But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise. The Adventist Church believes in total abstinence from alcoholic beverages. This applies also to mindaltering drugs, except for true medical purposes. Tobacco, tea, and coffee contain addictive drugs and poisons, and must be given up before baptism.
Tobacco is a slow, insidious, but most malignant poison.
And put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite. In most countries, modern transportation and refrigeration make it unnecessary to include flesh in the diet. Lest you be filled with it and vomit. Especially harmful are the custards and puddings in which milk, eggs, and sugar are the chief ingredients. There are other refined foods that, especially when eaten to excess, tend to weaken our bodies.