The command is without condition - do not get drunk.  When you put yourself under such complete control of alcohol, you do what the body desires.  In our human nature, the body lusts for things that are opposed to righteousness.  The word translated "debauchery" indicates an excess of sensual indulgence - doing whatever the body demands.  No one who is drunk (which means you have lost your impulse control) ever does anything worthwhile.  Instead we should be under the control of the Holy Spirit, encouraging one another, praising the LORD with grateful hearts.  This is the opposite of the "debauchery."

Drinking so much that we no longer have self-control is a sin.

Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path.  Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. (Proverbs 23:19-21, NIV)

Most people are able to drink in moderation.  According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 65% of Americans consume alcohol in some quantity.  Of those who consume alcohol, 91% do not suffer from alcoholism. ¹  

It is not wise to drink too much ("led astray" by wine and beer), as Proverbs 20:1 indicates. But these verses do not indicate that drinking in moderation is a sin.  The main point is excessive drinking.

For some people, alcohol has such an alluring effect on their body that they cannot stop with one or two drinks.  Some will keep drinking until they are drunk.  We call such people "alcoholics" because of this lack of control.  Remember that alcohol is a chemical that affects the brain like a depressant.  This tends to relax people (that is usually considered a positive effect).  But it can also loosen one's inhibitions and allows the person to more easily do things they would not normally do.  If you are the type of person that cannot drink in moderation, then it would be a sin for you to drink at all (because you would be engaging in activity that would directly lead you into drunkenness).  But for the majority of people, drinking in moderation presents no threat of drunkenness.

So the Bible clearly condemns drunkenness and warns against excessive drinking.  So what about drinking in moderation?

Some argue that the "wine" was unfermented.  Some also suggest that the Greek word "oinos" translated "wine" in John 2 only refers to unfermented grape juice in the New Testament.  Most Greek scholars would disagree with that statement outright.  However, one does not have to be a Greek scholar to refute this error.  If the Greek word "oinos" only refers to unfermented wine (grape juice), then why would Paul command us not to be drunk with wine ("oinos" the same word) but be filled instead with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18)?  One cannot become drunk by drinking too much grape juice -- sick perhaps but not drunk.

The word translated "wine" in John 2 can refer to either fermented wine or unfermented wine (grape juice).  Consider this example:

Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17, NIV)

The same Greek word "oinos" is translated "wine" in this verse.  The first time it is used, the word "new" describes the type of "wine" that is being discussed.  One puts unfermented wine - new wine - into a wineskin to age.  As the fermentation process takes effect, carbon dioxide is released.  Inside an airtight skin, the carbon dioxide causes the skin to expand.  This parable points out that putting "new wine" (unfermented) into old wineskins (ones that have already been expanded by previous fermentation process) will not work - the already stretched skins will burst as the "wine" ferments.  Clearly the word "oinos" can refer to both unfermented grape juice and fermented grape juice (wine).

So if the word "oinos" translated wine can refer either to grape juice or wine, how do we know the true meaning?  In this case, the context of a word's usage determines the meaning.  So the context of the wedding at Cana and the reactions of the people will tell us whether the drink was grape juice or wine:

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. (John 2:8-11, NIV)

If the water was miraculously turned into only unfermented grape juice, the master of the banquet could not have made this statement. People cannot have "too much to drink" - the Greek word "methuo" clearly indicates drunkenness - from unfermented grape juice.  This passage makes it clear that Jesus not only turned water into wine, it was a most excellent fermented wine.

In the Old Testament, we see that fermented drink was to be offered as a burnt offering to the LORD (Numbers 28:7).  The Hebrew word "shekar" is translated "fermented drink" or "strong wine" and it means a strongly intoxicating drink. 

So if alcohol itself was sinful:

• Jesus would not have turned water into fermented wine
• The LORD would not have commanded a burnt offering to be made with something inherently sinful

4. Drinking in moderation is allowed but not required.

In the Law of Moses, the Israelites are instructed concerning the tithe (tenth) of all that their fields produce at harvest time.  They are instructed to bring it to the place that God chose as His dwelling (the Tabernacle in the wilderness and later the Temple in Jerusalem).  There they were to eat and drink in the presence of the LORD - a celebration of God's goodness in the harvest.  If it was not possible for a family to make the journey to the Temple, then:

26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. 27 And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. (Deuteronomy 14:26-27, NIV)

Note that the Israelites were allowed to buy "fermented drink" - again, the Hebrew words used here are "yayin" (fermented wine) and "shekar" (strongly intoxicating drink).  The LORD would not have allowed the Israelites to buy fermented wine or strongly intoxicating drinks in the harvest celebration of His goodness if drinking it were sinful.

Note that He also says they can buy "anything you wish" - it was not a requirement to buy or consume fermented beverages.  This was a personal choice.

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. ¹⁴ As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. ¹⁵ If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸ because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. (Romans 14:13-18, NIV)