There is a great article on the first page of the Sunday style section of the New York Times dated August 16, 2009, about comedian Stefanie Wilder-Taylor.  She is the former standup comic who is now the mother of three. She had a very popular blog about the joys of sipping cocktails and drinking wine as a way to alleviate the boredom of being a mother.  She was a hero with a lot of other early afternoon wine sippers around the country.  Several months ago she became convinced she was an alcoholic and that in order to take care of her children she was going to give up the sauce.

             The response on her blog has been quite surprising.  A lot of women have written in to say they think they have problems too and want to quit.  However, a significant number of women have also written in trying to assure her she is not an alcoholic, doesn’t have a problem, and should continue to enjoy the fun of self-medicating when she wants to. 

             The Scripture is very clear about the use of alcohol.  “Wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging” (Proverbs 20:1).  There are a lot of people who fail to heed this warning and who act like “I’m an adult, I’m a big grownup, and I can handle this.”  As a person who has alcoholism on both sides of my family, I can tell you it’s a dangerous thing.  I want to encourage you if you are self-medicating – and yes, all drinking is self-medication at some level as is marijuana, cocaine, and the recreational use of prescription drugs, take a careful look at yourself and be prayerful about this. 

             I have said for years that if someone gets through life without getting in trouble in the areas of money, sex, and alcohol/drugs, they will have had a pretty good life.  This really is one of the big areas that get a lot of people, and I think it’s important for us to be mindful that while it is legal, it is not nearly as safe as the advertisements on television would have you believe.  Go to the New York Times website and read this article.  I found it interesting.  You may too.

For the article, click here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/fashion/16drunk.html