"Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine to those in bitter distress. Let him drink so that he can forget his povertyand remember his trouble no more" (Prov. 31.6,7).

"Wine makes man’s heart glad — making his face shine with oil — and bread that sustains man’s heart" (Ps. 104.15). Medically and scientifically we know people live longer if they have two glasses of alcohol per day.

Most proverbs state a single general truth with little attempt to note exceptions and qualifications. Such an approach effectively emphasizes the principle taught by 'avoiding distractions of qualifications.' The authors of proverbs also emphasize the points they wanted to make through the use of idealized examples and hyperbole.

While the sluggard, for example, is a real character, he is described in exaggerated terms that set his basic characteristics in clear relief. One would probably never find someone who perfectly fits the description of a sluggard, because the person whose picture emerges from putting together the various pieces of the sluggard mosaic in the book is a stereotypical character. The same is also true of the excellent woman in Proverbs 31 and for the wise man and for the foolish described throughout the book.