When chronic illness took away Natasha Kennedy’s ability to eat, alcohol became the one comfort she believed she had left. Instead of gorging on food, alcohol became her new gluttony. The illustrator behind the beloved children's FatCat series and author of the incredible new book Lacking Nothing: The Year I Lost My Ability to Eat and Found Satisfaction in Christ joins Jon Seidl for an unflinching conversation about alcohol addiction, chronic pain, Christian recovery, fasting, and finding satisfaction in Christ when life leaves an aching emptiness.

Natasha was still seeking Jesus, encouraging others, raising her children, and trying to remain faithful. But she had quietly given alcohol a job: It was her reward, her pain relief, her escape, and the one thing she believed she still deserved.

Then her husband came home during a freezing power outage and found their young daughter outside in only a diaper. Natasha could no longer avoid what alcohol was costing her.

She and Jon discuss the lie that alcohol makes life better, why removing one addiction can leave us vulnerable to another, and what Natasha calls a “fasting mindset”—the daily decision to experience lack without immediately numbing or filling it.

Her story isn’t about suffering disappearing. It’s about discovering, in the middle of pain and ongoing illness, that Jesus isn’t merely enough. He is the feast.

Get Natasha's new book: Lacking Nothing: The Year I Lost My Ability to Eat and Found Satisfaction in Christ
Visit Natasha's website
Follow Natasha on Instagram: @natashakennedu
Heather Kopp's book: Sober Mercies
Get Gospel-centered addiction recovery resources and help at veritasrecovery.org
Follow Jon: @jonseidl
Order Jon's book: Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic
Watch this episode ad-free at The Vertias Daily

We explore:

— How chronic illness caused Natasha to lose her ability to eat
— Why losing food involved grief, identity, creativity, and comfort
— How alcohol became Natasha’s reward, medication, and escape
— Why active Christian faith does not make someone immune to addiction
— The night Natasha realized her drinking was endangering her children
— Why eliminating one coping mechanism can lead us to replace it with another
— What Natasha means by developing a “fasting mindset”
— How her husband and friends supported her recovery
— The lie that alcohol makes life better
— Why recovery allowed Natasha to become more present for her family
— Finding satisfaction in Christ while pain and chronic illness continue
— Why addressing addiction today is less costly than waiting for tomorrow

When chronic illness took away Natasha Kennedy&rsquo;s ability to eat, alcohol became the one comfort she believed she had left. Instead of gorging on food, alcohol became her new gluttony. The illustrator behind the beloved children's FatCat series and author of the incredible new book&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/3UnOJ1z">Lacking Nothing: The Year I Lost My Ability to Eat and Found Satisfaction in Christ</a>&nbsp;joins Jon Seidl for an unflinching conversation about alcohol addiction, chronic pain, Christian recovery, fasting, and finding satisfaction in Christ when life leaves an aching emptiness.
Natasha was still seeking Jesus, encouraging others, raising her children, and trying to remain faithful. But she had quietly given alcohol a job: It was her reward, her pain relief, her escape, and the one thing she believed she still deserved.
Then her husband came home during a freezing power outage and found their young daughter outside in only a diaper. Natasha could no longer avoid what alcohol was costing her.
She and Jon discuss the lie that alcohol makes life better, why removing one addiction can leave us vulnerable to another, and what Natasha calls a &ldquo;fasting mindset&rdquo;&mdash;the daily decision to experience lack without immediately numbing or filling it.
Her story isn&rsquo;t about suffering disappearing. It&rsquo;s about discovering, in the middle of pain and ongoing illness, that Jesus isn&rsquo;t merely enough. He is the feast.
Get Natasha's new book: <a href="https://amzn.to/3UnOJ1z">Lacking Nothing: The Year I Lost My Ability to Eat and Found Satisfaction in Christ</a> Visit Natasha's <a href="https://kozmos.design">website</a> Follow Natasha on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/natashakennedu/">@natashakennedu</a> Heather Kopp's book: <a href="https://amzn.to/4A9b3MK">Sober Mercies</a> Get Gospel-centered addiction recovery resources and help at <a href="https://www.veritasrecovery.org">veritasrecovery.org</a> Follow Jon:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/jonseidl/">@jonseidl</a> Order Jon's book: <a href="https://amzn.to/4opuOt">Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic</a> Watch this episode ad-free at <a href="https://jonseidl.substack.com/t/podcast">The Vertias Daily</a> We explore:
&mdash; How chronic illness caused Natasha to lose her ability to eat &mdash; Why losing food involved grief, identity, creativity, and comfort &mdash; How alcohol became Natasha&rsquo;s reward, medication, and escape &mdash; Why active Christian faith does not make someone immune to addiction &mdash; The night Natasha realized her drinking was endangering her children &mdash; Why eliminating one coping mechanism can lead us to replace it with another &mdash; What Natasha means by developing a &ldquo;fasting mindset&rdquo; &mdash; How her husband and friends supported her recovery &mdash; The lie that alcohol makes life better &mdash; Why recovery allowed Natasha to become more present for her family &mdash; Finding satisfaction in Christ while pain and chronic illness continue &mdash; Why addressing addiction today is less costly than waiting for tomorrow

Jon Seidl is the bestselling Christian author who became an alcoholic, not the other way around. It's usually the other way around. Or is it? "Confessions of a Christian alcoholic" (based on the book by the same title) is all about real stories, radical vulnerability, and remarkable comebacks of people who have struggled with alcoholism and addictions of all sorts. The show features interviews with fellow addicts and alcoholics as well as professionals in the fields of trauma, faith, and addiction recovery. Because let's be honest, we're all addicted to something. "Confessions" is a place for the desperate, the downtrodden, the destitute, and especially, the drunk. But it's also a place of hope and healing. Jon found sobriety after decades of struggling, but more importantly than finding sobriety, he found Jesus. In every episode, he gets radically vulnerable as he explores what it looks like to be on this journey of messy sanctification. Visit christianalcoholic.com for more resources.

Jon Seidl is the bestselling Christian author who became an alcoholic, not the other way around. It's usually the other way around. Or is it? "Confessions of a Christian alcoholic" (based on the book by the same title) is all about real stories, radical vulnerability, and remarkable comebacks of people who have struggled with alcoholism and addictions of all sorts. The show features interviews with fellow addicts and alcoholics as well as professionals in the fields of trauma, faith, and addiction recovery. Because let's be honest, we're all addicted to something. "Confessions" is a place for the desperate, the downtrodden, the destitute, and especially, the drunk. But it's also a place of hope and healing. Jon found sobriety after decades of struggling, but more importantly than finding sobriety, he found Jesus. In every episode, he gets radically vulnerable as he explores what it looks like to be on this journey of messy sanctification. Visit <a href="http://christianalcoholic.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://christianalcoholic.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1747239325727000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1G-752Q-1dyjq6GN5gt7xw">christianalcoholic.com</a> for more resources.

Jon Seidl is the bestselling Christian author who became an alcoholic, not the other way around. It's usually the other way around. Or is it? "Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic" is all about real stories, radical vulnerability, and remarkable comebacks of people who have struggled with alcoholism and addictions of all sorts.

Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl

Alcohol Became Her Food: Natasha Kennedy on Losing the Ability to Eat, Turning to Alcohol, and Ultimately Feasting on Jesus

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/6034e7c5-f3a3-46da-b815-b4ba00f08070/transcript