Even King Solomon Knew Drinking Is Bad and Sobriety is Good: Proverbs 23

Even the wisest man to ever live knew that drinking alcohol was bad and that sobriety was good. He lays it out very clearly in Proverbs 23. 

Addiction sneaks up on us and ruins our lives. Listen in as I talk about how my life has completely changed, how I went from a tiny world revolving around a harmful substance to a life full of possibilities. And you can too.

You don't have to live life stuck on the hamster wheel of addiction. You can get off and get to living. It's time.

Thanks so much for listening in today!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Hi and welcome to the Recovered Christian, the
Sissy's, anne.
We all struggle with differentthings In recovery.
We might be healing fromaddiction to alcohol, drugs, sex
, gambling, food and alcoholpeople pleasing work.
Sadly, the list is really long.
Today I'm talking about alcohol, but you can just apply this to

(00:39):
whatever your thing is.
Destruction is destruction anddespair is despair.
In the book of Proverbs, chapter23, verse 29 to 35, there is a
stark portrayal of the dangersof excessive drinking, the
misery of the abuse of alcohol.
Here's what it says who hasanguish?

(01:00):
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 longhours in the taverns trying out
new drinks.
Don't gaze at the wine, seeinghow red it is, how it sparkles
in the cup, how smoothly it goesdown, for in the end it bites

(01:24):
like a poisonous snake, itstings like a viper.
You will see hallucinations andyou will say crazy things.
You will stagger like a sailortossed at sea, clinging to a
swaying mast, and you will saythey hit me, but I didn't feel
it, I didn't even know it whenthey beat me up.
When will I wake up so I canlook for another drink.

(01:46):
Wow, solomon, who wrote theProverbs, paints a vivid picture
of the downward spiral causedby overindulgence in alcohol.
It seems okay at first.
It's new and sparkly and goesdown smoothly.
Yep, the beginning isn'tnormally bad.
It may even be fun.
It seems glamorous and so verygrown up, but it swiftly spirals

(02:11):
into a life filled with anguishand strife and physical harm.
The allure of alcohol portrayedas enticing and smooth,
deceives and leads to a loss ofcontrol and awareness.
Alcohol is poison.
Even if you don't have aproblem with drinking, it's not
good for you.
It harms our bodies and mindsin so many ways.

(02:34):
I was just at an eventyesterday and the host had a
glass of wine and said my bodydoesn't make this kind of
vitamin, so I have to drink it.
Plus her heart, alcohol is nota vitamin and obviously she knew
that.
But I get so tired of peopletrying to justify and normalize
drinking.
It's just everywhere in ourculture.

(02:55):
Some laughed and guzzled downtheir drinks and I just sat
there with my decaf coffeethinking I am so glad that's not
me anymore.
Addiction is a sneaky bugger.
You'll hear me say that a lotOne day.
You're fine being social,having a drink or two and
suddenly you're hiding it,trying to live without it,

(03:16):
having it dominate every thought.
You think you're in controluntil all of a sudden you're not
and you're wondering how did Iget here?
Addiction is a progressivedisease.
Once you're in the fight,there's no walking away
unscathed.
It will get worse and worseuntil you either die or you

(03:37):
conquer it.
You will have scars and youwill have war wounds.
There's just no way around it.
But you don't have to lose.
Victory can be yours.
The consequences of alcohol anddrugs are really serious.
There are judgment, distortedreality and unquenchable thirst

(03:58):
for more.
It traps individuals in an uglycycle of need and want and more
need and more want.
The imagery of being tossed atsea reflects the disorientation
and instability that alcoholabuse brings, leaving us adrift
and detached from reality andjust wallowing in sadness.

(04:19):
Alcohol makes you do things youwould never normally do.
Addiction makes you do thingsyou can't believe you are
capable of.
It's a miserable way to live.
Recovery is so much easier andhappier and better in every way.
In the journey toward recovery,choosing sobriety means

(04:41):
reclaiming control and findinghealing.
Capacity brings clarity,resilience and the capacity to
face life's challenges with aclear mind and a steadfast
spirit.
It allows us to confront anyunderlying issues without the
haze of intoxication or themisery of a hangover or

(05:01):
withdrawals.
When will I wake up so I canlook for another drink?
That verse really hits home.
I spent so many years stuckthere.
I didn't want to be.
I wanted to be whole again.
I wanted to wake up feelinggood and ready for the day, not
hiding my shaking hands andspending too much time in the

(05:22):
bathroom throwing up.
Just remembering back to thosedays turns my stomach.
But I was stuck.
I was stuck on that hamsterwheel and couldn't figure out
how to get off or how to stayoff.
Sober is so much better.
Choosing sobriety is acommitment, a commitment to
restoring your health and yourlife, healing wounds and

(05:46):
nurturing a clear mind, body andsoul.
Choosing sobriety starts lifeover again.
It opens up the whole world,full of possibilities and dreams
.
In addiction, your world is sosmall.
It may not look like it fromthe outside and mine didn't but
that's the reality.
Your world revolves around onething and that's it.

(06:09):
In recovery, your world is wideopen.
Without mental and physicaldependence on a substance,
without the obsession, withoutthe constant dominance of
thought and action, your worldbecomes open to anything.
My life looks completelydifferent now than it did seven
years ago.
I still have the same husbandand the same kids, but

(06:31):
everything else is different.
I'm living out my dreams in somany ways, and that is only
possible because I broke thechains of addiction, with God's
merciful help.
I never want to wake up and lookfor another drink.
Well, I do look for coffee.
A hot cup of coffee in themorning is one of my life's
greatest pleasures.
But I don't want to wake up andlook for anything other than

(06:53):
what is pleasing and honorableto my father.
I have so much to do and somany plans.
I don't want to waste anotherminute of my life focused on the
things that mean me, harm andwant to kill me.
Make the commitment to restoreyour life.
Choose sobriety, choose a lifeof possibilities.
Choose life.

(07:14):
You'll never regret it, not forone moment.
Let's pray Sweet Father, thankyou for the gifts you give us.
Thank you for the opportunityevery day to live a life wide
open.
Give us the strength to resistthe allure of temptations.
Guide us on the path ofsobriety, leading us toward

(07:36):
healing and renewal.
Grant us the wisdom to seeksupport when we need it and the
courage to face each day withrenewed determination.
Keep us on the right road.
May our journey toward sobrietybe a testament to your grace
and our unwavering commitment tohonor you in all we do.
We love you so much In Jesus'name.

(07:57):
Amen To all those on the pathof recovery.
Remember that every step towardsobriety is a victory To those
trying to start on the path.
Do it.
Don't wait another day, just doit.
Embrace the journey and don'tgive up.
If you fall, get up If you fail, keep going.

(08:17):
Your worth is not defined byyour past or your chains.
You are a precious child of Godand he loves you.
May we continue to walk thepath of healing, supporting one
another with compassion andunderstanding and embracing the
gift of a sober life, a lifefilled with clarity and purpose

(08:39):
and hope and endlesspossibilities.
I'll see you next time.
Thank you so much for listening.
I hope your bite-sized devotiontoday was very satisfying.
If you enjoyed this episode,I'd be honored if you'd leave a
review or a rating.
We are new, so every little bithelps me bring the Word to the

(09:01):
world.
I'd love to get to know youbetter at our Facebook group,
the Recovered Christian.
I'll put a link to it in theshow notes.
So thanks again for being hereand I will see you next time.