If someone you love is caught in addiction, you can start praying for them today, even if you’ve got no idea what to say. A prayer for addiction doesn’t need polished words. It needs honesty. Name the person, name what scares you, and ask God to do what you can’t. Start with the short prayer below. After it come six specific things to pray for, and some honest help for the long stretches when nothing seems to change.
A Prayer for Someone Struggling With Addiction
Put your loved one’s name in the blanks. Pray it slowly, and out loud if you can:
Lord, You know ______ better than I do. You see the pain underneath the drinking and the using, and You love them more than I ever could. Protect them today. Keep them alive and keep them safe. Break the hold this addiction has on them, and put the right people in their path. Give me wisdom to know when to speak, when to be quiet and when to say no. Where I’m angry, soften me. Where I’m tired, carry me. I place ______ in Your hands, because mine aren’t strong enough. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Plenty of families pray some version of this every morning. Some write it on a card and prop it by the coffee maker. The exact wording doesn’t matter much. What matters is bringing this person back to God, again and again, on the good days and the bad ones.
What to Pray For When Someone You Love Is an Addict
When you’re scared, prayer tends to shrink to one line on repeat: make them stop. That’s a fair prayer, and God can take it. Praying more specifically gives you somewhere else to go, though. Six places to start, each with a verse:
1. Peace and acceptance
Pray that your loved one stops fighting the truth about their addiction, and that you find some peace while you wait. Ask people in recovery about their turning point and many will tell you it came when they finally admitted they couldn’t control their use. The Serenity Prayer, said at meetings around the world, rests on that same idea of accepting what you can’t change.
2. That they would see their worth
Addiction feeds on shame. If someone believes they’re worthless, why would they fight for their life? Pray that they’d start to see themselves the way God sees them. Scripture says God showed His love “while we were yet sinners” (Romans 5:8, KJV), not after we’d cleaned ourselves up. We go deeper on this in loving yourself in recovery as God loves you.
3. Forgiveness, theirs and yours
Pray that they’d accept God’s forgiveness and learn to forgive themselves. Then turn the prayer around. Addiction usually leaves a trail behind it: lies, missed holidays, promises broken so many times you stopped counting. The Lord’s Prayer ties the two together: “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4, KJV). Forgiving someone doesn’t mean pretending nothing happened, and it doesn’t mean dropping every boundary. You just stop carrying the debt.
4. Strength in the moment of temptation
Cravings hit hard and fast. Pray that when one does, your loved one has a way out: a phone call, a friend who shows up, a liquor store that’s already closed. Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13, KJV). That strength usually arrives through people and practical help, so pray for both.
5. The right people around them
“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33, KJV). Pray that the friends who supply the drugs, and the drinking buddies, drift out of the picture. Then pray the right people move in close. A sponsor. A counselor. A pastor, or one sober friend who actually calls back.
6. Willingness to get help
Most families pray this one hardest. Pray that your loved one says yes to treatment, and that the door’s open when they do. Jesus told a desperate father, “all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23, KJV). The father’s reply is honest enough that plenty of families pray it word for word: “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24, KJV).
Praying for an Addict Who Doesn’t Want Help
Praying for someone who keeps insisting they’re fine wears you down. A few things that keep people going:
- Pray for small things. A returned phone call. One honest conversation. A night they make it home safe. Small answers still count.
- Put their safety first. While someone’s still using, staying alive matters more than anything else.
- Let prayer change what you do. Prayer isn’t a reason to keep paying their rent or covering for them at work, and for a lot of families it’s where the courage finally comes from to set boundaries they’ve dodged for years.
- Don’t pray alone. Ask your pastor, your small group or a couple of friends you trust to pray with you. James 5:16 tells believers to “pray one for another, that ye may be healed.”
Taking Care of Yourself While You Pray
Loving someone with an addiction is exhausting. Maybe you’re lying awake at 2 a.m., checking their location, rehearsing what you’ll say next time. Bring that to God too. Ask for rest, for wisdom and for people who’ll hold you up. A family support group, a Christian counselor or your own church gives you somewhere to set the weight down for a while.
In recovery yourself and looking for prayers to protect your sobriety? Read how prayer protects your sobriety. And if you’d like Scripture to read alongside your prayers, we’ve gathered Bible verses about addiction by theme.
Prayer and Treatment Work Together
Praying for someone doesn’t mean waiting for a miracle and doing nothing else. Addiction changes the brain and the body. Some substances, alcohol and sedatives especially, can cause dangerous withdrawal when someone stops suddenly. Medical care, counseling and structure are very often how God answers the prayers families have been praying for years. Getting treatment is an act of faith, and it doesn’t mean prayer failed.
Christian Addiction Treatment at Covenant Hills
Covenant Hills is a Christian rehab program in Orange County that pairs clinical care with pastoral care. In our faith-based track, clients pray, study Scripture and work a Christ-centered 12-step program alongside evidence-based therapy. We offer gender-specific care too, including a dedicated women’s treatment program.
If you’ve been praying for someone and you’re ready for the next step, call 800-662-2873 for a free, confidential assessment. You’re welcome to call on their behalf.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good prayer for addiction?
One that’s honest and specific. Name the person, then ask God to protect them, break the hold of the addiction and lead them to help. Use the prayer at the top of this page as written, or put it in your own words.
What is the addict’s prayer?
There’s no single official addict’s prayer. Lots of people in recovery pray the Serenity Prayer or the prayers said at 12-step meetings. Others keep it very short: “Lord, help me stay sober today.” Praying daily and honestly matters more than which words you use.
Are there prayers for addiction in the Bible?
The Bible doesn’t contain a prayer labeled for addiction. Plenty of passages work as one, though, including Psalm 51, Mark 9:24 and Philippians 4:13. Our list of Bible verses about addiction has more.
Can I pray for an addict who doesn’t believe in God?
Yes. You don’t need their permission, or their faith, to pray for them. Many people in recovery say they found out later that someone had been praying for them the whole time.
