being responsible with alcohol

When I was growing up there was a shelf in the kitchen that served as the "bar"  It was loaded with alcohol at all times.  Whenever company came drinks were dispensed.  It then grew into daily drinks by our parents of their favorite spirits:  mint creme and amaretto, as I recall.  I don't remember beer being a staple, but I have memories of it being around and sips offered to children in the summer.

It is then surprising to me that only three out of six children grew into having problems with addiction; either at some point in their lives, or for their entire life to date.  The lack of parental guidance in all areas of life combined with the free acceptance of drinking alcoholic beverages on a regular basis played a significant part in the total dysfunction of the family.

Now I get personal.  I didn't drink anything alcoholic until I was eighteen years old.  I did not then go overboard and party like a crazy person, but alcohol was a pretty steady part of my life for the years that followed.  Looking back on my life now I can clearly see how I used alcohol to handle the stresses of life.  Hard day at work:  Have a drink!  Difficult day at home with the kids?  Have a drink! And I'm talking about beer or wine here.  Seems innocent enough to just take the edge off a little, doesn't it?

At some point I began to hear God speaking LOUDLY to my heart: "Karen, you have a pattern of reaching for a drink when you have a stressful day.  You are turning to alcohol instead of turning to Me."  I also continually heard Him saying "I want something different for your family."

That is when I made the decision that no alcohol would be kept in the house or consumed in front of the children.  Pretty extreme.  But necessary, and I have never regretted that decision.  When the kids grew up I loosened the reigns a bit because they had made it through the teen years without developing bad habits.

I now wish that I had kept the same strict guidelines for a longer period of time.  I now keep some alcohol in my house but I rarely to never have a "stress drink".  When I do I recognize it and acknowledge it as wrong behavior and worthy of re correcting.

There is no daily drinking in my home and usually weeks go by without an alcoholic drink.  But it is a tightrope walk and I must walk in a responsible, careful manner.  I enjoy an occasional beer or a glass of wine, or a cocktail.  But that is the key word right there:  occasional.

It is when it becomes a regular feature of your life, even one beer every day may indicate a problem.

What is more important is what message we are sending to our little ones.  Do we want them to think that drinking beer every day is okay?  Its not and I don't want them to grow up thinking that.

Having an occasional drink while not in the presence of children is okay.  It's called self control and its called responsible parenting and grand parenting.