Drunkenness and addiction: confessing what has mastered you

Getting drunk is a sin, and you can confess it to God plainly and be forgiven, today, on the strength of what Christ has done. But if drinking, drugs, gambling or anything else has become something you cannot stop, you are dealing with more than a single sin. Addiction changes the body and the brain, and it very often needs medical and professional help alongside confession. Seeking that help is not a lack of faith. It is part of repentance, in the same way that someone who repents of reckless driving also gets their brakes fixed.

So this guide holds two things together. Confess the sin honestly, because God forgives. And if you are caught in something you cannot break, speak to a doctor or GP this week, and tell a Christian you trust. If you are in danger right now, or thinking of ending your life, call your local emergency number or a crisis line: 988 in the US and Canada, Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK and Ireland, Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find a line in your country at findahelpline.com.

Scripture names drunkenness without flinching

The Bible does not treat wine itself as evil. Jesus made it, drank it and gave it at the Last Supper. What Scripture forbids is being ruled by it.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. — Ephesians 5:18

Paul sets two kinds of filling side by side. Something will fill you and steer you. Drunkenness hands the wheel to a substance; the Christian life hands it to the Spirit of God. That is why getting drunk is not a harmless lapse. It is choosing to give up the self-control God has given you, and the things said and done while drunk are usually a second layer of sin on top of the first.

Proverbs gives a portrait of where this goes that is uncomfortably accurate.

They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I did not know it! When can I wake up to search for another drink? — Proverbs 23:35

The last line is the heart of addiction: the harm is plain, and the first thought on waking is still the next drink.

Addiction is a sin problem and more than a sin problem

Many Christians carrying an addiction feel they are failing twice: once in the using, and again in being unable to stop despite praying. Paul describes something close to that experience.

For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do. — Romans 7:19

That verse is about the pull of sin in every believer, not about addiction in particular. But it shows that wanting to stop and being unable to is not proof that you are insincere or that God has given up on you.

It is also true that dependence on alcohol or drugs involves real physical changes. Stopping suddenly can itself be dangerous, especially with alcohol and some medicines, and should be done with medical advice. A doctor is not a rival to God here. God made bodies, and he gave people the skill to care for them. Asking for that care is humility, not unbelief.

How to confess it honestly

Confession of this sin has the same shape as any other: name it, agree with God about it, ask forgiveness for Jesus’ sake, and turn. There is a fuller pattern in how to confess to God, plainly. A few things are particular to this struggle.

Name the actual thing. Not “I overdid it,” but “I got drunk.” Not “I’ve had a hard month,” but “I have been drinking every night and hiding the bottles.” Hidden quantities and hidden places are part of what needs confessing.

Confess what came with it. Drunkenness rarely travels alone. There is often lying about how much, money taken from the household, words said to a spouse or children, driving that put others at risk. Each of these is its own sin against real people, and each can be brought to God by name. Some of them will also need an apology or putting right; see restitution.

Do not confess from inside the fog. If you are intoxicated now, God hears you, and you may certainly cry to him. But come back to it sober as well, when you can see clearly what you did and mean what you say.

Do not make grand vows. “I will never drink again” said at two in the morning tends to break by Friday, and then the shame is worse. Tell God instead what you will do today: pour it away, ring the doctor, tell someone.

Freedom is real, and it is usually walked into with others

Paul’s word to the Corinthians is realistic about how strong these patterns are.

“Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything. — 1 Corinthians 6:12

To be mastered is to be enslaved. The good news is that Christ came to free slaves, and the New Testament speaks of people who used to be defined by drunkenness and are not any more.

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. — 1 Corinthians 6:11

“Some of you were” is past tense. Your identity in Christ is not “addict” but “washed”. That is true the moment you trust him, even while the habit is still being broken.

Breaking it, though, is rarely done alone. James tells believers to do something that secret drinkers find hardest of all.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. — James 5:16

Telling one person is often the turning point. It might be a pastor, a trusted church member, your spouse, or a recovery group. Many churches host or can point you to one, and there are Christian and non-religious groups that meet in most towns. None of this replaces God’s forgiveness. It is how he often brings his help.

Practical steps you can take this week

• See a doctor or GP. Be honest about how much and how often. Ask about safe ways to cut down or stop, and about treatment and support services near you.
• Tell one person. Choose someone steady and not easily shocked. Say it plainly and ask them to check on you.
• Remove access. Pour it away, delete the app, change the route that passes the shop, hand over the card. Make the next fall harder, not easier.
• Plan the dangerous hours. Most people know when they are weakest. Put something in those hours: a walk, a call, a meeting, Scripture read aloud.
• Expect the fight to be long. A lapse is not the end of repentance. Confess it quickly, get up, and keep going. There is help for that in confessing the same sin again.

Where Christians differ

Faithful Christians agree that drunkenness is sin. They differ on whether believers should drink alcohol at all. Some traditions ask members to abstain completely, often out of love for those who struggle; others hold that moderate drinking is a freedom Scripture allows. Both views can be held in good conscience. For someone who has been mastered by alcohol, though, most Christians of either view would gently say that the wise and loving path is to stop entirely.

Christians also use different words for addiction. Some speak mainly of sin, others mainly of illness. Scripture allows us to say both: it is a pattern of sin for which we are responsible, and it is a condition that harms the body and mind and needs care.

Before you finish

If you are ready, tell God now what has mastered you, in one honest sentence, and ask him to forgive you and set you free. Then do one concrete thing today: book the appointment, tell the person, pour it away.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery. — Galatians 5:1

Find a church where you can be known, keep coming back to God’s promises, and do not carry this alone. If at any point you feel unsafe or overwhelmed, contact a doctor, emergency services or a crisis line straight away.