In many churches and youth ministries nowadays, drinking is strongly discouraged or even prohibited, but is there Biblical basis to doing so?

There is one account in the Bible that people who prefer to "stick with their drinks" after given church leadership use to justify drinking: that's the story of when Jesus turned water into wine. Somehow many believers, and even church leadership, have used this account as a reason to validate that drinking alcoholic drinks is still okay even for Christians.

And, yes,there is nothing wrong about drinking alcohol and that it actually posts a lot of health benefits. God has nothing against Christians who drink and Psalms 104:14-15 even says, "You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man."

By all means, if you're a Christian who would like to enjoy a drink or two every now and then, God has created wine, beer, whisky and every alcoholic drink for your pleasure and benefit. However, here are three considerations to take strong note of:

1. Drink but don't get drunk

There are no issues pertaining drinking alcoholic beverages once done in moderation and proper discipline, but just like anything, too much of it is bad not just for you but for the people around you. The Bible goes strongly against drunkards who bring ruin and destruction to themselves and to the people around them.

2. Drink in privacy

In addition, Romans 5:20-21 also instructs Christians, especially those who lead and care for spiritual babies, to "...not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble." To be safe, it's best to drink in privacy such as in your own homes.

3. Drink for the health benefits

Consuming alcoholic beverages is a great way to stay healthy. Beer is a good source of fiber, red wine is good for the heart and Scotch is a great way to stay warm in extremely cold places. However, when done solely for the sake of satisfaction in place of relationships with others and with God, alcohol will never serve a single productive function.