Alcohol is a subject that touches many areas of life — emotional, spiritual, and social. Whether you’re struggling with moderation, affected by someone else’s drinking, or simply curious about what the Bible says, it’s a topic worth exploring with care and honesty.
The Bible doesn’t shy away from the issue of alcohol. It offers both warnings and wisdom, giving us the tools to make wise, God-honoring choices. While wine was used for celebration and even medicinal purposes in biblical times, Scripture also gives clear guidance about the dangers of overindulgence, drunkenness, and addiction.
This post will walk you through 35 Bible verses about alcohol, each one carefully selected to help you reflect, grow, and seek God’s will in this area of life.
35 Bible Verses About Alcohol
1. Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Explanation:
This verse warns that alcohol can lead to foolishness and conflict. It’s a call to be careful and wise.
2. Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Explanation:
Paul urges believers to seek fulfillment in God, not alcohol. Drunkenness leads to moral failure, while the Holy Spirit leads to life.
3. Proverbs 23:29-30
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
Explanation:
This vivid description shows the physical and emotional harm caused by excessive drinking.
4. 1 Corinthians 6:10
Nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Explanation:
This verse warns that a lifestyle of habitual drunkenness is incompatible with God’s kingdom.
5. Isaiah 5:11
Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine.
Explanation:
Isaiah condemns those who live for alcohol, showing how it can dominate a person’s life.
6. Galatians 5:21
Envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Explanation:
Drunkenness is listed among behaviors that separate us from God. It’s a strong caution to live by the Spirit.
7. Proverbs 31:4-5
It is not for kings, Lemuel—it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
Explanation:
Leaders are urged to avoid alcohol so they can lead wisely and justly. It emphasizes responsibility.
8. 1 Timothy 3:2-3
Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness…
Explanation:
Church leaders must avoid drunkenness to maintain integrity and set a good example.
9. Romans 13:13
Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness…
Explanation:
Paul encourages believers to live in a way that honors God, avoiding excess and reckless behavior.
10. Habakkuk 2:15
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!
Explanation:
This verse speaks against using alcohol to take advantage of others, showing its potential for misuse.
11. Titus 2:3
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine…
Explanation:
Even mature believers are warned against being controlled by alcohol, showing its wide-reaching effects.
12. Leviticus 10:9
You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die.
Explanation:
Priests were forbidden from drinking while serving, emphasizing purity and reverence in God’s presence.
13. Luke 21:34
Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life…
Explanation:
Jesus warns against the distractions of alcohol and worry, calling for spiritual alertness.
14. 1 Peter 4:3
For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness…
Explanation:
Peter reminds believers that they’ve been set apart from their past, including drinking habits.
15. Isaiah 28:7
And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer…
Explanation:
Even spiritual leaders are not immune. Alcohol can cloud judgment and spiritual discernment.
16. Judges 13:7
But he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink…
Explanation:
God instructed Samson’s mother to avoid alcohol, showing the value of purity for a divine calling.
17. Luke 1:15
For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink…
Explanation:
John the Baptist was set apart for a holy purpose, and part of that included abstaining from alcohol.
18. Ecclesiastes 10:17
Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
Explanation:
This verse values self-control and wise leadership, again warning against indulgence.
19. Hosea 4:11
to prostitution; old wine and new wine take away their understanding.
Explanation:
Alcohol is shown to dull the mind and lead people away from godly thinking.
20. Daniel 1:8
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine…
Explanation:
Daniel’s choice to avoid wine reflects a heart committed to holiness and obedience.
21. Numbers 6:3
They must abstain from wine and other fermented drink…
Explanation:
Nazirite vows included avoiding alcohol, highlighting devotion and separation for God.
22. Psalm 75:8
In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices…
Explanation:
Here, wine is symbolic of judgment, showing how God uses imagery to convey His justice.
23. Matthew 24:49
And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.
Explanation:
Jesus warns against losing spiritual focus and being drawn into drunkenness and violence.
24. 1 Samuel 1:14
and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”
Explanation:
Eli mistakenly thought Hannah was drunk, showing how alcohol was associated with disorder.
25. Genesis 9:21
When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.
Explanation:
Noah’s drunkenness led to shame, offering a cautionary tale about the consequences of excess.
26. Proverbs 21:17
Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.
Explanation:
This verse links indulgence in wine with financial and moral downfall.
27. Luke 7:34
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard…’
Explanation:
Jesus was falsely accused because He socialized with sinners, showing that accusations about alcohol can be misleading.
28. Deuteronomy 21:20
They shall say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He does not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’
Explanation:
Being labeled a drunkard was tied to rebellion and disobedience, often with serious consequences.
29. Psalm 104:15
wine that gladdens human hearts…
Explanation:
This verse acknowledges that wine can bring joy when used rightly, not abused.
30. 1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or drunkard…
Explanation:
The church is instructed to take sin seriously, including persistent drunkenness.
31. Deuteronomy 29:6
You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.
Explanation:
God led Israel in a way that taught dependence on Him, not on physical indulgences.
32. Proverbs 23:31
Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!
Explanation:
The allure of alcohol is tempting, but the warning is to stay cautious and aware.
33. Isaiah 24:9
No longer do they drink wine with a song; the beer is bitter to its drinkers.
Explanation:
This shows a time of judgment where even the pleasures of alcohol lose their appeal.
34. Revelation 17:2
With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.
Explanation:
Alcohol is used symbolically to show spiritual corruption and moral decay.
35. Lamentations 4:21
Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom, you who live in the land of Uz. But to you also the cup will be passed…
Explanation:
The cup here symbolizes judgment, using the imagery of wine to describe God’s justice.
Final Thoughts on Alcohol and the Bible
These 35 Bible verses about alcohol show a consistent message: be careful, be wise, and be godly. Alcohol in itself isn’t always condemned, but drunkenness, addiction, and lack of control clearly are. As believers, we are called to honor God with every part of our lives — including how we approach drinking.
What Do You Think?
Has one of these verses stood out to you? Have you seen how alcohol has affected your life or someone else’s — for better or worse? Share your experiences, favorite scriptures, or thoughts in the comments below. Let’s encourage one another in truth and grace.