Tag: sobriety

In this episode, Carrie welcomes back Jon Seidl, a returning guest, author, speaker, and founder of Veritas Recovery, to share his personal journey through addiction and recovery while exploring how identity, shame, unresolved pain, and a deeper relationship with Christ can shape the path toward lasting healing and freedom. 

Episode Highlights:

• How unresolved trauma and emotional pain can influence addictive behaviors later in life.
• Why shame often keeps people stuck while godly conviction creates a pathway toward healing.
• The role identity plays in both addiction and long-term recovery.
• What it means to pursue freedom by addressing the root causes of unhealthy coping mechanisms.
• Insights from Jon Seidl’s book Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic and his journey toward recovery through faith, vulnerability, and God’s grace.

Episode Summary:

How Does Alcohol Addiction Develop Even in Committed Christians?

When Jon joined me for a previous episode, we talked about suffering, faith, and finding rest in difficult seasons. In this conversation, he returns to share a much more personal chapter of his story, revealing how a series of life challenges gradually led him into alcohol addiction despite a genuine relationship with Christ and years of involvement in ministry.

As Jon shares his journey, we talk about how stress, anxiety, disappointment, and loss slowly created a pattern of seeking relief in the wrong place. His story is a powerful reminder that addiction rarely begins with a desire to self-destruct. More often, it begins with a desire to escape pain.

Could Unresolved Childhood Trauma Be Fueling Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms?

Many people wonder why they continue repeating the same unhealthy patterns, even when they know better. One of the most eye-opening parts of our conversation explores how unresolved trauma and painful life experiences can shape the ways we respond to stress, fear, and emotional discomfort for years to come.

Jon shares how experiences from his childhood influenced habits of escapism that followed him into adulthood. We discuss why healing often requires us to look beneath the behavior itself and understand the deeper wounds that may still be driving our choices.

Why Isn’t Willpower Enough to Overcome Addiction or Break Bad Habits?

When we’re struggling with something difficult, it’s natural to think the solution is more discipline, more accountability, or simply trying harder. Yet many people discover that lasting freedom remains frustratingly out of reach when they focus only on changing behavior.

One of the most powerful moments in this conversation came when Jon’s wife challenged him to stop focusing solely on alcohol and start asking why he needed it in the first place. That question opened the door to a much deeper process of healing, one that extends far beyond addiction recovery and speaks to the heart of spiritual growth.

What’s the Difference Between Shame, Guilt, and True Christian Healing?

Many Christians carry shame without realizing it. We hide our struggles, convince ourselves we’re the only ones dealing with them, and slowly drift further into isolation. The problem is that shame often keeps us trapped in the very cycles we’re trying to escape.

In this episode, we explore the difference between shame that drives us away from God and godly conviction that leads us back to Him. Jon shares how learning to bring his struggles into the light became a critical part of his recovery journey and why vulnerability is often the first step toward freedom.

How Can Abiding in Christ Lead to Lasting Recovery and Spiritual Growth?

At its core, this conversation is about much more than alcohol addiction. It’s about identity, surrender, and learning what it truly means to abide in Christ. So many of us can fall into the trap of making faith about knowledge, performance, or checking spiritual boxes while neglecting the relationship God desires to have with us.

If you’ve ever struggled with shame, anxiety, addiction, unhealthy coping mechanisms, or the feeling that you’re carrying burdens no one else can see, I hope you’ll listen to the full episode.