Why I Don't Drink

Over the last few years, I’ve been asked incessantly about why I don’t drink alcohol. I’ve probably given fifty different answers, ranging from the spiritual to the health-conscious to the flippant, but lately I’ve been asking myself what the real reasons are for why I don’t drink. 

So without further ado, here is a list of the top twenty reasons I don’t drink:

1. It’s Illegal.

This is self-explanatory. You can argue all you want about how it’s dumb that you can be drafted into the military but can’t drink a beer, but as a Christian, I’m commanded to follow the law. Romans 13:2 says, “Whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted.” Of course, if this was an immoral law, then God would call for us to obey His law over the law of our nation—but I think we can all agree that’s not the case. So until I’m 21, this is reason enough for me not to drink.

And yes, I’m one of those people who refuse to run those never-ending red lights at 2 AM. Society is better for it.

2. I played soccer.

After thirteen years of heading balls out of the air, I don’t have enough brain cells left to waste on alcohol.

3. Nothing good comes from it.

1 Corinthians 6:12 says, “‘Everything is permissible for me’—but not everything is beneficial.”

Maybe it’s okay to drink, but does anything good come from it? Am I going to help anyone else by getting drunk? I’m more likely to do harm than good. 

Sometimes we need to give up our privileges so we can help others. 


I can think of a million bad things associated with alcohol, and not a whole lot of good things. Although, I have heard that poets write better when drunk.

4. I hate throwing up.

This is the same reason I could never be bulimic. Just the thought of throwing up makes me feel sick. Earlier this semester, somebody on my floor had a little bit too much to drink one night, and threw up all over the hallway. Our floor smelled terrible for weeks. And I always hear stories about people throwing up on themselves, and I guess they think it’s cool, but I just find it gross. Why would you ever do that to yourself?

5. There should be a difference between me and the world.

I sincerely hope that someone can look at me and see that I’m not like everyone else. This is something that I’ve struggled with a lot over the years, because as a teenager, I really just wanted to fit in. Recently, though, I guess I’ve realized that there NEEDS to be an obvious difference in the way I live my life, so that I can point people to Jesus. If I’m just like everybody else, then why would they want what I have? There has to be a clear difference.

6. I get easily addicted.

You know that potato chip commercial that says, “I bet you can’t eat just one” ? Well, that’s pretty much me. 

Anytime I try one little piece of a brownie, I end up eating four squares. I tell myself I’m going to do ten push-ups, then I won’t let myself stop until I’ve done 200. I plan on only playing one more computer game, and then I’m up until 2 AM trying to break my high score. I get addicted to everything.

Alcoholism actually runs in both sides of my family. I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be able to stop at one drink, and I’m not willing to risk it.

7. The Bible tells me not to.

Now, I know what you’re going to say: But even Jesus drank wine.

First of all, wine back then was much weaker than wine today. Naturally fermented wine has a low alcoholic content; they did not have access to the granulated sugar that is used to make strong wine. Basically, most wine was a watered down substitute for H2O itself, much like juice or soda.

Second, although a few of my ancestors were heavily involved in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, I don’t think that drinking alcohol is a sin. However, sitting down with a glass of wine at dinner is a far cry from what most of us are doing. Studies estimate that 72% of US drinkers between the ages of 18-20 have reported binge drinking (5+ drinks in one sitting) in the last month. 

Let’s be honest: most young people drink in order to get drunk. Do you really believe Jesus did that? Before you use Him as an excuse, think again.

8. I have fun without it.

I find it incredibly depressing that people think they need alcohol in order to have fun. I constantly hear people telling me about how they are so much friendlier when they drink, how they feel more free to dance and laugh and joke around. Well, duh, your judgment is inhibited.

Maybe your friends are boring, but my friends and I always have fun, alcohol-free. Actually, we’re so weird and crazy that people sometimes think we’re drunk, anyways. If you need alcohol in order to have a good time, then my honest advice to you is that maybe you need to work on your personality.

9. Somebody could get hurt.

This is obvious, yet I’m always shocked by how many of my friends drive when they’re drunk. Everyone knows the dangers—not just to themselves, but to everyone else on the road. Either put down the drink or put down the keys. How many innocent lives need to be taken?

10. I already have to pee enough as it is.

It’s true. I pee roughly 8 times a day. (And by roughly, I mean approximately. Calm down).

11. I don’t want to date/marry someone who drinks heavily.

The drinking culture and the “hook-up” culture go hand in hand, and I don’t want my future husband to be a part of that. I want someone who lives a life set apart for God, and I think he deserves the same from me.

12. It costs too much money.

If I were going to drink, I’d want some Dom Perignon, but I’m in college; I’m basically broke. Why on earth would I waste my money on Nattys and Busch Lites?

13. I don’t want to disappoint people.

It may not be a good reason, but it’s true. I don’t want to let down my parents or teachers. I want them to be proud of me.

14. There are more important things to worry about.

Approximately 1 billion people around the world go to bed hungry each night. 

Somewhere in the world someone starves to death every 3.6 seconds, and 75 percent of those are children under the age of five.

In 2009, over 35 million adults were living with HIV/AIDS.

1 in 8 people lack access to safe water supplies. Thats over 880 million people. 

2.5 billion don’t have access to a toilet.

So... how can we truly justify spending our weekends hooking up with random strangers or lying passed out on the floor?

15. I like myself too much.

It’s true. I may be the only one, but I find myself funny. Why would I want to drink something that would alter the way God made me? 

16. People look gross in their pictures.

I already untag myself  in probably half the pictures I’m tagged in. No need to add to that number.

17. I’ve had great role models.

Shout out to my friends and family who have set an amazing example for me. They’ve taught me that I don’t need to drink to be cool. Most people don’t have the same great role models that God has blessed me with. 

Thanks, guys.

18. I am a role model.

My cousins, the kids I babysit, the girls I helped with sports... in a way, I know they look up to me. I want to do my part to show them that having fun and following God are not two mutually-exclusive concepts; you can do both at the same time. I want to be a good example for them because the last thing I want is for them to end up like the majority of today’s youth culture, who feel like they can’t be cool without drinking. 

Why would I do something that I wouldn’t want them to do?

19. The Beer Gut.

Staying in shape is tough now that, for the first time in seven years, I don’t have a Varsity sport five days a week. I already told you that bulimia is not an option, and I like food too much to give it up, so swimsuit season is already difficult enough. Why would I want to make it any harder?

20. I’m in love with Jesus.

This is the real reason that I don’t drink.

Those other reasons are all valid, but honestly, Jesus is the only thing that’s really stopping me from drinking. 

Sometimes I think about how much easier life would be if I partied like everyone else—I’d probably know more friends and meet more guys, I’d probably be considered cooler by the world’s standards. But when it comes down to it, I know that Jesus has something more for me. To a lot of you that probably sounds crazy, but I know that it’s true. He wants me to give my best for Him all the time, not just on Sunday mornings, not just when I pray at night. All the time. I know that He'll love me even if I drink and I know that He always forgives me for the selfish and stupid things that I do, but I don't want to hurt Him. I love Him too much. 

He sacrificed His life for me. I think I can go without a few beers.

What are your reasons for either drinking or abstaining from alcohol? Agree or disagree with any of my reasons? Please feel free to comment.