Be not drunk with wine, but with the Spirit
You brought up a great subject and the other posts have been very good, especially in quoting relevant scripture. :thumbs_up: So beyond all that I'd just like to point out that one strategy I adopted as a new Christian was to still go to where my friends hung out in bars, and even some clubs (because although the music is loud, eventually the band takes a break, or goes home, and I'm a patient person) and skip the booze. If you really enjoy their music, as I do, it is entertainment enough - and alcohol isn't needed.
I would normally choose soda water or orange juice or some other beverage, and frankly with a lime twist, or a cherry, anybody who doesn't know you - can't tell the difference. (I used to order Coke until Coconut told me about sugar! heh) It's a smart strategy because first of all, when you try to witness and people know you're drinking (your friends heard you order Orange Juice, so, they know you aren't) you look like a moron, pretty much most of the time, in my humble opinion. I think if you're honest with yourself, you'll know it's a real bad example, especially in the more sleazy bars in the world. And secondly, being drunk doesn't allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in you, and gives you lousy judgement, especially in terms of sin as a single man. :unlove: I think you catch my drift. You sin more when you're drunk, I assure you, on the score of the opposite sex. Lastly, and this is the real point, I think -
when you stay sober and watch people do the stupid things you did, too, when you were drunk - it gets pretty freakin' boring. :thumbs_do: So I think that might cure you of the habit if you try it a few times - in fact, here's a hint -
do it on New Year's Eve this year. Stay sober and watch everybody. 
It's rather a hoot, but it will hopefully make you not want to look so silly.
Now here's where I'm really going to get serious, because if you really want to be entertained, genuinely want more fun in your life - invest in your own home or apartment. Make your home more fun than any place you'd ever want to go elsewhere, with the money you'll save by not going into bars. :thumbs_up: Buy a big screen TV and the best beer and hors d'oeurves, and invite your friends over. It makes a much better witness, you've control over the environment - personally I think most Christians figure this out, especially quickly, if they get married. Bars simply aren't necessary, even in "bar cultures" - you can do entertaining elsewhere.
You single guys are spinning your wheels in those pubs, wasting your time, if you spend hours doing that - but that's my humble opinion - and if you really enjoy it THAT much, I have to ask myself why other alternatives aren't appealing. *shrug*
Maybe some people like in the show "Cheers" are happy just sitting on a bar stool, ingesting c2h4OH - a known poison - and a real chemical battering to the human body, numbing the spirit in you. And more pointedly, it seems rather dull considering the other options God offers you with your time. But I don't think it's "morally wrong" or some other deep religious issue. It's definitely "One of the Seven Deadly Sins", though, brother. I think it really means you are dead to the Holy Spirit in that state - and that would make a good thread all by itself, I think? God bless you, and keep you safe this New Year! In the Love of Christ
- CaliFlower :rose:
