Q: If the communion wine truly becomes the blood of Christ at Mass, can an alcoholic take it? Why or why not? — R.W.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC:

It might be good if we swap the word “can” in your question for “should.” The better question is, Should an alcoholic receive the Precious Blood?

Prudence would urge that an alcoholic should avoid receiving the Precious Blood.

The reason is this: Even though the substance (“what’s underneath”) of the wine has changed, its accidents (the things perceivable to our senses) remain.

And just as the color of what was wine remains the same after consecration, so too does the “accident” of its alcoholic content. And such content can trigger problems in an alcoholic.

Avoiding the chalice doesn’t deprive the communicant, for those who receive the consecrated host receive both the Body and Blood of Jesus (see this post).

I hope this helps.