Question: So the question of “do you drink?” comes up. People have a tendency to judge, whether they actually say it to you or not. And I don’t blame them, cuz I get completely turned off when I know someone smokes, which is a whole other story. My angle is that I’m a responsible adult, I am a professional, and I do like to go out and enjoy some of my evenings over dinner with wine or just a snack and a few drinks, etc… I don’t drink excessively, nor do I take it too far at any point.
However, I do indulge every now and then and I seriously don’t see anything wrong with it, except that it’s a non-Muslim thing to do.
I work a lot and I work very hard and the very little time I do get to enjoy myself, I like to make it good. And it doesn’t always include having a drink, although I find it relaxes me after a long week.
Long story short, am I assuming that’s it’s ok to continue living this way? Should I start taking our religion more seriously and just stop altogether? Or should I just keep living my somewhat satisfied, happy and simple life?
Dr. Bousa: Dear Member,
I was tickled by your letter, and it’s so different from most of the emails I receive that I just had to post it! Interesting, you raise a topic that is so relevant to so many of us that I’m sure everyone has thought about it even though they don’t write about it.
From your letter you appear to be a very well-adjusted, insightful, and content 29 year-old woman. My response will be brief because I think the answer to your question is fairly obvious, although having said that, I know that more strictly religious members of our community might not necessarily agree. The truth is, unless you…