President Spencer W. Kimball:
“One man who had been a slave to alcohol most of his adult
life became convinced . . . that he must give up the habit and prepare himself
for the temple. . . . With great effort he quit drinking. He moved many miles
away from the area where his drinking friends lived and, though his body craved
and ached and gnawed for [alcohol], he finally conquered. He was at all his
Church meetings, and was paying his tithing. His new friends in the Church
seemed to fortify him. He felt good in the new activity, and life was glorious.
His wife was beaming, because now the whole family was always together. This is
what she had dreamed about all their married life.
“They got their temple recommends and the happy day arrived
and they drove to the temple city for this great event. They arrived early and
each had some errands to do. As it happened, the husband ran into some old
friends. They urged him to go with them to the tavern [where alcohol was
served]. No, he would not, he said, he had other important things to do. Well,
he could just take a soft drink [soda], they urged”
“With the best of intentions he finally relented [and went
to the tavern with his old friends]. But by the time he was to meet his wife at
the temple he was so incapacitated [or drunk with alcohol] that the family went
home in disgrace and sorrow and disappointment” (The Miracle of Forgiveness,
171).
