Episode 428 - Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jonathon Seidl

The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

Davey Blackburn and Aubrey Sampson

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2026

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What happens when the escape you turn to begins to take over your life? How do you begin to heal the deeper wounds that often lie beneath addiction?For author and podcaster Jonathon Seidl, the descent into alcoholism was rooted in unresolved childhood pain. After experiencing his father leaving at a young age, navigating an often difficult relationship with his stepfather, and enduring childhood sexual abuse, alcohol became a way to numb what he hadn’t yet faced—or invited Jesus to heal.In his book Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic: A Candid Conversation on Drinking, Addiction, and How to Break Free, Jonathon shares his raw and honest journey through disordered drinking and his path toward freedom.In this episode, Davey sits down with Jonathon to explore the connection between escapism and addiction, the impact of trauma, and what recovery can look like through a Gospel-centered lens.If you or someone you love has struggled with alcohol—even as a believer—this conversation offers a powerful reminder: there is hope. When we stop avoiding our pain and bring it honestly before Jesus, true healing can begin. Website: https://www.jonseidl.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonseidl Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathonmseidl Book: Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic: A Candid Conversation on Drinking, Addiction, and How to Break Freehttps://a.co/d/086ThOXx Not living the story you expected? Pain changes us but doesn't have to define us. Find out how to begin your healing journey today: nothingiswasted.com/starthere Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: nothingiswasted.com/coaching Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Nothing is Wasted podcast, where we meet you in your pain and help you discover a pathway through.
0:09.6	No matter what you've faced or what you're walking through now, we believe your story isn't over.
0:15.0	Each week, you'll hear powerful conversations with people who've partnered with God to reclaim their stories of trauma, loss, and heartbreak, and we'll chat with Christian experts who offer wisdom and
0:26.2	practical tools for healing. This is a place of hope, redemption, and the reminder that
0:31.5	even in your darkest moments, God is still writing your story, because with him, nothing is wasted.
0:38.8	I'm your host, Davey Blackburn.
0:50.3	Well, hello, hello.
0:51.3	Welcome to the Nothing is Wasted podcast.
0:53.0	I'm grateful that you're joining me this week for a great conversation.
0:56.8	Real quick, let me ask you this.
0:57.8	What if the thing you call your issue, we all have it, it's like, well, my issue is this,
1:02.8	or I've got this problem that I'm trying to work through in my life.
1:05.9	What if that's not actually your issue?
1:08.3	Like, for instance, what if the drinking, the pornography, the overspending,
1:17.1	overworking, the doom scrolling, the busyness? What if that's not really your issue? What if the real
1:26.2	addiction is the one that nobody can actually see?
1:30.4	What if it's an addiction to escapism or a desire to run away from what's really hard in your life?
1:41.7	Because most of us aren't chasing substance as much as we're really chasing
1:45.5	a feeling of relief. We want our mind to be quiet. We want our body to feel numb. We want a place
1:53.2	where we don't have to feel what we're carrying. And that's very real. And the truth is the danger of escapism can wear a thousand respectable outfits.
2:04.8	It can look like success.
2:06.4	It can look like ministry.
	...

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