Q/A: My question is about alcoholism.  I know some Christians who say the only way an alcoholic can recover is in AA.  They teach that if a Christian who is struggling with alcohol doesn’t attend 12-step AA meetings they might as well throw their Bibles away because they will never get better and will eventually go back to drinking.   I know someone who is an alcoholic, has admitted it, fully understands they cannot consume alcohol, has repented, is seeking God, is building a relationship with Jesus, is attending church and is receiving counseling (outside of AA).  I am supporting him.  The above mentioned people say they are exercising “tough love” by not supporting him and are even advising his wife to have nothing to do with him until he goes to AA. Do you have any input on this? -  Joe

Q/A: My sister says that her church teaches that drinking wine or other alcoholic beverages is a sin.  They also teach that when wine is mentioned in the New Testament that it does not mean fermented drink but only grape juice.  The Bible talks about people getting drunk on wine and that this is wrong.  I believe that drinking in moderation is fine and that good wine is a blessing from God.  In fact, I make my own wine and enjoy it very much. What are your views on drinking wine and other alcoholic beverages? - John

Q/A: If you don’t mind, I would like to solicit your opinion about the subject of drinking wine.  Our pastor seems to teach that what the Bible mentions as wine is actually grape juice, especially what Jesus and the apostles drank.  They pointed out that in the Last Supper, the Bible did not mention “wine” but instead used the phrase “fruit of the vine.... My church believes that just a little wine often leads to abuse later on.  Our congregation also teaches us that to drink even just once would give a bad example to others, especially to young people, as they would tend to misunderstand that it is OK to drink liquor. What do you think about the wine that Jesus drank.  Is it really unfermented?  How about our position not to drink liquor at all? I want to be sure what I am teaching to others is accurate. - Hanzel

Q/A: I really enjoy reading the questions in "Ask Greg." It is comforting to see that there are other Christians with many of the same questions that I have about the Bible and God. I was wondering what your thoughts were on Christians and alcohol. I personally do not drink any alcohol because I am afraid that it would affect my witness and also that the temptation to continue to get drunk would be there because I used to drink heavily. I have some dear Christian friends that like to have a "social" drink every now and then and I was just wondering what your thoughts were on the subject. - Mike