Important Bible Verses About Alcohol Addiction

Many alcoholics express a feeling of hopelessness before they use. This can bring on a loss of control that leads to anxiety, that leads to depression, that leads to relapsing. If you feel like you have a toxic relationship with alcohol, and you want to see what the Bible says about drinking, read on for bible verses about alcohol addiction.

For more help, please be sure to listen to the Broken to Blessed Addiction Podcast.

You can also visit this post on Powerful Bible Verses for Overcoming Addiction, Calming Bible Verses for Anxiety and Fear, and Helpful Bible Verses for Sadness and Loneliness.

The Truth about Alcohol Abuse

Substance abuse is as old as time. Humans have always tried to relieve physical or emotional pain through one form or another, and alcohol seems to fit the bill in times of adversity. But for the vulnerable, drinking can feel impossible to stop.

According to Drug Abuse Statistics, 385 Americans die every single day from excessive alcohol abuse. Men are 3 times as likely to die due to alcohol abuse than women. And in 2020, 10.2% of Americans age 12 and older had what they call Alcohol Use Disorder.

If that’s not sobering news, I don’t know what is.

Statistics aren’t enough to make someone quit though. The desire to stop using and the consistent, ongoing action of quitting are two different things. Yes, it’s a process. Yes, it takes time. But nothing is impossible with God. He’s not just a heavenly father, he’s a GOOD father, and he can help anyone overcome alcohol addiction.

How We Can Overcome Alcohol Addiction with God

The process of overcoming alcohol addiction is not something you can do overnight. But, with determination, supplication, consistency, and a reliable recovery program, you can find real, true victory.

Sobriety is refraining from substance, choosing not to do it again, and again, and again. Victory is removing the desire for the substance completely. This is where God steps in.

Addiction is not a will-power problem, it’s a heart problem. It’s relying on the world to change you. The world can’t change you, because it has nothing to offer that’s permanent. Anything that’s satisfying in the world is only temporary satisfaction. God is the only one who can change us, change our hearts, and our lives. It is only through diligently seeking him, building a relationship with him, and relying on him that we can kick these habits for good.

If you feel like you’re alone in this fight, if you feel so anxious you could scream, if your stress is through the roof– know that you have someone to turn to.

Please read below for Bible verses about drinking, to see what God has to say about it. Then, hop over to this post on Overcoming Addiction to read some more.

Start With Prayer

“Dear Lord, thank you for all that you do, and all that you are. I’m desperately in need of healing, and I feel like I can’t do this on my own. Please come into my heart Lord, and give me this heart change. You are the lamp unto my feet and the light for my path. Please guide me in the way you would like me to go. Help me get sober, so I can be a testimony for you, so I can show others your unfailing love. Thank you for loving me Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”

Bible Verses about Alcohol Addiction

Below are some choice scriptures for alcohol abuse and addiction, bold emphasis is mine.

Please read through these carefully. Understand that the intentions for this list is not to produce shame.Truly, the purpose of this list is to serve as an education on what the Bible says about excessive drinking, and the consequences of living a life intoxicated. If you’re an alcoholic, please pray before you read these scriptures. Ask God to show you what you need to see, for clear direction, and help.

Know this: God’s plan for you is restoration. Even if you find that you have been doing these things, that doesn’t mean you can’t turn around. Redemption is available to all of us.

Proverbs 23:19-21 (NIV)

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

Proverbs 6:12-19 (NIV)

12 A troublemaker and a villain,
    who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13     who winks maliciously with his eye,
    signals with his feet
    and motions with his fingers,
14     who plots evil with deceit in his heart—
    he always stirs up conflict.
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;
    he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.

16 There are six things the Lord hates,
    seven that are detestable to him:
17         haughty eyes,
        a lying tongue,
        hands that shed innocent blood,
18         a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19         a false witness who pours out lies
        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Habakkuk 2:4-5, 15-16 (NIV)

4 “See, the enemy is puffed up;
    his desires are not upright—
    but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness—
5 indeed, wine betrays him;
    he is arrogant and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
    and like death is never satisfied,
he gathers to himself all the nations
    and takes captive all the peoples.

15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors,
    pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
    so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory.
    Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed!
The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
    and disgrace will cover your glory.

Proverbs 23:29-35 (NIV)

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
    Who has strife? Who has complaints?
    Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,
    who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
    when it sparkles in the cup,
    when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
    and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
    and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
    lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
    They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
    so I can find another drink?”

Proverbs 20:1 (NIV)

1 Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
    whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

1 Thessalonians 5:5-11 (NIV)

5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 
6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 
8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 
9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 
11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Corinthians 10:21,23-24 (NIV)

21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.

23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 
24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

Titus 2:3 (NIV)

3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.

Luke 21:34-36 (KJV)

34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

James 4:7-8 (KJV)

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

1 Peter 5:8-11 (NIV)

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

If You’re Reading this for a Loved One

If by chance you’re reading this and you’re NOT an alcoholic (maybe a spouse of an alcoholic, parent, or friend), I ask that you please refrain from sending them this article without permission from the addict.

The reason I say this is because, while intentions may be in the right place, the way it’s received may not be. In other words, this could backfire.

If you think this article or website could potentially help a loved one, I highly suggest praying about it first. You can verbally suggest that the addict visit this site on their own, or you can ask permission to send them a link. This is such a sensitive issue that as loved ones of an addict, we need to be cautious of how we help and support. More articles about how we can help are in the works, so please check back for more in the future.

Final Thoughts

Alcohol addiction affects people from all walks of life, men and women, young and old, rich and poor. This is a universal problem, and not one to take lightly.

I pray that this has helped you today, whether you’re an alcoholic yourself, or a loved one of an alcoholic. The Bible is very clear on the warnings of consumption, but as an addict, it can be hard to see a clear way out of the woods…yet.

I cannot say enough that there is ALWAYS a way out. There is always path to restoration. If you’re struggling today, I highly recommend finding a faith-based recovery program in your area. And please check back for more information on how you can overcome addiction for good.

For more help, please see these articles on Powerful Bible Verses to Overcome Addiction, Calming Bible Verses for Anxiety and Fear, and Helpful Bible Verses for Sadness and Loneliness.

May God bless you,

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