Call me what you will--naive, a prude, weird, up-tight, goody two shoes, an alcohol virgin. But I don't drink. Why? Well, the answer isn't a simple one.

I'm not a legalist. I understand that you can actually drink in moderation as long as it doesn't cause others to stumble in their walk with Christ. There are Christians all around me who prove that to me by how they live and how they use alcohol. I don't have any family history of alcoholism so there is no need for genetic concern. But I still don't do it. Which causes me to reflect on the reasons behind it.

Maybe the decision is really influenced by two things: A) I was raised in a Southern Baptist Church (and am still active in the denomination) where abstinence is insisted upon by some church covenants. I acknowledge that it has influenced me. B) The household I grew up in doesn't drink, so there is no cultural pressure to do so. (We celebrate special occasions by abusing sugar, not alcohol. Who needs nasty old beer when cake is so delicious? *LOL*)

My experiences with alcohol are so few that I can list them for you.

• In high school I had surgery on my right hand. The anesthesiologist put the equivalent of two beers' worth of alcohol in my IV. I must've passed out--I don't remember the surgery.
• I took some Nyquil in college. That stuff will make you sleep when your nose is stopped up & you feel miserable.
• When I was newly married and learning how to cook, I found a recipe for chicken that included wine. On my way to the store to buy the ingredients I realized that I would get carded and I was only 2o years old! My dearest husband bought it for me when he got home from work.
• Last week I purchased cheap white wine ($5 bottle) for a pork chops recipe I found online. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to drink some. It was about the equivalent of drinking Listerine. For those of you who have ever tried cheap wine, you are probably laughing hysterically! For those of you who haven't--take my advice and don't.

All in all, there are some very legitimate (and illegitimate) reasons for abstaining from alcohol. I don't demand abstinence from others (as that would be biblically wrong), nor have I taken a vow of abstinency. Yet, I don't forsee my husband or myself drinking alcohol in the near future. Especially the nasty cheap wine in our refrigerator. Yuck!



Pic: Setting the table for our special anniversary dinner. Things are sure different this year. :-)