Is getting drunk a mortal sin?

Drinking alcohol isn't a sin. Getting drunk on purpose, to the point of losing the use of your reason, is serious matter, and many moral theologians teach it is a mortal sin when done with full knowledge and consent. Drinking a little more than you meant to is usually venial. Driving drunk is grave: the Catechism says people who endanger others' safety through drunkenness incur grave guilt (CCC 2290).

Is drinking alcohol a sin?

No. Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11). The Psalms praise God for wine that gladdens the heart (Psalm 104:15). Wine is used at every Mass. A beer with friends or a glass of wine at dinner is a good thing, received with thanks.

What the Church asks for is temperance, the virtue that keeps pleasures in their place. "The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine" (CCC 2290). The problem is excess, not alcohol itself.

Scripture is clear about that excess. "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). St. Paul also lists drunkenness among the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:21).

When is getting drunk a mortal sin?

The Catechism doesn't draw an exact line, but the Church's moral tradition does. St. Thomas Aquinas taught that drunkenness is a mortal sin when someone knowingly and willingly drinks enough to lose the use of reason (Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 150, a. 2). Many moral theologians since have taught the same: knowing the drink will take away your judgment and choosing it anyway is grave matter.

The reason is simple. Your reason and free will are what let you love, choose well and look after the people around you. Giving them away on purpose for the sake of a feeling is a serious matter, and drunk people tend to do things they would never choose sober.

Like any mortal sin, it also takes full knowledge and deliberate consent (CCC 1857). In practice, it helps to tell these apart:

• Relaxed or a little tipsy, judgment intact. Not drunkenness. Moderate drinking is not a sin.
• More than was wise, but not drunk. Usually a venial sin against temperance.
• Drunk without meaning to be. Stronger drinks than you realized, an empty stomach, a medication. Your guilt for the drunkenness itself is much less, or none at all. Learn from it.
• Setting out to get drunk. Planning to get "wasted" and following through, knowing what that means, is grave matter.

What you do while drunk counts too. If you knew getting drunk could lead you into a fight, a hookup or cruel words, you carry responsibility for what you foresaw when you chose to drink.

Is drunk driving a mortal sin?

This is where the Catechism speaks to drunkenness most directly: "Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air" (CCC 2290). Driving when alcohol has impaired you is grave matter, because you're gambling with other people's lives.

The practical answer is to decide before the first drink. Plan a sober driver, a ride or a place to stay. If someone else is about to drive drunk, taking their keys is an act of charity.

The same goes for pressuring others. Pushing someone to drink past their limit is wrong, and getting someone drunk to take advantage of them is gravely wrong.

What if I can't stop drinking?

If you drink more than you mean to, again and again, or you need a drink to get through the day, you may be dealing with addiction. That changes things. The Church teaches that habit and psychological factors can reduce how much a person is to blame (CCC 1735). A relapse is not always a mortal sin, even when the matter is serious. You're also not meant to fight it alone.

• Keep going to Confession. Confess what you did, honestly, and tell the priest you're struggling. He can help you judge your situation.
• Find a group. Alcoholics Anonymous meets almost everywhere. The Calix Society is a Catholic fellowship for people in recovery that works alongside AA.
• Talk to a doctor. If you drink heavily every day, get medical advice before stopping suddenly, because withdrawal can be dangerous.
• Call for help. In the US, SAMHSA's National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) is free, confidential and open around the clock, and can point you to treatment and support groups near you.

Asking for help is not a failure of faith. Grace often works through other people.

How do I confess getting drunk?

Keep it short and honest. Say what happened, roughly how often, and anything serious that came with it.

• "I got drunk on purpose twice."
• "I drove after drinking too much."
• "I drank more than I should have several times, and I was unkind to my family when I did."

Also confess anything serious you did while drunk: a fight, cruel words, sexual sin, money you shouldn't have spent. Name it plainly. The priest doesn't need the details of the night.

If you've committed a mortal sin, go to Confession before receiving Communion. Our page on Communion and mortal sin explains why.

If someone you love drinks too much

Living with a spouse, parent or child who drinks too much is hard, and it can leave you angry, worried and tired. Their drinking is not your sin, and you can't fix it for them. What you can do is pray for them, stop covering for them, and look after yourself. Al-Anon is a support group for families and friends of people who drink, and a priest can be a good person to talk to as well.

How to grow in temperance

Temperance is one of the four cardinal virtues, and like any virtue it grows through small choices.

1. Decide your limit before you start. It's much easier at home than at the bar.
2. Eat first and drink slowly. Alternate with water.
3. Know your situations. If a certain group, place or mood always ends badly, that's a near occasion of sin. Change the plan.
4. Tell one friend your plan. Someone who knows you're keeping to two drinks makes it easier to stop at two, and easier to laugh it off when others push.
5. Ask for help before you go out. A short prayer on the way, even "Lord, help me stay myself tonight," puts God into the evening before the first round.
6. Leave early. Going home while the night is still good is a small victory worth taking.

If last weekend went badly, don't spend this week ashamed. Go to Confession, make a plan for the next evening out, and ask God for help when you get there.