6 Ways Alcohol Addiction Can Ruin Your Life

Alcohol addiction is clearly a problem in this world. In 2022, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) “The harmful use of alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions. Worldwide, 3 million deaths every year result from harmful use of alcohol…  Beyond health consequences, the harmful use of alcohol brings significant social and economic losses to individuals and society at large… There is a causal relationship between harmful use of alcohol and a range of mental and behavioural disorders, other noncommunicable conditions and injuries.”

Below are 6 specific ways alcohol can destroy your life

1. Alcohol addiction can Ruin your Finances
Alcohol abuse can take your money every day. Alcohol expenses can take a priority in your life more than other daily needs in your daily life. Therefore monetary issues which deserve more importance in your life will suffer because of the desire to consume alcohol.

Proverbs 23:21 says: For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.

According to the Scriptures alcohol addiction or a life of drunkenness can lead to financial problems and poverty at worst.

2. Alcohol addiction can Hurt your Family
Since alcohol addiction can affect finances, this problem also has a direct link to hurting one’s family. Alcohol addiction both hijacks and destroys the alcoholic’s financial responsibilities towards their spouse and children. For example, money which ought to be spent on groceries for the family or other specific family needs are sacrificed to prioritize one’s personal lust for alcohol.

Furthermore drunkenness in the home ultimately also leads to many social problems in the home including abuse and various kinds poor relations within the home.

Therefore drunkenness can affect family relations because alcoholism can lead to sexual immorality (Romans 13:13), poor or unwise judgments and decisions (Proverbs 20:1).

Both Noah and Lot became so drunk to the extent it led to immorality and family problems (Genesis 9:20-26; Genesis 19:30-38).

3. Alcohol addiction can Ruin your Mind and Body
Alcohol abuse can affect your health and destroy your mind and body. Alcohol abuse can lead to diseases and health issues such as high blood pressure, kidney problems, liver disease, digestive problems and heart disease.

Alcohol can affect your brain in both the short-term and the long-term. Alcohol can affect your memory; it can alter your mood; it can affect your sleeping patterns; it can affect the way your brain functions.

Proverbs 23:29-33 NLT says: Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? 30 It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. 31 Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. 32 For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper. 33 You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. 34 You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. 35 And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?”

Therefore alcohol addiction can affect both your body and your mental health.

4. Alcohol addiction can negatively Change your Personality
Whenever a person is in a state of drunkenness, one’s personality and behavior changes. For example some alcoholics are more likely to be violent or make risky, rash and immoral decisions which they will later regret when they become sober.

Romans 13:13 says: Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

So alcohol abuse has the effect of changing one’s moral and spiritual values in a negative way.

5. Alcohol addiction can make you Associate with the Wrong Friends
Alcohol abuse will lead an alcoholic to always be influenced by other drinkers. Peer pressure can be very strong amongst alcohol addicts. Alcoholics tend to spend more time with other drinkers and drift away from family or friends who might discourage their drinking lifestyle.

1 Corinthians 15:33-34 says: Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”  34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

Therefore bad company and a culture of drunkenness will always lead people to culture of sin and away from a relationship with God. So alcoholism can prevent an alcoholic from having real and meaningful relationships with the right people. Instead an alcoholic can be deceived into associating with the wrong friends who have similar habits.

6. Alcohol addiction can Affect your Relationship with God
Alcohol abuse leads to the sin of drunkenness. Alcohol addiction not only affects our relationship with other people, but it also affects our relationship with God.

1 Corinthians 6:10 says: Nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:21 says: Envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:18 says: And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit

These scriptures clearly reveal that amongst other sins, God also hates drunkenness to the extent that He warns that such sins affect one’s eternal destination when one dies.
Therefore God wants us to be sober-minded and to be filled or influenced by the Holy Spirit instead of being addicted to the influence of alcohol.

Conclusion

Whilst it is not a sin to drink wine itself, the Bible clearly is against the sin of drunkenness. Drug abuse or alcohol addiction does not lead to anything good or positive.

Isaiah 5:11 says: Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them!

Alcohol addiction is a sin because it makes us slaves to material substances. Alcoholics need it because they’re looking for a false peace and a false joy.
However real joy and peace is not found in abusing alcohol, but true joy and peace is found through a relationship with Jesus Christ and constantly turning to Him to give us peace and joy in life.