The Alcohol Problem
By Tim Green
Our society functions on alcohol. For many companies, almost all deals are made over a drink, and social functions for many groups will without question be over a pint. Many people have become dependent on alcohol to become more confident in social settings, or find it necessary to be able to have a good time. For many, rather than confronting their insecurities or problems in their life, alcohol provides them with an easy, but temporary, solution. This speaks, perhaps, to the fall of Christian faith in our society: it is far easier to drink and forget our sinful nature or the hopelessness of a Godless world than it is to confront it.
The effect, though, of alcohol on our society is huge. The number of people dying from alcohol-induced illness has risen by 50% in the last ten years, and alcohol-induced deaths are now at double the rate of those dying from all illegal drugs combined [1]. But to me, the impact of alcohol on others is what is the most concerning. 39% of violent crime is committed under the influence [2]; half of all cases of domestic violence directly involve alcohol [3]. The link between alcohol and social harm is incontrovertible.
Professor David Nutt from Imperial College conducted a study assessing the total harm on a scale of 1-100 caused by various substances, both to individuals and society. The ranking was based on 16 criteria, including physical harm, dependence, and social costs such as crime, healthcare burden, and economic loss. In this model, alcohol scored 72, making it markedly the most harmful substance, while heroin and crack cocaine scored 55 and 54, respectively [4].
What the Bible Says About Alcohol
Many people look at the impact of alcohol and our society, and think they want nothing to do with it. However, the Bible actively encourages the drinking of alcohol as a gift from God. In Ecclesiastes, the Preacher's answer to the meaninglessness he sees in life is this: "Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do (Ecclesiastes 9:7). Furthermore, in the book of Deuteronomy, the Jews are encouraged to purchase wine or other fermented drink to conduct a feast before the Lord (Deuteronomy 14:26).
Alcohol also played a notable role in Jesus’ ministry. His first miracle recorded in the gospel accounts was when he famously turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11), and on the most sincere of occasions, the Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples shared bread and wine (Matthew 26:17-30). The Bible doesn’t give free rein on drinking though. Proverbs is full of warnings against drunkenness: Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags (Proverbs 23:20-21). In the book of Ephesians, Paul demonstrates great insight into the harmful consequences of excessive drinking that we see today: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." (Eph 5:18). It is no coincidence that drunkenness is the first sin the Bible mentions in the post-Flood world, where Noah who plants a vineyard and becomes drunk (Genesis 9:22).
So the Bible clearly celebrates the drinking of alcohol, but strongly forbids drunkenness. The answer, then, to the question of alcohol, is the virtue of temperance in the truest meaning of the term- moderation; alcohol consumption is a good thing, when done in a self-controlled manner.
This is something that deeply ingrained into the way the Israelites consumed wine. Their wine in the first place is estimated to have been at just a 4% alcohol concentration, and was then mixed with 3 parts water for every one part wine [5]. Jewish society made self-control the norm in the consumption of alcohol, and therefore had a far healthier relationship than we do in our society today.
Policy Implications
In modern political discourse, any legislative hindrances to drunkenness will not be successful if justified solely on the basis of its being a sin. Rather, we should put forward the argument that drunkenness leads to individual and social harm, and for this reason it should be curbed.
In 1920, The United States attempted to deal with the harms of alcohol through Prohibition, banning alcohol’s production, sale, and transportation. However, politicians soon found that people would just switch to the black market for alcohol, often finding much more potent drinks. On top of this, consumption of alcohol in fact increased, leading to Prohibition’s ultimate reversal in the 21st amendment [6].
Prohibition not only didn’t work practically; from a Christian standpoint it also deprives people of the God-given gift of alcohol. In the same way we should find some middle ground between abstinence and drunkenness when drinking as individuals, our policy solution as a society should be one in-between prohibition and absolute freedom- policy that discourages drunkenness, while still ensuring that alcohol is accessible to people.
The way this should be done is to draw a distinction between different kinds of drinking, as different policy solutions are required in different contexts of drinking. One huge problem to be addressed to achieve this is the shift in people’s drinking patterns away from pubs and bars, and towards drinking in their own homes. This is a bad shift for society, because pubs and bars are some of the last places of community for many people in our society; a place where it is far more socially acceptable to talk to strangers, make new friends, and for community to grow. The change is also particularly dangerous for those drinking, because when drinking at home, there is less likely to be someone able to contact emergency services if you drink too much, and there is less accountability and social pressure to control oneself. This worrying trend was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is estimated that this shift will contribute to 150,000 more cases of alcohol-related disease by 2035 [7].
Various policies could be incorporated to reverse this harmful shift. Scotland has introduced a law so that alcohol can only be bought in shops between 10am and 10pm[8]. This would make the only way to purchase alcohol at these times be in pubs and bars. The shift could also be discouraged with a more targeted system of taxation: rather than alcohol duty being a blanket tax on all alcohol, it could be raised on shop-bought alcohol, and lowered on alcohol bought in a social setting. This brings to bear a recognition that not all settings for drinking are equal, and would capture more accurately the social cost of drinking in the different settings.
While a shift towards drinking in public settings would be a helpful step, it would be far more effective in reducing overall drunkenness were these establishments to develop a culture in which drunkenness is actively discouraged. For this, a separate policy solution is required. I propose a two-pronged approach: First, a public awareness campaign regarding the dangers of drunkenness. There are so many harrowing stories of how excessive drinking has radically altered, and indeed ended, people’s lives. If shared in a compelling way, these could alter public consciousness of these issues.
Alongside this, establishments need to do more to stop drunkenness in their premises. This would not even require a change in the law, because under the Licensing Act 2003, it is already illegal to sell alcohol to someone who is clearly drunk[9]. In practice, however, this law is rarely enforced. A study by Liverpool John Moore University found that 84% of venues served actors pretending to be highly intoxicated[10]. Venues see the opportunity to make a little more profit, and see very few prosecutions for violating the rules. Much firmer police enforcement is needed, with strong penalties for venues that repeatedly ignore the law.
Differential pricing of alcohol duty, public awareness, and better enforcement would lead to more people drinking in pubs, coming with the expectation to drink a moderate amount, and being prevented from drinking too much, thereby achieving the policy goal of increased drinking in moderation.
Conclusion
The harm caused by alcohol is not just a personal issue—it’s a societal crisis that demands our attention and action. The Bible permits alcohol, but is clear about the harms of drunkenness, in particular its role in leading to other sin. Our police and politicians have the tools to encourage moderation in alcohol consumption. They just need to act on them.
The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the Jubilee Centre or its trustees.
[1]: Office for National Statistics (2025). "Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2023." ONS.
[2]: https://alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/fact-sheets/alcohol-crime-and-disorder#:~:text=Alcohol%20is%20implicated%20in%20an,in%20communities%20across%20the%20country.
[3]: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2021-04-22/debates/DC307679-EA51-43C7-B981-0B5F741427D2/AlcoholHarmCommissionReport2020
[4]: Nutt, D., King, L. A., & Phillips, L. D. (2010). "Drug harms in the UK: A multicriteria decision analysis." The Lancet, 376(9752), 1558-1565.
[5]: Pesachin 108b
[6]: United States Constitution, 21st Amendment
[7]: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/shift-drinking-patterns-during-covid-19-could-lead-150000-more-cases-disease-england-2035#:~:text=this%20service%20work.-,Shift%20in%20drinking%20patterns%20during%20COVID%2D19%20could%20lead%20to,disease%20in%20England%20by%202035&text=Changes%20in%20people's%20drinking%20patterns,new%20research%20funded%20by%20NIHR.
[8] Alcohol etc Act 2010 Scottish Government
[9]: Licensing Act 2003, Section 141, UK Government.
