--- title: "Is It a Sin to Drink Alcohol? How Christians Differ, What the Bible Records, and Psalm 103:8-12 for the Worry" description: "Had a drink, or too many, and wondering where you stand? Nobody is condemned here. How Christians differ, what Scripture records about wine, and Psalm 103:8-12." url: "https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-drink-alcohol" lang: "en" published: "2026-10-07" modified: "2026-10-07" author: "Cal Hewitt" tags: ["alcohol","drinking","sin","communion","sobriety","psalm 103"] image: "https://biblenudge.com/og/blog-is-it-a-sin-to-drink-alcohol.jpg" alternates: es: "https://biblenudge.com/es/blog/es-pecado-beber-alcohol.md" --- # Is It a Sin to Drink Alcohol? How Christians Differ, What the Bible Records, and Psalm 103:8-12 for the Worry [Cal Hewitt](https://biblenudge.com/about/cal-hewitt)Published October 7, 2026 - alcohol - drinking - sin - communion - sobriety - psalm 103 ![Is It a Sin to Drink Alcohol? How Christians Differ, What the Bible Records, and Psalm 103:8-12 for the Worry](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-drink-alcohol/featured.jpg) You may have had a glass of wine at dinner, or been drunk once or more, or sit among people who disagree about it, and want to know whether you are in trouble with God. Nobody who drinks and nobody who chooses not to is condemned here. The Bible and the Christian traditions are not of one mind about alcohol. If the worry is about your own drinking or someone else's, help is further down; that is a health question and not a measure of faith, and [Bible verses for addiction recovery](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-addiction-recovery) sits beside it. ## If you only have a minute ### A passage for the worry [Psalm 103:8-12](https://biblenudge.com/context/psalm-103-8-12), a description of mercy. ### Where Christians differ Some ask abstinence of everyone; most name drunkenness and harm to others as the concern. ### The Bible records both Wine as a gift and as a warning. ### If it is your own drinking It is a health condition, and there are named services below. ### One step Call a service, or tell one person you trust. ## Psalm 103:8-12, for the worry The passage Bible Nudge offers for guilt and regret is [Psalm 103:8-12](https://biblenudge.com/context/psalm-103-8-12), from a psalm of praise recalling God's character in verses 5 to 15: > Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness. He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. It describes mercy that outlasts anger, and a God who has already moved what you are carrying as far as east from west. Verse 14 follows: "For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust." One question to carry: What are you still holding that this says has already been carried away? The psalm is read for the morning after a slip on [Bible verses for addiction recovery](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-addiction-recovery) and for regret on [Bible verses for regret](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-regret). ![A clear glass of water on a kitchen table beside a folded napkin](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-drink-alcohol/the-glass-of-water.jpg) *A quiet table late at night.* ## How the main traditions teach Each speaks in its own words. The [Catechism of the Catholic Church](https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_two/chapter_two/article_5/ii_respect_for_the_dignity_of_persons.html) says temperance "disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine." The Church of England's Canon B 17 names "wine the fermented juice of the grape, good and wholesome" for the Eucharist, and its [guidance](https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/holy-communion/additional-0) says churches routinely offer non-alcoholic wine. The Orthodox Church in America says the faithful receive consecrated bread and ["the sanctified wine."](https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-divine-liturgy/communion) The Westminster Larger Catechism (1648) lists "a sober use of meat, drink" among [duties](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Westminster_Larger_Catechism) and drunkenness among sins. The United Methodist [Social Principles](https://www.umc.org/en/content/social-principles-the-social-community) (2024) say "we acknowledge the historic United Methodist stance on abstinence as a safeguard against mental, physical, and spiritual harms caused by excessive drinking." The Southern Baptist Convention's [2006 resolution](https://www.sbc.net/resource-library/resolutions/on-alcohol-use-in-america/) expresses "total opposition to the manufacturing, advertising, distributing, and consuming of alcoholic beverages." Latter-day Saints hold the [Word of Wisdom](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/word-of-wisdom-dc-89?lang=eng), dated 1833, and the Salvation Army's Called to Be a Soldier includes a pledge to abstain. Jewish practice holds ritual wine at kiddush and the seder, and the Nazirite abstention of Numbers 6. So, the traditions differ on whether abstinence is asked of everyone. Most name drunkenness, loss of control and harm to others as the concern. ## Wine as a gift The Bible records wine in gladness. At the wedding in [John 2](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%202%3A1-11&version=WEB) the steward praises "the good wine." Psalm 104:15 lists "wine that makes glad the heart of man" among God's provisions, Ecclesiastes 9:7 says "drink your wine with a merry heart," and 1 Timothy 5:23 advises "a little wine for your stomach’s sake." In Luke 7:33-35, Jesus contrasts John, who came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, with the Son of Man, who came eating and drinking. The Hebrew yayin is the ordinary word for wine, tirosh means new wine, shekar strong drink, and the Greek oinos is the ordinary word. Scholars disagree about how fermented ancient wine was and how often it was diluted or fresh, and no single answer settles every passage. ## Wine as a warning The same Bible records caution. Proverbs 20:1 says "Wine is a mocker, and beer is a brawler." Proverbs 23:29-35 describes the sorrow and repeated craving of lingering over wine, in wisdom writing to a learner. Ephesians 5:18 says "Don’t be drunken with wine." In Numbers 6:1-4 a Nazirite separates from wine and strong drink for the length of a vow, and in Jeremiah 35 the Rechabites refuse wine because an ancestor commanded it; they are commended for keeping that command, not as a rule for everyone. Traditions weigh these passages differently. [Is anxiety a sin](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-anxiety-a-sin) reads Luke 21:34 on drunkenness and cares. ## If you are young, or got drunk A young person who has been at a party is not condemned here. If you felt pressured, talk with a parent, guardian or adult you trust. Minimum ages differ: 21 for purchase and public possession in the United States, with state exceptions ([FTC](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-you-need-know-about-drinking-age)), generally 18 to buy in the United Kingdom ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/alcohol-licensing)), 18 in Ireland ([Citizens Information](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/justice/age-of-consent/age-of-consent-to-alcohol/)), 18 or 19 in Canada depending on province, and 18 in Australia ([AIHW](https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/alcohol/alcohol-tobacco-and-other-drugs-in-australia/contents/alcohol/age-of-consumption)). Check local law. If you have been drunk once or more, the traditions above name drunkenness as the concern, and the psalm above describes mercy toward exactly that. ## If you are sober and sit in the pew Catholic practice permits receiving Communion under one species, the host, without the chalice, and permits mustum for priests who cannot consume alcohol, in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's [2017 letter](https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_letter-eucharist-20170615_en.html). The Church of England offers non-alcoholic wine, and many Protestant churches use grape juice. Orthodox parishes do not present grape juice as the ordinary substitute, so ask. ![An empty wooden chair at a long dinner table beside a set plate](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-drink-alcohol/the-set-table.jpg) *Some tables leave room to decide.* Recovery fellowships include the [Calix Society](https://www.calixsociety.org/) for Catholics, [Celebrate Recovery](https://www.celebraterecovery.com/), and [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://www.aa.org/what-is-aa), which says it is "not allied with any sect, denomination, political organization, institution or association." On Reddit's r/stopdrinking, in a [thread posted April 13, 2026](https://www.reddit.com/r/stopdrinking/comments/1skcbhj/communion_wine_guilt_navigating_social_situations/), someone wrote of "a pretty high pleasure response to the small bit of wine that we get at church." In [another thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/stopdrinking/comments/1hn4xbx/sober-communion/) there, posted December 27, 2024, a commenter wrote "It’s an intimate decision that could look different for each of us." Whether to take the cup is your decision, and asking the pastor or priest ahead of time is ordinary. ## A health question, with named help The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [describes](https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-topics-z/alcohol-facts-and-statistics/glossary) alcohol use disorder as "a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences." That is a health condition, not a failure of faith or character. The [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/) puts one safety point plainly: "It can be very dangerous to stop drinking suddenly if you're dependent on alcohol." - United States: the [SAMHSA National Helpline](https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline), 1-800-662-HELP, and the [NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator](https://alcoholtreatment.niaaa.nih.gov/). - United Kingdom and Ireland: [Drinkaware](https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/) and [Drinkaware Ireland](https://drinkaware.ie/); in Ireland, the [HSE Drugs and Alcohol Helpline](https://www2.hse.ie/living-well/alcohol/), 1800 459 459. - Australia: the [National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline](https://www.health.gov.au/contacts/national-alcohol-and-other-drug-hotline), 1800 250 015. - New Zealand: the [Alcohol Drug Helpline](https://alcoholdrughelp.org.nz/), 0800 787 797. - Canada: [ConnexOntario](https://www.connexontario.ca/), 1-866-531-2600, and [Health Canada](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/substance-use.html). - Families: [Al-Anon](https://al-anon.org/). Elsewhere, ask the national health ministry or public health service. ## What can land badly, and what lands better On Reddit's r/Christianity, in a [thread posted April 10, 2026](https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/1shpt9v/is_drinking_a_sin/), someone who said they had struggled with alcoholism was told "Jesus turned water into wine so it is fine." That can land badly on someone whose drinking worries them. The same thread carries "Drinking alcohol isn’t a sin, getting drunk is" and "Jesus drank," the views of those commenters and not this site's. Better lines: "You're not condemned for a glass of wine, and you're not condemned for choosing not to drink." "This is a health question as much as a faith one, and there is help." "It's fine to ask your pastor what your church does with the cup." ## Where to go next If the worry is about your own drinking, call or message one of the services above, or tell one person you trust. If it is about the cup, ask your pastor or priest. ![A phone on a bedside table beside a notepad and a pen](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-drink-alcohol/the-call.jpg) *One call or message is enough to start.* If drinking and low moods have run together, please reach a person tonight. In the United States, call or text 988 ([988 Lifeline](https://988lifeline.org/contact-us/)). In Canada, call or text 9-8-8. In the UK and Republic of Ireland, [Samaritans](https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/) is on 116 123. In Australia, [Lifeline](https://www.lifeline.org.au/crisis-support/) is 13 11 14. Anywhere else, [Find A Helpline](https://findahelpline.com/) lists lines by country. [Bible Nudge](https://biblenudge.com/) gives a person one passage with the story around it, and [Find a passage](https://biblenudge.com/nudge) is where to start. ## Words that come up here Tap a term to see what it means. **Temperance.** In the Catechism, the virtue that keeps food and drink in balance. **Mustum.** Grape juice with fermentation suspended. **Nazirite.** Someone under the vow in Numbers 6 to avoid wine for a time. ## Share this page If somebody you know is carrying this, the link goes straight to the passage and what surrounds it. Nothing here asks them to sign up for anything. [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbiblenudge.com%2Fblog%2Fis-it-a-sin-to-drink-alcohol)[Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbiblenudge.com%2Fblog%2Fis-it-a-sin-to-drink-alcohol&media=https%3A%2F%2Fbiblenudge.com%2Fblog%2Fis-it-a-sin-to-drink-alcohol%2Ffeatured.jpg&description=Is%20It%20a%20Sin%20to%20Drink%20Alcohol%3F%20How%20Christians%20Differ%2C%20What%20the%20Bible%20Records%2C%20and%20Psalm%20103%3A8-12%20for%20the%20Worry) ## Related Articles - [Simon Name Meaning in the Bible: The Simons of the Gospels, Why Jesus Called Simon Peter, and Simón in Spanish](https://biblenudge.com/blog/simon-name-meaning-bible): Simon comes from the Hebrew Shimon, linked to hearing. Which Simon is which, and why Jesus renamed him. - [Going to Church for the First Time: What to Expect, What to Wear, and Psalm 56:3 for the Nerves](https://biblenudge.com/blog/going-to-church-for-the-first-time): Nervous about your first time in a church? What to expect, what to wear, what a visitor can do at Mass or an Orthodox liturgy, and Psalm 56:3-4 for the front door. - [Is It a Sin to Get a Tattoo? Psalm 103 for the Tattoo You Already Have, and Leviticus 19:28 in Its Setting](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-get-a-tattoo): Already have a tattoo and been told it is a sin? A person with a tattoo is not condemned. Psalm 103 to read first, and Leviticus 19:28 in its setting.