29 Bible Verses About Alcohol: What the Bible Says About Alcohol

29 Bible Verses About Alcohol

Looking at the list of 29 Bible verses, one pretty consistent theme is the requirement to abstain from drunkenness and dependence on alcohol. For many this means that abstaining is best as a sober mind is particularly glorified in the Bible. The encouraging verses below can help someone struggling with alcohol use disorder find the strength to stop drinking alcohol and know that they are not alone in their struggle.

1. Isaiah 5:11

Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink,

Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them!

2. 1 Peter 4:3

For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.

3. Ephesians 5:18

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

4. Romans 13:13

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

5. Proverbs 31:4-5

4. It is not for kings, Lemuel— it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer,

5. lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

6. Titus 1:7

For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,

7. Proverbs 23:21

For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,

And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.

8. Titus 2:2

That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

9. Titus 2:3

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,

10. Matthew 9:17

Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

11. Ecclesiastes 9:7

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.

12. Isaiah 62:8-9

8. The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled;

9. but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.”

13. Leviticus 10:9-11

“Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations— and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through Moses.”

14. Proverbs 31:6-7

Give strong drink to him who is perishing,

And wine to him whose life is bitter.

Let him drink and forget his poverty

And remember his trouble no more.

15. Ecclesiastes 2:3

I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives.

16. Ecclesiastes 10:17

Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

17. Galatians 5:19-21

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

18. Isaiah 49:26

“I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh,

And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;

And all flesh will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior

And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

19. Proverbs 23:19-20

Listen, my son, and be wise,

And direct your heart in the way.

Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine,

Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;

20. Daniel 1:8

But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.

21. Deuteronomy 29:6

You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, in order that you might know that I am the Lord your God.

22. Jeremiah 51:7

Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord,

Intoxicating all the earth.

The nations have drunk of her wine;

Therefore the nations are going mad.

23. Joel 3:18

And in that day

The mountains will drip with sweet wine,

And the hills will flow with milk,

And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water;

And a spring will go out from the house of the Lord

To water the valley of Shittim.

24. 1 Corinthians 6:10

…nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

25. 1 Peter 5:8

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

26. Isaiah 28:1-3

Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,

And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,

Which is at the head of the fertile valley

Of those who are overcome with wine!

Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent;

As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction,

Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters,

He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.

The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot.

27. Genesis 19:30-35

Lot went up from Zoar, and stayed in the mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to stay in Zoar; and he stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters. Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve our family through our father.

28. Proverbs 23:29-35

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has contentions? Who has complaining?

Who has wounds without cause?

Who has redness of eyes?

Those who linger long over wine,

Those who go to taste mixed wine.

Do not look on the wine when it is red,

When it sparkles in the cup,

When it goes down smoothly;

29. 1 Peter 4:7

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

Where to Find a Bible

If you want to look up these verses for yourself it’s helpful to know that you have many options to choose what kind of Bible works for you. There are Bibles that allow you to process your feelings with journal prompts and different versions that use language most relevant to you. Check out some options below:

• Note-taking Bible
• King James Version Bible, Giant Print
• New International Version Bible, Peel and Stick Bible Tabs and Full-Color Illustrated Verses

How to Get Professional Support for Alcohol Use

While bible verses can be inspirational and offer comfort, they’re not a replacement for professional help. Turning to your Bible verses is only a starting point. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction, it is important to seek professional help. Please check out the best online therapy options available and use an online therapist directory to help you find an appropriate therapist. There are also helpful sobriety apps like the Sunnyside App that people can use to stay on track. Whatever you choose, know that you aren’t alone.