In times of trouble, people may be encouraged to “have a drink and forget your troubles.” But getting drunk does not help us forget our troubles, it only adds new ones. Drunkenness is an admission of failure. Getting drunk is an acknowledgment that a person cannot get what he wants and cannot handle his life naturally and sanely. It is a vain hope of finding what we want in a dreamworld of intoxication. The world of drugs beckons in a similar manner.

Paul wrote that drunkards will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:10). The only solution to all of our troubles is to face the truth that we have failed in our relationships with others, and then get busy and fix the problems. A sober, clear-thinking mind is where solutions lie.