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Featured Water and Alcohol

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by evangelist6589, Feb 16, 2014.

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  1. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
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    Last week I was enjoying a couple of Mikes Hard Lemonades and while I was drinking them I was also drinking water so that I would not get drunk (which would be a sin). The beverages were only 5% but still higher than the light version at 2.5%. However the light version only comes in one flavor. If I drank Mikes in this fashion would I be drinking about the same level that Jesus drank at the Wedding in Cana? Erwin Lutzer said that MOST alcoholic beverages are much higher than that in Bible times but he did not say ALL. Many make the assumption that those who take one drink will fall into sin but this has not been the case with me and I have had Mikes since 2006 so that assumption is a logical fallacy.


    Thanks,


    John
     
    #1 evangelist6589, Feb 16, 2014
  2. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    Hey Evan.

    I doubt that anyone can definitively answer the question regarding precise alcohol content at the wedding in Cana. Some will say it contained no alcohol while others would indicate that serving the better wine last was unusual because of the effect of alcohol on our senses. I have to say that conscience needs to be your guide. But one drink leading to sin is not the assumption - the assumption is that it may lead to sin (for those who believe it is best not to drink) OR that one drink is sin (for those who believe abstinence is a biblical doctrine).

    Here’s a fair case for not drinking. The author does not believe it is unbiblical to drink, but that the dangers outweigh the benefit.

    http://www.cerm.info/bible_studies/Topical/alcoholic_beverages.htm
     
    #2 JonC, Feb 16, 2014
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  3. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Drink water to keep from getting drunk? As a former drunk I can say that is the dumbest idea and it is a myth.
     
    #3 Revmitchell, Feb 16, 2014
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  4. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
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    Explain...
     
    #4 evangelist6589, Feb 16, 2014
  5. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    It doesn't work, not even a little bit. Where in the world did you ever hear of such a think. Reminds me of silly little things highschool kids make up.
     
    #5 Revmitchell, Feb 16, 2014
  6. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    Sure, Scotch & Water.....but he got that diluting crud from you knuckle heads. Look Evan, dont even think about rationalizing drinking more than your set limit by playing games with alcohol. the stuff goes right to your blood stream & you will get just as drunk no matter how much water you drink. the water will just make you urinate more, but by then its in your blood & in your brain & you are drunk. Make sure you know your limit, and adhere to it strictly.....no messing around. And make sure you do not drink on an empty stomach
     
    #6 Earth Wind and Fire, Feb 17, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 17, 2014
  7. Aaron

    Aaron Member
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    Or better yet, just stay away from it.
     
    #7 Aaron, Feb 17, 2014
  8. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
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    I drink it very slowly and yes I would not drink it on an empty stomach. I preferred the 2.5% version of Mikes but they are harder to find and only come in on flavor. I still have not been drunk on 5% nor do I plan on it.
     
    #8 evangelist6589, Feb 17, 2014
  9. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
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    Drinking can be dangerous no question, but Mikes Lemonades have much less content than the average alcoholic beverage. When I worked in the beer factory (briefly) I learned that a 2.5-5% drink was far lower than anything they sold there. In fact I learned that Utah could not sell any beverage beyond 9% and that the average beverage was much higher at 12% sold to other states.

    So with that in mind would it still be dangerous to drink just for the enjoyment? For me its not the alcohol but the sugar that drives me as I am a major candy alcoholic. Unfortunately I am not aware of any non alcoholic version of Mike's and believe I have contacted them. Regular lemonade does not taste as good as their versions. Do you know of a non alcoholic version perhaps sold in another state?
     
    #9 evangelist6589, Feb 17, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 17, 2014
  10. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    Just so you know this, there are some wines that have no or very little alcohol content.....good for a dinner with the wife. now my bride is a recovering alcoholic so she is the one to tell me not to buy that kinda stuff....she is fine with a Cola drink. Me I would prefer to sit down all night and nurse a good Micro Brew or a Guinness Draft......see I dont drink for the buzz, I drink because I really enjoy the taste. My only real vice, if you could call it that, is Coffee..... but as Ive stated earlier....been drinking that since I was 6....it softened the biscotti my Italian grandma used to bake & serve in the mornings.
     
    #10 Earth Wind and Fire, Feb 17, 2014
  11. padredurand

    padredurand Well-Known Member
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    It has been my experience that if a person has to go through a convoluted thought process such as this to rationalize their use of alcohol then there is a problem with alcohol already.

    The alcohol content of any beverage is measured by volume. If you drank a 12 oz bottle alone you'd ingest a little more than half an ounce of pure ethanol. If you drank a 12 oz bottle of Mike's and a 12 oz bottle of water the pure alcohol weight would be the same even though you doubled the volume of liquid.

    Hard Lemonade is not a safer nor more holy alternative. There isn't a slug of difference between wine, beer, liqueur a quart jar from over the hill and Mike's Hard Lemonade.
     
    #11 padredurand, Feb 17, 2014
  12. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    Could you please check the label and verify the ABV % for your diet booze. It says online that it's quite a bit higher.
     
    #12 Jerome, Feb 17, 2014
  13. Florida Believer

    Florida Believer New Member

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    Drinking

    'Wine is a mocker and beer is a brawler'. This & other verses in the Bible never say we cannot drink but are warning signs of what alcohol can do.

    So if you get to the point of your head spinning just the slightest, it's time to put the brakes, put the drink down and say no more. Otherwise it has mastered you and from there you are headed for trouble.
     
    #13 Florida Believer, Feb 17, 2014
  14. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    I don't drink alcohol. I was brought up in a strict Southern Baptist home where my parents frowned on it.

    The joking motto around our house was "we don't smoke, drink or chew, or go with girls that do."

    I have since softened my views toward alcohol, but still don't drink. Mainly because I don't like the taste, so there's no moral superiority here.

    That said, I read this quote some time ago: "Those who say they can take it or leave it alone are usually taking it at the time. Rarely are they leaving it alone."
     
    #14 Tom Butler, Feb 17, 2014
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  15. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    Bingo!

    Drinking water in between drinks does work to inhibit the amount of alcohol in your blood for the simple reason that as you are drinking the water you are devoting time to drinking something with zero alcohol in it, which gives your liver the necessary time to metabolize the alcohol you've already drunk.

    It is a silly game to play but it can work. You'd be better off simply setting a goal of "I'm only going to drink 2 Mike's Hard Lemonades and I will take at least an hour and a half to do it. Better yet, don't drink, you're obviously an amateur.
     
    #15 InTheLight, Feb 17, 2014
  16. Amy.G

    Amy.G New Member

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    Why don't you just make some lemonade?
     
    #16 Amy.G, Feb 17, 2014
  17. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    Yes, it can be dangerous to drink just for enjoyment. Alcoholics did not take their first drink to because they wanted to be addicted. That does not mean that it is for an individual - just that the potential is there. The first caution is drinking for the taste or sugar. The alcohol does also have an effect - even if it is not becoming drunk. I disagree with many on previous discussions because I don’t believe that the effect is necessarily negative - but “I just like the taste” as a defense for drinking is a bit childish. We are not (or shouldn’t) be controlled by our senses.

    The article I posted does a good job of explaining my view and addresses some of your concerns. His struggle was, BTW, with Mikes lemonade. http://www.cerm.info/bible_studies/Topical/alcoholic_beverages.htm

    My caution is that when one gets to the point of alcohol content to justify a particular beverage…well, then there may be a problem. If I enjoy a scotch with a high alcohol content, that does not mean that I am a drunk while the Mike fan’s are enjoying the fresh lemon flavor (I don’t, BTW, drink scotch…yuck). Years ago I’d enjoy a Schlenkerla (a smoked German beer). I’d have one, once or twice a year. The alcohol content was above 6.3% so a liquor store carried it. I never caught a “buzz,” but I have a friend who became an alcoholic on Coors light (well below 5%, if you’re counting). But my point is that it isn’t the alcohol content of a beverage as much as the amount consumed within a time frame. But if you are drinking, cautiously making sure that you don't consume too much; researching the alcohol content verses what it may have been way back when...maybe that is too much work. I abstain because of the dangers that it can have for me and others (I now have a son, and children do not understand moderation - it’s black and white with them). So I don’t condemn “moderation” (by my definition of the term) - but I advocate abstinence, just not legalistically. That’s my decision based on my conscience - and I am in no way saying that this applies to you.

    We adapt to tastes. If it is a good lemonade you are looking for, that’s easy. Buy some sugar and lemons (fresh- not lemon juice). But you will not find a non-alcoholic version of a drink that tastes like the alcoholic version.
     
    #17 JonC, Feb 17, 2014
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  18. prophet

    prophet Active Member
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    Chasers are now a silly game?
     
    #18 prophet, Feb 17, 2014
  19. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    He's said:

    I guess it's the malt liquor component that's so tasty?
     
    #19 Jerome, Feb 17, 2014
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  20. thisnumbersdisconnected

    thisnumbersdisconnected New Member

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    Exactly one of the two things I was going to say, from the same historical perspective. If you have a tendency to get drunk, the only thing that will keep you from getting drunk is to not drink.

    The other thing I was going to say: Anyone who can claim to speak accurately of the alcoholic content of Biblical wine is nuts, or a liar.
     
    #20 thisnumbersdisconnected, Feb 17, 2014
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