The Wrath of Grapes - Charlie's Story - 40 Pack

This true story shows what can happen to someone's life when they make bad choices.
 
“Good-Time Charlie” was an alcoholic his entire adult life. He started drinking in his teens. After finishing high school, he got a job in a factory just as the Great Depression of 1929 hit. He would go to the bar after work where he would drink, smoke, play pool & poker, hang out, and occasionally get into fights because of his hot temper. In his mid-20’s, he got married in church but then proceeded to get “falling-down drunk” at the wedding reception. His bride had never seen him drunk before, and was extremely disturbed by what she had gotten herself into. Charlie had displayed a completely different side of his character that she had never seen before.
As time went on, Charlie’s behavior spiraled downward. He would go to the bar every Friday after work, cash his weekly paycheck, buy drinks for his buddies, and come home drunk after the bar closed. To pay the bills, his wife had to go to his boss and have his paychecks sent home in the mail. To support his drinking habit, Charlie resorted to stealing things from the factory and selling them. Because he was also getting hassled by his wife about his drinking at home, he hid bottles of liquor in the garage and in the basement workshop.
It didn’t help that his church condoned liquor and gambling by conducting Bingo’s, raffles and Vegas Nights where some of the prizes were bottles and cases of liquor. 
As Charlie’s alcoholism progressed, his job performance deteriorated. He was fired twice because he punched his Supervisor, but the Union got him re-instated within a few days of each incident.
Charlie’s family relationships also deteriorated. He had frequent arguments with his wife. He would spend weekends in front of the TV watching sporting events and drinking, leaving his wife to do all the household chores. When one of his sons confronted him about his alcoholism, he chased his son out of the house in a fit of rage. 
After he retired at age 65, he wasted the remaining 23 years of his life watching TV and drinking.
About 12 months before he died, Charlie stopped eating and drank heavily every day. In the next 6 months, he lost 30 pounds. One day, he became so enraged, paranoid and delusional that he barricaded himself in his house and had to be taken to the emergency room for evaluation and treatment.
It took the hospital a week to dry him out, then they kept him an additional 2 weeks so they could perform a complete psychiatric evaluation on him. 
The doctors determined that he had Delusional Disorder (a.k.a. Paranoid Schizophrenia).  A lifetime of drinking had destroyed so much of his brain that he had to be placed in a Nursing Home for the mentally impaired for his own safety as well as the safety of others. He was given the strongest doses of anti-psychotic medication allowable which enabled him to perform daily functions such as changing clothes, eating, and bathing. He remained in the Nursing Home until the day he died 5 months later.
In the final weeks before he died, the nurse that was caring for Charlie during the overnight hours noticed that Charlie would flail his arms and hands above his head. She asked him if he was all right. He replied by asking the nurse to chase away the demons that were flying above his bed. She asked him how many demons he saw. Charlie replied that there were 4 or 5 at a time. 
Charlie’s story shows what can happen to someone’s life when they make bad choices.
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This is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
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God wants us to live happy, fruitful and productive lives. He especially wants us to be with Him for all eternity in heaven. So, He warns us throughout the Scriptures to avoid drunkenness.   
In Ephesians 5:18, God warns, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”  
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, God warns, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God (go to heaven)?  Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, … nor drunkards, … will inherit the kingdom of God. “
If your lifestyle is similar to Charlie’s but you don’t want to end up like Charlie did, it is not too late to turn your life around.  
In the Bible, God offers us a new life in Christ. Follow these simple steps right now and they will enable you to be with God in heaven forever. 
 
You Can Have a New Life in Christ
ADMIT that you are a sinner.
Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short (missed the mark) of the glory of God.”
REALIZE the penalty of your sin.
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died to pay the price for your sins and rose from the dead.   
Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
TRUST and RECEIVE Christ alone as your Savior. 
Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.