A Prayer for My Mother Who Drinks
A prayer for your mother who drinks asks God to reach her heart and to mend what her drinking has done to yours. You don’t have to say it well. Start here: “Lord, I lift up my mom. Hold her where I can’t. Heal the hurt between us, and show me how to love her with my eyes open. Amen.”
If you live with her and you’re in danger, call 911. If the weight of it has you thinking about ending your life, call or text 988 tonight.
For her
“God, You knew my mother before anyone did. You knit her together. You know the sorrow, the loneliness or the fear she pours a glass to forget. I only see the glass.
Be gentle with her and be strong with her. Let her feel loved by You on the days she can’t feel loved by anyone. Bring her one honest friend. Let her doctor ask the right question. When she is ready to face this, make the help easy to find and hard to refuse. Keep her body from harm until then. Bring her home to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
For the child she raised
“Father, part of me is still waiting for her to be the mom I needed. I learned to read her moods, to cover for her, to grow up fast. Some of that made me strong. Some of it made me hard.
Teach me to stop managing her. Help me forgive what I can today and be honest about what I can’t yet. Show me where I’m becoming her, with wine or with worry, and give me the nerve to change. Let my children get a calmer version of me. Thank You that You never forget me. Amen.”
A God who doesn’t forget
God compared His love to a mother’s, and then said His goes further. Even if a mother forgets, He won’t.
““Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”
And He stays close when your heart is in pieces.
“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Honoring her without hiding it
The command to honor your mother is still true. Honor isn’t silence. It can mean speaking to her kindly, refusing to mock her to others, and telling her the truth once, with love: “Mom, I love you, and the drinking worries me.” It doesn’t mean buying the bottle, lying to relatives, or leaving your kids with her when she’s had too much.
If she ever decides to quit, urge her to see a doctor first. For an older woman especially, coming off alcohol suddenly can be risky.
Safety first. If you drink heavily every day, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. Talk to a doctor before you quit.
For more on what to say and what to stop doing, read my mom drinks too much and setting boundaries with an alcoholic.
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This week
Find a photo of your mom from before things got hard. Keep it in your Bible or on your phone. Each time you see it this week, pray one line for her and one line for yourself.
Common questions
Is it wrong to grieve the mother I wish I'd had?
No. Grief is honest. You can love your mom, pray for her, and still mourn the care you didn't get. Bring both to God. He can hold the love and the loss at the same time.
My mom drinks wine every night but says it's normal. Should I still pray?
Yes. You don't need her to agree there's a problem before you pray. Pray for her, and pray for wisdom about whether and how to say something.
What if she drinks around my children?
You decide what's safe for your kids. You can love her and still say she can't drive them or babysit when she's been drinking. Protecting them honors her too.
Talk it through with Jimmy or Sarah — first month free
Jimmy and Sarah are AI sponsors who know the Twelve Steps and the Bible. They'll listen, walk the steps with you, and keep pointing you to real people: a meeting, a sponsor, a church.
Free to download · first month free, no card · adults 18+
After the first month, talking with Jimmy or Sarah needs Plus ($9.99/month or $59.99/year).
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