I consider myself an Orthodox, and I'm from Eastern Europe (Not Russian, nor Ukrainian) and I discovered that we, Orthodox Christians, are very permissive regarding consuming alcohol. Of course, we believe that being a chronic alcoholic is a sin, however even if our official position regarding alcohol is "moderate drinking is fine", sometimes very religious people drink until they pass out (rarely, if you do this every day, then you are an alcoholic). We seem to believe that alcohol is a gift from God, rather than a demon (as other faiths believe). Of course, when someone abuses this gift, it becomes a demon, but we don't believe that drinking until strong drunkenness is bad once in a while.
What is the official position of the Catholic Church as a spiritual institution?
