WE KNOW say you value the different-different things wey Jehovah don give us, and you de happy say e allow you to fit decide how you want enjoy them. Wine na gift from Jehovah. Bible tell us say, bread de make person laugh and wine de make person happy. (Eccl. 10:19; Ps. 104:15) But, you fit don see many people wey get problem because of the way them de drink alcohol. Another thing be say, people for different part of this world de talk different-different things about alcohol. Wetin fit help us make better decision for alcohol matter?

No matter where we de live or how we grow, when we want make decision, make we follow advice for Bible. This one go always make us happy.

Today, many people for this world like to de drink alcohol and them de drink-am plenty. Some people de drink alcohol when them want enjoy theirself. And some other people de drink-am so that e go help them forget their problem. And for some place, them think say when person de drink alcohol, e mean say e be strong person.

But servants of Jehovah de follow wetin Bible talk. For example, Jehovah don tell us for Bible the bad things wey fit happen to person when e over drink. You fit don read for Proverbs 23:29-35 about person wey drunk and some problems wey e fit get. a Brother Daniel wey be elder for one congregation for Europe, tell us wetin happen to-am before e start to serve Jehovah. E talk say: “I be de drink plenty alcohol and because of this one, I make plenty bad decisions. This one make me suffer well-well and I still de feel bad anytime wey I remember them.”

How we fit make better decision for alcohol matter, so that we go fit run from the problems wey person fit face if e overdrink. The secret na to follow the advice wey Jehovah de give us.

Make we see wetin Bible talk about alcohol and some reasons why people de drink alcohol.

Bible no talk say make we no drink alcohol. In fact, Bible talk say wine de make person happy. E say: “Chop your food with joy, and drink your wine with happy heart.” (Eccl. 9:7) Bible show say Jesus and other servant of Jehovah for Bible time, drink wine.—Matt. 26:27-29; Luke 7:34; 1 Tim. 5:23.

Even though Bible no talk say make we no drink alcohol, e talk say make we no dey drunk. E say: “Make una no dey drunk with wine.” (Eph. 5:18) And e even talk say “drunkards . . . no go enter the Kingdom of God.” (1 Cor. 6:10) So, Jehovah no like person wey de overdrink and person wey be drunkard. Instead make we follow example of people for our area, make we do wetin go make Jehovah happy.

Some people think say them fit drink plenty alcohol and them no go drunk. But this kind thinking na trap. Bible tell us say person wey “be slave to too much wine” fit make serious mistake and spoil im friendship with Jehovah. (Titus 2:3; Prov. 20:1) Jesus even talk say “to de drink too much,” fit make person no enter Paradise. (Luke 21:34-36) Wetin fit help us run from problem wey fit come because of too much alcohol?

If we want decide whether we go drink alcohol or we no go drink and how the one wey we go drink go plenty reach, make we no follow wetin  people for our area de do. As servant of Jehovah, we want do wetin go make Jehovah happy for food and alcohol matter. Bible tell us say: “Whether una de chop or de drink or de do any other thing, make una de do everything to praise God.” (1 Cor. 10:31) Make we see some questions wey you fit ask yourself and some advice for Bible wey fit help you.

I de drink alcohol so that other people no go laugh me? Exodus 23:2 talk say: “No ever join do bad just because plenty people de do-am.” For this verse, Jehovah de warn Israel people say make them no copy example of people wey no de worship-am. This advice still good for us today. If we allow other people affect the way we de think and decision wey we de make about alcohol, small-small we fit stop to de follow wetin Jehovah talk and this one fit spoil our friendship with-am.—Rom. 12:2.

I de drink alcohol because I want show people say I strong? For some area, people de drink alcohol everytime and them de drink too much. (1 Pet. 4:3) But see wetin 1 Corinthians 16:13 advice us say make we do. E say: “Make una dey awake, stand strong for the faith, get strong heart, and dey powerful.” Alcohol fit really help you be strong person? No!. Instead, alcohol fit make us no think well and because of this one, we fit make many bad decisions. So, to de drink plenty alcohol no de show say person dey strong, but e de show say the person dey weak. Isaiah 28:7 describe how person wey de drink too much alcohol de behave.

Na Jehovah de give us the power wey we need to do wetin correct for im eye. To get this power, we need to ‘dey awake and stand strong for the faith.’ (Ps. 18:32) This one mean say we go run from danger and we no go make decision wey go spoil our friendship with Jehovah. Jesus show say e get this kind power when e dey this earth, as e use strong mind do wetin correct for Jehovah eye and this one make many people respect-am.

I de drink alcohol so that e go help me forget my problems? Bible talk say: “When things de worry me for heart, you [Jehovah] comfort me and you make me get joy.” (Ps. 94:19) If something de worry you for mind, trust say na  Jehovah go help you, no be alcohol. One way to show say you trust Jehovah na to pray to-am. Another thing wey fit help you na to ask for advice from mature brothers and sisters for congregation. The truth be say, to de drink alcohol to forget about our problem fit make us weak and we no go get the strong mind to do wetin correct. (Hos. 4:11) Brother Daniel, wey we talk about before talk say: “I start to drink alcohol because I want forget the bad things wey I do before, wey de make me feel bad. This one make the matter worse. My friends run leave me and people no come de respect me again.” Wetin help-am? E talk say: “I see say I need to trust Jehovah because na im go help me, no be alcohol. With Jehovah help, I succeed to face my problem and I no come de over worry again.” The truth be say, Jehovah always ready to help us even when e be like say, we no get hope again.—Phil. 4:6, 7; 1 Pet. 5:7

If you de drink alcohol, ask yourself this questions wey fit help you know whether you need to change the way you de drink alcohol. ‘My family member or friend don talk to me about the way I de drink alcohol?’ If e don happen to you, e show say you don de get problem for the way you de drink alcohol, but you no know. ‘I de drink now pass the way I de drink before?’ This one fit show say alcohol don de enter your blood. ‘E de hard me to stay for some days wey I no drink alcohol?’ If na so e de do you, e show say alcohol don really enter your blood. And you fit need to go see doctor, make e help you.

Because alcohol fit cause plenty problems, many people don decide say them no go drink-am at all. Some other people fit decide say them no go drink alcohol because them no like the taste. If one of your friends decide say e no go drink alcohol at all, respect im decision and no talk bad about-am.

You fit don see say e go make sense for you to control how you de drink alcohol. Person fit decide the amount of alcohol wey e fit drink and e no go pass-am. Or, e fit decide how many  times e go de drink alcohol. For example, e fit decide say na one time every week or say e go take only small when e de chop. Some people don decide the kind alcohol wey them go de drink, like to de drink only wine or beer but them no want drink the one wey get plenty alcohol, even if them mix-am with other drink wey no get alcohol. When person don decide how e go de drink alcohol, e go dey easy for-am to do wetin e decide. And mature Christian no need to worry about wetin other people go think about-am, because of wetin e don decide.

When we de make decision about alcohol, we need to think about other people. Romans 14:21 talk say: “E better make you no chop meat or drink wine or do anything wey fit make your brother fall.” How you fit follow this advice? Na when you show say you love people. If you dey with somebody and you think say if you drink alcohol, e go make-am feel somehow, the love wey you get for-am go make you no drink that time. When you do this one, e de show say you love and respect people, and you care about them pass yourself.—1 Cor. 10:24.

Another thing be say, government fit make law about alcohol and servants of Jehovah suppose obey-am. For example, government fit talk say person wey never reach some age no suppose drink alcohol. Or, them fit talk say person wey drink alcohol no suppose drive or use some machines.—Rom. 13:1-5.

Jehovah don give us many good things and e don give us freedom to decide how we go enjoy them. So, we dey free to choose wetin we go chop and wetin we go drink. To show say we value this freedom wey Jehovah give us, make we use-am do wetin go make Jehovah happy.