The Greek adjective paroinos (πάροινος) means one who lingers beside wine, a drunkard, or someone addicted to alcohol. It combines para (beside) + oinos (wine), literally 'one who sits beside wine.' It appears only twice in the New Testament (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7) and in both cases describes a disqualifying character trait for church leadership.
The appearance of paroinos in both the episcopal qualifications (1 Timothy 3:3) and the elder qualifications (Titus 1:7) signals that self-mastery over physical appetites is essential for spiritual leadership. The biblical position on wine is nuanced: wine is a gift of God (Psalm 104:15; John 2:1–11) and Paul recommends a little wine for medicinal purposes (1 Timothy 5:23). But paroinos — habitual indulgence, addiction, lack of self-control with alcohol — is incompatible with church leadership because leaders must be sober-minded (nephalios), clear in judgment, and free from undue influence. This principle extends beyond alcohol: any substance, habit, or appetite that masters the believer contradicts the Spirit's fruit of self-control (Galatians 5:23) and the call to be 'filled with the Spirit' rather than wine (Ephesians 5:18).