Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.The verse clearly endorsed alcohol as a means of sympathy. And although other areas of the bible warns against drunkenness, Proverbs advises drinking at least enough to forget your problems.
This rubs modern evangelicals the wrong way, as ant-alcoholism is firmly embedded in their tradition. They don't even drink wine at communion, even where children are absent. Sure, I can think of some other reasons why Welch's might be a better substitute for a bottle of Chateau Maybe Guyon, they sure are consistent on the particulars of other traditions.
When I read the verse, Alcohol sure looks like a tool for the ease of suffering. And while a True Christian may have received permanent peace of mind through their lord and savior Jesus Christ, the rest of civilization have struggling hearts eased by a different savior, Jim Beam.
Some people don't give money to homeless people because they might spend it on booze. But homelessness sucks, and easing the pain of the situation might be a valuable use of dollars as well.
