This is one that irritates me to no end. Not because I like to drink or am an alcoholic, but because it is such a misrepresentation of what Scripture says.
I want to first say, I understand there are those out there that have recovered from alcoholism and stay away from the stuff. I have no issue with that and I commend them on doing so. Yeshua said to pluck out your eye if it causes you to sin, and if alcohol causes you to sin, stay away from it.
We know that Scripture says we should not be drunks/alcoholics. However, it never says we should never drink ever. In fact, the first miracle that Yeshua performed was turning water into wine. As Mark Lowry puts it “His first miracle was making sure the party kept going!”. We see alcohol used in celebration throughout the Bible. Especially the Feast Days, and occasions like the aforementioned wedding. If this was wrong, why did Yeshua not only not saying anything about it, but also gave them more to continue on?
I have heard it said that “well, it is not wine like we know wine today. It was just grape juice.” The problem with that is that if you research grape juice, you will find it was just invented less than 150 years ago. A process was made to stop fermentation, which is what causes the alcohol. We have lost a lot of fermented foods in our society today, so it is no wonder that many of us don’t understand things like that. Fermentation was how people without refrigeration and many of our modern day conveniences were able to store food longer. Fermentation is also something that happens naturally.
We also have examples in Acts where the Jews that came into town thought the disciples were drunk with new wine. I don’t know of anyone that has gotten even a buzz from just plain old grape juice.
It should also be said having a glass every now and then isn’t being an alcoholic. I think that is another misconception out there. I grew up with a family member who was a drunk. It was scary. I still have trouble talking with that person at times because of what I saw during my childhood. A person having a glass of wine with dinner, or a shot of whiskey before bed is not the same as someone who downs those bottles in one sitting and then goes for more.