When people get drunk and do something stupid (i.e. make out with someone or have sex with them), the person generally says, "That was just me being drunk. I would never do that if I were sober." I believe there's truth to that statement, but I believe that there's also a bit--if not a lot--of dishonesty there, too. People wrongly believe that becoming drunk leads to making bad decisions. It does. But they wrongly assume that the reason they make the bad decisions is just because they're drunk. Drunkenness is given the effect of making a person do stuff that is totally out-of-character for them. And when shame hits them (perhaps along with a very nasty hangover), the person comforts himself by saying, "I was drunk. That's really not who I am." This is foolishness.
Yes, drunkenness does often lead to people making stupid decisions. But it's not because drunkenness holds some mystical power over the person, making them do and say things that are out-of-character for them. Drunkenness simply lowers or altogether eliminates inhibitions. A drunk person will say or do things he or she wouldn't do under normal (i.e. sober) circumstances, maybe because they would be afraid of the social stigma, or acknowledge the consequences, or realize it would be inappropriate. In the drunken state, all such inhibitions are lowered. When a person does something stupid (like having sex with a total stranger), then that person is simply showing the nature of their heart. Let me explain.
Because drunkenness lowers inhibitions, it enables people to act totally how they are without any concern for what others may think. When a person gets drunk and has sex with someone, it shows the condition of their heart: in this case, it may be a heart that is totally focused on gratifying the needs of the self, or a heart that bathes in adultery. In a sober state, the person may not do this. In a drunken state, the inhibitions are gone, so the "real person" shows through. Jesus (and John Locke, though Jesus is more reputable) said that the condition of a person's heart is seen in that person's actions. With inhibitions lowered, the person's heart is "free" to act however it pleases. Drunkenness doesn't lead to stupid decisions; it leads to the heart manifesting itself without worry of outside consequences.
A lot of people who sleep around when they're drunk will say they do it because they're drunk. No, it's because their heart is bent on gratifying their fleshly desires. Their heart is really selfish, greedy, and indifferent to others. I know of many people who get drunk--who get totally hammered--and who would never have sex with someone. These people may do other stupid things, but I know a handful who when they get drunk just lament to the state of poverty, or rant on and on about theology and philosophy. The hearts of these people are not focused so much on satisfying their sexual urges but upon other things, be it good or bad.
This is something I've been thinking about for the last month. Two friends and I had a long conversation about being drunk and acting stupid. My friend said, "Being drunk makes you do stupid stuff that you're ashamed of later." And I agreed with her. But as I thought about it more and more, I came to a different conclusion: that being drunk reveals to us and to others the true nature and condition of our hearts. And often it shows us that our hearts aren't as great as we think they are.
Yes, drunkenness does often lead to people making stupid decisions. But it's not because drunkenness holds some mystical power over the person, making them do and say things that are out-of-character for them. Drunkenness simply lowers or altogether eliminates inhibitions. A drunk person will say or do things he or she wouldn't do under normal (i.e. sober) circumstances, maybe because they would be afraid of the social stigma, or acknowledge the consequences, or realize it would be inappropriate. In the drunken state, all such inhibitions are lowered. When a person does something stupid (like having sex with a total stranger), then that person is simply showing the nature of their heart. Let me explain.
Because drunkenness lowers inhibitions, it enables people to act totally how they are without any concern for what others may think. When a person gets drunk and has sex with someone, it shows the condition of their heart: in this case, it may be a heart that is totally focused on gratifying the needs of the self, or a heart that bathes in adultery. In a sober state, the person may not do this. In a drunken state, the inhibitions are gone, so the "real person" shows through. Jesus (and John Locke, though Jesus is more reputable) said that the condition of a person's heart is seen in that person's actions. With inhibitions lowered, the person's heart is "free" to act however it pleases. Drunkenness doesn't lead to stupid decisions; it leads to the heart manifesting itself without worry of outside consequences.
A lot of people who sleep around when they're drunk will say they do it because they're drunk. No, it's because their heart is bent on gratifying their fleshly desires. Their heart is really selfish, greedy, and indifferent to others. I know of many people who get drunk--who get totally hammered--and who would never have sex with someone. These people may do other stupid things, but I know a handful who when they get drunk just lament to the state of poverty, or rant on and on about theology and philosophy. The hearts of these people are not focused so much on satisfying their sexual urges but upon other things, be it good or bad.
This is something I've been thinking about for the last month. Two friends and I had a long conversation about being drunk and acting stupid. My friend said, "Being drunk makes you do stupid stuff that you're ashamed of later." And I agreed with her. But as I thought about it more and more, I came to a different conclusion: that being drunk reveals to us and to others the true nature and condition of our hearts. And often it shows us that our hearts aren't as great as we think they are.
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