Many a times I’ve been asked why don’t I drink. The answer I always reply is because I’ve quitted drinking. Completely.
However, that is just half the answer. The actual full answer is God had told me to quit.
I was an alcoholic
Before I allowed God into my life, I allowed many vices into my life and alcohol was one of them.
I can say that I loved drinking. I needed to have at least a glass, a mug or a can a day. And it is usually in the late nights just for me to get into the state of sleepiness for a deep rest.
Drinking was very much in my lifestyle, especially so as I was working in the entertainment industry. So my 2nd home was literally the clubs and pubs where booze was free flowing.
The dark side of being an alcoholic
Most times when I drank, I would need to hit my threshold to be satisfied. So usually, I never stop at one or two.
More than often, I would overly exceed my threshold. When that happened, I would frequently erupt into a violent rage.
On more than a handful of occasions, I had gotten into fights with strangers and even friends over trivial matters.
But the most horrific incident had to be the one I badly injured my ex-girlfriend. Till today, I shudder when I think about.
Alcohol turned me into a brute and a monster.
Being saved from alcoholism
I consider myself fortunate that I was still in the initial stages of alcoholism when I got saved.
When Jesus Christ came into my life, He did a lot of cleaning up in my life. He rid me of all my vices almost immediately. My drinking problem was the last one.
After a long tussle with Him over my drinking problem, I finally relented and asked God to tell me if I should stop drinking or not. If He said so, I would do so.
That prayer was made before I had turned in for the night.
The next morning as I was opening my eyes, I saw a vision. I saw a silhouette of man that told me sharply, “Stop drinking”
I jolted up totally awake and tried to make sense what had happened. And it was clear to me that God had answered.
That was how I decided to quit. God told me so.
Now in my sober days
The decision to quit was made in 2000. Since then, I’ve not drank nor got drunk. Not even a social drink. By His grace in me.
Do I miss it? I have to admit I do. Especially now living in Vietnam where drinks cost cheaper than water! Ha ha…
But I know that I’m better off without drinking. And I never want to slide back the slippery slope of being hooked on alcohol again. My sight is on the future that God has for me.
And being sober this long, I understood how I was using alcohol to mask my hurts, resentment and emptiness inside of me. Now I’m fully reliant on God for making me whole.
I love God more than alcohol. I will choose Him any time. Cos His love has got a grip on me. Amen.
Andrew: Inside & Insights 
Hi Andrew,
Excuse to Drink
>Last time, my excuse to drink was from (1Tim5.23). Now my reason to stop drinking was a reminder from His Word in (Prov23.29-35).
Reason to Drink
>I wasn’t an alcoholic, but I was a compulsive drinker addicted to binge drinking. Drinking many glasses of different alcohols quickly just to get high/intoxicated.
>Although, I didn’t like the taste of beer or drinking at home but I would drink multiple glasses of beers or liquor with buddies outside during weekends and weekdays.
“Fruits” of Drinking
>Somehow, the more I drink, the more calm/paler I got until I vomit out everything which was quite rare. Usually, I had to drive my drunken buddies home. Once, I almost fail a breath analyzer test at a police roadblock.
>On 1.5.1998 after a late night binge drinking, I fell asleep on the road and crashed my car onto a road divider at 4am. If a gentle voice in my head had not reminded me to slow down from 80kmh to 60kmh before I felt asleep, I would have perished indeed.
>After the car accident, I avoided staying out late but I still drank occasionally. After I got married in 2004, I even had to drink multiple glasses of rice wine in China. It burnt my stomach and affected my gastric badly.
>Still, I reluctant to give up my idol of drinking.
Cleansing by His Word (Eph5.26)
>Somewhere during 2005 in Thailand, I became dizzy after drinking a few cans of beer on a moving train, and I had some difficulty climbing to the upper bunk bed . Then the verses from (Prov23.34) hit me right on the head and reminded that I was just like a man rocking on the sea.
>That was the last straw. His Word is final.
In Retrospect and the Reality of Hell
>Now, I drink a few litres of water a day. The closest to alcohol that I drank with my kids during Passover was grape juice. Although my wife said that there could be a tiny tinge of alcohol in it, but I didn’t really smell anything.
>Agree. I used alcohol to 1)forget my sorrows 2)false bravado 3)compete with friends and to show-off.
>Thank God for His Love & Mercy that He didn’t allow me to perish back in 1998. It would certainly be hell(1 Cor 6.9-10).
Shalom,
Joshua
P.s. More than 6.5 billion people inhabit planet Earth. An estimate of 107 people die every minute.