I heard this from a guy once who stopped drinking. He said:
"One is too many, and one-hundred isn't enough."
That's when he knew he couldn't drink anymore.
Alcohol, in and of itself, is not bad.
There are some people that can have (like me) one, and I don't want anymore/ need anymore.
Others have very serious problems with it. If you have a family history of drinking, chances are, very likely, that you might struggle with such a problem.
It becomes an occasion of sin.
One should never feed into an occasion of sin if it presents itself. The best way to avoid it is to not give into the temptation when it emerges.
There are ways in which people that have a problem with the consumption of alcohol, try to justify purchasing it when they have a desire for it. They say, "I worked really hard today, and so I deserve it," or, "Just a six pack won't hurt," and later, "Who cares if I buy another six pack? It's my money that I earned."
They make excuses as to why they should be able to have it. You open the door a crack, and the devil just lets himself in the rest of the way and you're stuck.
Drinking to excess is always sinful. Saint Paul mentioned it in the Bible that those who consume it excessively would not get to heaven.
1 Cor 6:9-10 Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, Nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God.
When people get drunk, they lose their wits. They say things they don't mean, and do things they would never normally do. Think of the injury you could be inflicting on someone close to you because of the things you say and you do when you become inebriated. It's hurtful, and many times, people forget what they say and do when they become drunk.
Also, you could be putting someone else in the occasion of sin by getting drunk because of the reaction they have to what you say when you have lost your wits. Believe me, I know, and the way I deal with someone like that is to just get away from them before I have to react badly to something they don't even realize they're doing because of their inebriation.
Yes, the economy is horrible, but drinking to excess isn't going to make it any less horrible. It's going to inflict more pain on the people that are forced to live with you in the situation your in. If you can't afford your bills, the last thing you want to do is to be throwing your wits out the window and drinking to excess.
If you have children, you're scandalizing them by getting drunk. You're making it okay. They see dad doing it, and they're going to say, "Well, dad does it, so it must be okay."
If you can't NOT drink to excess, then you should not be drinking at all.