The Bible verses about being drunk below are quoted word for word from the King James Version, each with its reference.
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Ephesians 5:18 (KJV)
Paul does not only say stop; he says be filled. Among Bible verses about being drunk, this one offers a replacement for what drinking promises, which is a deeper, steadier kind of fullness.
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Proverbs 20:1 (KJV)
The word deceived is important. Drink rarely feels dangerous at first, and this proverb is one of the plainest Bible verses about being drunk in naming how easily it fools us.
Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Proverbs 23:20-21 (KJV)
The writer is a father warning a son about the company he keeps, as much as the cup. It treats habit and friends as a package.
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Proverbs 23:29-30 (KJV)
A string of questions lists the costs: sorrow, quarrels, pointless injuries. These Bible verses about being drunk read like a doctor listing symptoms rather than a judge reading a sentence.
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
Isaiah 5:11 (KJV)
Isaiah condemns a life organized around the next drink. The woe is spoken over lost hours as much as over the drink itself.
Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Romans 13:13 (KJV)
Paul sets daytime living against night behavior. Of all the Bible verses about being drunk, this one links sobriety with honesty, with nothing to hide.
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:10 (KJV)
Drunkards appear in a list alongside many other sins, which is a useful reminder that nobody reading this is standing on higher ground.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:11 (KJV)
Such were some of you, past tense. Paul writes to people whose lives had been changed, and this verse holds the hope that makes Bible verses about being drunk more than a warning.
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:21 (KJV)
Paul calls these the works of the flesh, set against the fruit of the Spirit that follows in the next verses. The contrast points us toward change, not despair.
For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
1 Peter 4:3 (KJV)
Peter says the time already spent that way is enough. This is among the Bible verses about being drunk that speak gently of a former life and invite a clean break.
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.
Luke 21:34 (KJV)
Jesus groups drunkenness with the cares of life, as two ways to dull the heart. It is a reminder that anxiety and drink often feed each other.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
Proverbs 31:4-5 (KJV)
A queen mother advises her son that those with authority need clear heads. Anyone responsible for others, such as parents and drivers, can apply it.
And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
Genesis 9:21 (KJV)
Noah, a righteous man, is shown drunk, with consequences for his family. The Bible does not hide the failures of its heroes, which makes it one of the most honest of the Bible verses about being drunk.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1 Thessalonians 5:7-8 (KJV)
Sober here includes a clear head in every sense. Paul dresses the believer in faith, love and hope, which is the best armor for those fighting a craving.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1 Peter 5:8 (KJV)
Sober and vigilant go together. The verse does not blame the struggler; it names an enemy and calls for watchfulness, which is a kinder place to begin.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
Psalms 40:2 (KJV)
David describes being lifted out of a pit and set on a rock. For readers who fear they are stuck, this gives a picture of recovery as something God does with us.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV)
No one fights alone, and no craving is beyond God’s help. Among Bible verses about being drunk, this one promises a way out.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Galatians 6:1 (KJV)
The phrase overtaken in a fault is gentle. It tells the church to restore, not to shame, which is how Bible verses about being drunk should be treated by those who read them aloud.
Nobody types this phrase into a search box casually. Maybe a friend came home unable to stand, or a teenager is heading to a party, or you woke up ashamed and want to know where you stand with God. Bible verses about being drunk are often read in the middle of real trouble, and they deserve an answer that is honest without being harsh.
The Bible does not whisper about this subject. It speaks of woe, of poverty, of broken homes and lost judgment. But it speaks just as clearly of washing, new beginnings and a Spirit who fills what drink only pretends to fill. Keep both halves in view as you read, because the warnings are meant to lead somewhere hopeful.
The picture is rarely glamorous. In Proverbs, the drunk man is someone who stumbles, babbles and wakes up wounded without knowing why. In Isaiah, he rises early to chase the next drink and stays at it until night. The Bible verses about being drunk describe a life that shrinks until a single appetite runs the day.
Notice that the writers focus on what drunkenness does, not only on what it is. It takes money, damages families, dulls judgment and numbs the heart to God. That focus on consequences is one reason the Bible’s teaching on this subject has stayed practical across so many centuries. It reads like a map of where the road leads. That is why Bible verses about being drunk keep returning to the cost.
It would be unfair to say Scripture treats wine as plainly evil. Psalms speak of wine that gladdens the heart, and Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding. Yet the same book warns that wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging. Bible verses about being drunk are aimed at excess and loss of control, not at the existence of the grape.
That balance matters because believers differ on how to apply it. Some conclude that total abstinence is safest, especially for people with a family history or a past struggle. Others practice moderation. Either way, the common ground is that nothing should master us, a point Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 6:12, and the Bible verses about being drunk help us hold it.
Ephesians 5:18 is the verse most often quoted, and its second half is the part we tend to skip: be filled with the Spirit. Paul sets two kinds of filling side by side. One comes from a bottle and wears off; the other comes from God and grows. Among all Bible verses about being drunk, this is the one that offers a replacement.
The wording in Greek suggests that being filled is something ongoing. It is a daily, repeated drawing on God, much like returning to a well. If you are tempted to escape pain through drink, this verse gently asks what you are really thirsty for, and whether the Spirit might meet that thirst better than another glass would.
The book of Proverbs spends a good deal of time on this subject, and it does so like a wise parent. Proverbs 20:1 warns that wine deceives, and Proverbs 23 asks who has woe, who has sorrow, who has wounds without cause. These Bible verses about being drunk are written for a young person who is about to make choices, and they are blunt because the stakes are high.
They are also remarkably observant. The writer notes the red eyes, the quarreling, the empty pockets and the way a person can be injured and not even notice. Anyone who has watched a loved one drink too much will recognize the details. The proverbs do not sneer; they describe, and they hope the reader will listen early.
Isaiah’s woe is addressed to people who get up early to chase strong drink and stay at it until evening. Nothing in the verse mentions a single bad night. It describes a pattern, a life organized around the drink. This is among the Bible verses about being drunk that speak most clearly to dependence, even though the word is never used.
What strikes me is how the prophet speaks of lost time. Morning to night is a long stretch to give away. Anyone who has lost whole weekends to drinking will know that grief. If that is you, the verse is not a condemnation so much as a bell: the hours are precious, and they can be reclaimed.
Paul contrasts daytime and night in Romans 13. Day is the realm of honesty; night is where we hide. Rioting, drunkenness, wantonness and strife all belong, he says, to the dark. Of all the Bible verses about being drunk, this is the one that links sobriety with transparency, living in a way that can stand up to daylight.
Practically, that means asking whether your habits would survive being seen. Would you be comfortable if your pastor, your spouse or your children watched your Friday night? If the answer is no, the verse is not shaming you; it is inviting you to bring the hidden things into the open and let someone help carry them. Bible verses about being drunk like this one treat sobriety as a way of living in the light.
Paul lists drunkards among others who will not inherit the kingdom, and then he says something astonishing: and such were some of you. He is writing to a church in which former drunkards sat beside former thieves and former idolaters. Reading Bible verses about being drunk without verse 11 leaves out the best news in the whole passage.
Washed, sanctified, justified. Three verbs in the past tense, each the work of God, not of willpower. If you are carrying shame about your drinking, consider these three words. They do not say you tried hard enough. They say it was done, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Let that become your starting point.
Galatians 5 sets a list of works of the flesh beside a list of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and self-control. Drunkenness is on the first list, but the whole chapter is really about a different way of living. The Bible verses about being drunk in Galatians make sense only when read alongside the fruit that is promised.
Self-control is the last fruit named, and it is a fruit, not a feat. That detail is encouraging for anyone who has failed at willpower. Fruit grows in a life connected to its source. Our page on Bible verses about self-control looks more closely at how that growth happens. That is the larger setting for the Bible verses about being drunk in this letter.
Peter tells his readers that they have spent enough of their lives doing what the surrounding culture did, including excess of wine and revelry. The tone is almost weary, as in: you have had enough of that. Among Bible verses about being drunk, this one allows a person to say, I have wasted enough years, and to turn.
The next verse says old friends will think it strange that you no longer join them. That is true to life. Leaving a drinking circle is often lonely. Peter does not hide that cost. He simply says the new life is worth it, and invites you to find a new circle, perhaps through a church or recovery group.
In Luke 21:34, Jesus warns about hearts weighed down by drunkenness and the cares of this life, side by side. It is a perceptive pairing. Many people drink to quiet worries, and the drinking then creates more of them. Bible verses about being drunk often touch this loop, and Jesus’s words show he understood how it feels.
If this is your pattern, treat the worry as seriously as the drink. Talk with a counselor. Pray with someone you trust. Our page on Bible verses to help with anxiety may be a gentler place to begin. When the cares are carried more openly, the urge to dull them often loosens its grip.
Proverbs 31 records a mother’s advice to a king: it is not for kings to drink, lest they forget the law and pervert the judgment of the afflicted. The principle reaches beyond royalty. Anyone entrusted with others, such as a parent, a driver, a nurse, a teacher, benefits from a clear mind. Bible verses about being drunk often link sobriety to responsibility.
Children are especially sensitive to adult drinking. They notice the shift in mood, the missed promises, the late-night noise. If you care for children, asking God for help with your drinking is an act of love for them as well as for yourself. It is one of the best gifts a parent can give.
Genesis 9 tells us that Noah, the man who walked with God through the flood, planted a vineyard, drank, and was uncovered in his tent. The Bible does not tidy this up. It records the failure and its fallout in the family. That honesty is a mercy for readers who feel they have failed more badly than any believer before them.
The story also shows how much damage can follow a single episode when trust is involved. The best response in the chapter comes from Shem and Japheth, who cover their father with a garment. Bible verses about being drunk should lead us toward that kind of loyal, quiet protection, not toward gossip or contempt.
Paul and Peter both use sober in a larger sense. In 1 Thessalonians 5, it means being alert to the coming day; in 1 Peter 5:8, it means being watchful because an enemy prowls. Bible verses about being drunk are therefore not only about alcohol. They call us to a clear, wakeful way of living in which we can see what is happening.
To be sober in this sense is to pay attention. It means noticing your own triggers, the people who bring out the worst, and the hours when you are most vulnerable. Keep a short list of those. Then add a short list of what helps: a phone call, a walk, a verse on a card. Alertness grows with practice.
If you are reading these verses about someone else, remember how Galatians 6:1 describes a person caught in a fault: overtaken. It is a passive word, like being overtaken by a storm. The call is to restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. Bible verses about being drunk are not given so that we can score points against a friend.
Compassion does not mean pretending nothing is wrong. It means telling the truth with love, at a time when the person can hear it, and staying around afterward. Offer a ride, a meal, a place to talk. Encourage professional help. And take care of yourself too, since loving someone with a drinking problem is exhausting.
Shame is a heavy blanket, and it keeps many people from praying. Yet the oldest invitation in Scripture is to come as you are. Among the Bible verses about being drunk, 1 John 1:9 is not listed, but it belongs beside them: if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us. Confession is the door, not a trap.
Be specific and brief. Say what happened, say that you are sorry, and ask for help to do differently. Then accept the forgiveness that has been offered. Shame says you must punish yourself first; the gospel says it is already finished. Our page on God’s forgiveness is a good place to rest in that. Many readers of Bible verses about being drunk need to hear that confession is welcome before anything else.
David writes that God lifted him from a horrible pit and set his feet upon a rock. The words are often borrowed by people in recovery, and for good reason. A pit is something you cannot climb out of by yourself, and a rock is something you can stand on. Bible verses about being drunk are most helpful when read alongside this picture of rescue.
Notice who does the lifting. David does not say he climbed out. He was brought up. That does not remove the need for effort, but it changes the attitude with which we make it. We cooperate with a rescuer, we do not rescue ourselves. That relief can be the difference between giving up and carrying on.
Temptation, Paul says, is common to man, which is to say you are not the only one fighting this. And God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear and will provide a way to escape. Of all the Bible verses about being drunk, this one is the most practical. It promises an exit, not just endurance.
A way of escape is often small and concrete: leaving a party early, pouring out what is in the cupboard, texting a friend before the craving peaks. Plan your exits ahead of time. When the moment arrives, you will not have to invent one. God often provides escape routes through the preparation we made yesterday.
Prayer and practical help belong together. If your drinking worries you, tell a doctor, a counselor or a recovery group. Many churches host meetings and many communities have free helplines. Bible verses about being drunk invite you to seek such help, since Proverbs 11:14 says in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
If withdrawal could be physically dangerous, do not attempt to stop alone. Medical support is a gift. Ask someone to go with you to the first appointment. Make a plan for the next seven days: who you will call, what you will do on difficult evenings, where you will go for meals. Small plans carry large weight. Used this way, Bible verses about being drunk lead to action as well as reflection.
Young people often hear only don’ts. A better approach is to read Bible verses about being drunk together and ask what each one protects. Ephesians 5:18 protects the freedom to be filled with something real. Proverbs 20:1 protects judgment. Romans 13:13 protects honesty. Talking about what is being protected can land better than a list of rules.
Be honest about your own experience where it is appropriate, and be clear about safety: no driving, no accepting drinks from strangers, and a plan for calling home without questions. Let your teen know you would rather pick them up at midnight than hear of trouble the next day. Trust grows when love is safer than hiding.
It is not. The Bible lists drunkenness among sins that keep a person from the kingdom if they remain unrepentant, but it is never placed beyond forgiveness. The promise of 1 Corinthians 6:11 is for people who once lived that way. Bible verses about being drunk should not be read as sealing anyone’s fate; they are warnings meant to lead to repentance.
Repentance simply means turning. It begins with a decision and continues with daily choices, which means falling and getting up are part of many stories. Do not let a relapse persuade you that God has given up. His mercy is new every morning, as Lamentations 3:22-23 puts it. Start again today, and keep starting.
Nature hates a vacuum, and so does the heart. If you remove drinking but leave nothing in its place, the craving will come back looking for company. Ephesians 5:18 pairs its warning with a positive command. The Bible verses about being drunk are therefore also an invitation to fill the gap with prayer, music, friends, exercise and meaningful work.
Try building a simple routine. A morning walk, a Psalm at lunchtime, an evening call to a friend. These habits do not look impressive, but they give the day a shape that is not organized around alcohol. Over weeks, the shape becomes a new life. People often say they forgot when they last wanted a drink. Read as a whole, Bible verses about being drunk point toward being filled, never merely emptied.
Temptation tends to arrive at predictable times: after work, on weekends, when a particular person calls. Prepare a one-sentence prayer for those moments. Lord, help me now. It is short enough to say with trembling hands. Bible verses about being drunk can be turned into the same kind of prayer: Lord, fill me with your Spirit instead.
Pair the prayer with an action. Drink a glass of water, step outside, call a friend. Even five minutes can change the intensity of the craving. Afterward, thank God for the help, however small. Gratitude strengthens the habit of turning to him first, and that habit protects us over the long run. Keep a short line from the Bible verses about being drunk on your phone for these moments.
The Bible is full of people who changed. Zacchaeus the tax collector gave away half his wealth after meeting Jesus. Saul the persecutor became Paul the apostle. The woman at the well went from shame to witness. Bible verses about being drunk sit within this larger story of people whom God remade.
If change seems impossible, borrow hope from those stories. They do not say it was easy, but they do say it was real. Ask God to write a chapter like that in your life, and ask a friend to remind you when you feel stuck. Change is rarely quick, but it is rarely out of reach. If you are reading Bible verses about being drunk because you want to change, you are in good company.
People often ask whether having one drink counts as being drunk. The Bible draws the line at drunkenness, meaning loss of control, not at every sip. But honest self-assessment is wise. If one drink often becomes five, or if you hide your drinking, the Bible verses about being drunk are speaking to you, and it is time to talk to someone.
Another common question is whether it is sinful to attend a party where others drink. The answer depends on your conscience and your vulnerabilities. Romans 14 teaches that we should not cause a brother to stumble. If a place is likely to pull you back, choose another. Wisdom, not legalism, is what these verses are after.
The Bible is truthful about drunkenness and truthful about grace. It names the damage, but it never leaves a person in the pit. Bible verses about being drunk lead to Ephesians 5:18, to 1 Corinthians 6:11 and to the promise of a way of escape. They end with filling, washing and rescue.
If you are struggling, tell someone today and ask for help. If you love someone who is, stay gentle and stay near. And whatever your story, remember that the God who lifted David from the pit is still lifting people now. The first step is smaller than you think, and it is worth taking.
For readers who want to go further, these related pages on temptation, recovery and forgiveness may help: Bible verses about addiction, addiction recovery, self-control, overcoming temptation, temptation, God’s forgiveness, asking for forgiveness, wisdom, hope in hard times, drug addiction.
To study these verses in more depth, try Bible Gateway, Bible Hub, Bible Study Tools, Blue Letter Bible.
The Bible warns against drunkenness in many places, including Ephesians 5:18, Proverbs 20:1 and Galatians 5:21. These Bible verses about being drunk describe it as foolish and harmful, yet they also promise forgiveness and new life. The message is a caution paired with real hope.
The Bible condemns drunkenness, not every use of wine, and Christians hold different convictions about alcohol today. Many abstain, others drink moderately. The Bible verses about being drunk are clear that excess is wrong, and that anyone who struggles should consider abstaining and ask for support.
Yes. First Corinthians 6:11 says, and such were some of you, but ye are washed. Paul speaks to people who had changed. Bible verses about being drunk are not the end of the story; forgiveness and cleansing are available to anyone who turns to God.
Many people lean on 1 Corinthians 10:13, which promises a way of escape, and Ephesians 5:18, which offers the Spirit’s fullness instead. These Bible verses about being drunk work best alongside practical help, such as a counselor, a doctor and a recovery group.
With patience and care, not scorn. Galatians 6:1 says to restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. Keep them safe, avoid arguments while they are impaired, and talk with them later. Bible verses about being drunk call us to compassion as well as honesty.
Talk to a doctor, a counselor, a trusted pastor or a recovery group in your area, and tell someone close to you. The Bible verses about being drunk invite you to seek help, and professional support is a gift from God. If you are in danger, contact local emergency services.
