Topic: Alcohol

0:00 Adults have to deal with a lot. Jobs, cleaning, decision making, and so, so much more. Most adults are under a huge load of stress, since they are commonly expected to be the responsible ones. The people under stress tend to have ways to combat this feeling. These ways can range from taking a breath to calling friends, but most commonly, people under stress tend to move to alcohol. Welcome to episode 12 of talking about topics where meaningful topics are researched and discussed every Sunday. This week's topic is on something that is destroying lives which is alcohol.

0:44 First viewpoint on alcohol Earthly. Just in case there's any confusion on the topic, here are some definitions from Miriam Webster that help explain it. A colorless flammable liquid that is the intoxicating agents in fermented and distilled liquors. Any of various carbon compounds similar to alcohol, beverages cum containing alcohol. So these definitions would include drinks such as beer, wine, whiskey, and any other kind of liquor. Now the earthly viewpoint for alcohol is very complicated, since it is a very commonly debated topic.

1:30 But I would say that most people who are a part of the earthly viewpoint are fine with drinking alcohol. To them, alcohol is a way of temporarily drinking away stress or worries. This is because the effects of alcohol help people ignore burdens. But some people depend too much on it. If someone were to drink a little bit, maybe with a friend or just since maybe they lost someone important, the bad effects are not that harmful. But if either someone were to chug it by the cup or just depend on it to fix everything, things can take a turn.

2:10 Vision becomes impaired, reaction times are slowed, memory stops remembering things, and the affected individual makes reckless decisions. Once these effects start, that person is drunk and can lose friends or good reputations by making regretful decisions. This is where the alcohol debate starts. Many people don't like it since it can lead to addiction, which can lead to car wrecks, organ dysfunction, and even death. But other individuals either don't care about these effects or think that they can control gaining an addiction.

2:49 They think that they can control the amount of liquor that they drink. This may be true, I don't actually know. Now what does the Christian viewpoint think? Second viewpoint on alcohol Christian. So many Christian denominations believe some different things about alcohol. Some believe it's acceptable, while others do not like it. For this episode, I'm going to go by what the Bible says. I'm gonna go by God's word. The first passage I would like to mention is Proverbs 23 verses 29 through 35 in the Bible.

3:28 And before I read, I would like to mention that the book of Proverbs is also known as the Book of Wisdom. It talks a lot about wisdom and how to gain it, and it also mentions how people cannot be able to gain wisdom. It's very important if you want to learn about wisdom. Now let's dive into the word. Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns trying out new drinks.

4:06 Don't gaze at the wine seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake and stings like a viper. You will see hallucinations and you will say crazy things. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast, and you will say they hit me, but I did not feel it. I didn't even know it when they beat me up. So when will I wake up so I can look for another drink? So this passage mainly mentions effects from too much alcohol, mainly addiction and memory loss.

4:48 It definitely points to alcohol as a bad thing. It basically says, in summary, the love of alcohol depletes your memory, builds addiction, and can destroy your life. Another proverb verse that bad mouths alcohol is Proverbs twenty verse one, which says Wine produces mockers, alcohol leads to brawls. Those led astray by drink cannot be wise. Now, this basically says the same thing, except it mentions that those who are drunk cannot learn wisdom, which means alcohol can prevent somebody from making good decisions, since your current state of wisdom is what influences your decisions in the first place.

5:36 Currently, I could list so many more passages that speak against alcohol, and so far it isn't looking good for its reputation. The Bible seems to really not like alcohol, but it does not end there, as there is a Bible passage that severely turns the tables. This passage is also from Proverbs, which shows that it is a part of the wise book. This passage is Proverbs 31, verses four through seven, which says, It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol, for if they drink, they may forget the law and not give justice to the oppressed.

6:22 Alcohol is for the dying, and wine is for those in bitter distress. Let them drink to forget their poverty, and remember their troubles no more. Finally, a passage that speaks truth about alcohol. In summary, this passage says only people who are bearing burdens are allowed to drink, and only a little bit. I say only a little bit since the previous passages mentioned the love of alcohol destroying lives. And the rulers not allowed to drink alcohol part in the verse, that meant like say a police officer was drunk and someone was speeding past him.

7:05 Since he is drunk and has memory loss and vision impairments, it is very, very hard for him to catch him and bring him to justice. As you can see, this is what the verse was pointing to. So, in conclusion of this episode, alcohol can be drinking in small amounts and only for a good purpose. Do not drink too much, as terrible things will most definitely happen, which will cause you to make more bad decisions, lose relationships, and even die. Also, if you have burdens, don't just drink alcohol to get away from it.

7:43 Depending too much on it will lead to addiction. But if you are bearing burdens, pray to God about it. Spend some time in the Bible and trust that God will do what's best. Now, if it if you find this very hard to do, if you find trusting God very hard, I would recommend going to someone who is a friend who is a Christian and talk to them about it, as I am very sure that they will disciple you in the ways you should go. Thank you for listening to episode 12 of Talking About Topics, which was topic alcohol.

8:19 I really, really hope you enjoyed, and I really hope it was meaningful to your everyday life and the amount of alcohol you do drink. If you have any questions, critiques, or just comments, let me know at my email talking about topics podcast at gmail.com. I would highly advise you do this as I would really love some constructive criticism or just topic ideas since they are not easy to think of. Also, if you did enjoy this episode and if it was actually meaningful, please share it with people you know.

8:55 I'm really trying to get my podcast out there to the Christian community, and I really feel that Christians would enjoy it if you were to share it with them. Now, always remember that alcohol can be a bad thing, but not only if a small amount is taken. If you do have problems with addiction, I do not advise drinking alcohol, as that could lead to a harmful addiction. With that, see you in the next one.