). They may be your close friends, your favorite TV show, or your favorite route to take to work that has the pub just by the bend or along the street. You can change all that!
Sanctification
Sanctification is done holistically. You need to give yourself to the growth of your Spirit by studying the Scriptures and praying regularly. After taking out the poison of alcoholism, you can’t afford to remain idle, “but you, beloved, building yourself in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”
In addition, live a life of soberness, and you’ll see God clearly in your life. When you see God more clearly, you see life more clearly.
It’s high time you tamed your taste once and for all so that it won’t lead you to take destructive steps of generational perpetuity.