According to a Christianity Today/Gallup poll, one-third of the public in the U.S. abstains from alcohol. Two-thirds of evangelicals abstain. Over half of all clergy abstain, but better than three-fourths of evangelical clergy abstain. Three-fourths of frequent Bible readers and two-thirds of tithers abstain. I think that is interesting: the more you are in the Word, the less likely you are to drink.

Drinking is making a sick society worse in ways other than just financial costs. People are dying as a result of alcohol related car accidents. We patrol our highways and maintain lower speed limits, yet half the highway deaths are alcohol-related, not to mention the millions of people that are injured from alcohol-related crashes.

Even the smallest dose of alcohol paralyzes the inhibitions. It develops a thrill-seeking sense. It slows the thinking and dims the eyesight. It nulls the physical control. It turns the person with his hand on the steering wheel into a murderer. One anti-drunk driving group says that drunk driving manslaughter is the only socially acceptable form of homicide in our society.

When we see the graves of those taken by alcohol, we see those who would be enjoying life but for a shot of whiskey, a can of beer, or a glass of wine drunk by their murderer who was free to crush another one.

We as Christians need to be concerned and angry, not only against drunk driving, but also against drinking the alcohol that causes the person to be a drunk driver. Even before we investigate the Biblical condemnation of intoxicating beverages, this one reason should be sufficient to preach and teach against it.