The Catholic Sobriety Podcast

If you've started paying attention to your drinking and suddenly feel like you can't stop thinking about it — this episode is for you. Christie explains why the chatter gets louder before it gets quiet, what the closet analogy has to do with sobriety, and what it actually looks like to go from "all I can think about is alcohol" to "I'm not thinking about it hardly at all anymore." This is the episode that reframes the uncomfortable beginning as the path — not the problem.
Topics covered: The warning — awareness might mess up your drinking | The woman who said it's all she can think about | The closet analogy — why the mess has to come out before it can be sorted | Christie's outpatient moment and the word "yet" | The hamster wheel vs. seeing the hamster wheel | The arc: more, then less, then free | What to do with the discomfort right now | What God does in the awareness stage
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For the woman who drinks because her life is genuinely a lot — this one is for you. In this episode Christie talks about why alcohol feels like the only off switch at the end of an overwhelming day, what it's actually doing to your capacity over time, and three practical things to simplify your life so the craving loses its grip. Plus: the pitcher plant analogy that explains exactly how we slide in, Christie's birthday solo lunch story, and what real self-care actually looks like.
Topics covered: The pitcher plant — how alcohol draws you in and keeps you there | Who this episode is for — the high-achiever, the homeschooling mom, the work-from-home woman, the woman who lives alone | What alcohol is actually doing to your overwhelm over time | Christie's birthday solo lunch — what real rest actually feels like | Three practical ways to simplify your life | Holy self-care vs. numbing | One thing to do tonight when the craving hits
Referenced: Annie Grace, This Naked Mind — the pitcher plant analogy Psalm 23 — "He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul."
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Nobody warns you about the messy middle. You've gotten through the beginning, you're past the pink cloud, and now the doubt is setting in — is this sustainable? Can I really keep this up? In this episode Christie shares what happened the morning after she moved into her new home and why it's the perfect picture of what women go through when they start releasing alcohol. Plus: the marriage analogy that changed how one of her clients thought about sobriety, what surfaces when you stop numbing, and how to stay in it when it gets hard.
Topics covered: The morning Christie cried in her new closet — and what it has to do with sobriety | What the messy middle actually feels like | The pink cloud and what comes after it | Sobriety is like marriage — choosing it when you don't feel like it | The wound underneath the doubt | How to move through grief without going back | The specific fears that surface and what to say to them | The warning and the hope
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Christie came across a reel from a health coach with an unpopular opinion: she's not going to teach her teens to drink responsibly — she's going to give them the real truth about what alcohol actually is and does. The comments were - well, interesting.
In this episode Christie adds her voice to that conversation, shares what she's seen firsthand as a mom with a son in college right now, and talks about why the cultural pressure to be the 'cool parent' around alcohol might be doing more harm than we think. If you want the deeper dive on what to actually say to your teens, go back and listen to episode 139 — this one picks up where that left off. 

Topics covered:  The "teach them to drink at home" argument — and why the research doesn't support it | Christie's real story of drinking as a teenager | The neuroscience of the adolescent brain and alcohol | What to actually say to your kids at every stage | For the parent who just found out their kid is drinking | Why this conversation matters for us too — not just our children 
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Why does the craving hit out of nowhere? Why does wine feel like it helps with overwhelm? And why does cutting back feel so hard even when you really want to? In this episode Christie breaks down exactly what your brain is doing when you crave a drink — the dopamine loop, the habit trail, the borrowed relief — and gives you real tools to get through the next twenty minutes. Plus: the science behind vacuuming and your high school playlist. Yes, really.
Topics covered: Why alcohol feels like it helps with overwhelm — and what it's actually doing | The dopamine anticipation loop that starts at 3pm | Borrowing relief from tomorrow — and what you're paying back | The habit loop: cue, routine, reward — in plain language | Why cravings are still strong after two weeks (and what the 90-day reset actually means) | The July Fourth craving that passed in twenty minutes | Playing it forward | Nervous system regulation tools that actually work — including vacuuming and your high school playlist | The two questions to ask when a craving hits
The two questions: What am I feeling right now? What do I need?
Drop us a Question or Comment
👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start
https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start
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