Social Drinking and the Christian

Deuteronomy 14:26

“And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,” 

Yes, it's crystal clear that from this verse and others in the Bible that fermented drink was permissible as far as the diet of the Israelis.  But don't forget the Bible's warning vs. drunkenness (Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:18).  Also, "moderation in all things" is a Biblical principle.  

So, although it is not a sin to drink alcohol, there are dangers.  I know: both of my parents got carried away with it.  "Wine is a mocker, intoxicating drink [some or at least 1 version has "beer" here] arouses brawling, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1 NKJV). Note the underlined and emboldened key phrase.  This is 1 of several passages in Proverbs that warn against "alcohol abuse."  The drinker gets drunk and then becomes a brawler. 

While abstinence from alcohol is not commanded of everyone, my position on social drinking is that abstaining from it personally guarantees me that I will be avoiding the pitfalls of alcohol abuse.