“There is another side. You might not see it yet—but it’s there, and it’s better than you think.”

What a line from this week's “Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic” podcast guest, Kristen Bear. Because that’s what this conversation is really about: building something new from the ruins on the other side of what was. Kristen is a model, actress, and creative coach who chased success in LA and NYC while numbing herself with alcohol. She believed drinking gave her an edge, helped her cope with trauma, and kept her fun. But all it did was bury the girl God created her to be.

In this raw and redemptive episode, Kristen shares her story of addiction, identity, and coming home to herself. We talk about the lie that alcohol makes you more creative, the trap of performing your way through pain, and how facing her past instead of numbing it changed everything. She also shares the four pillars of her Creative Sobriety Academy, how the non-alcoholic beverage world has exploded, and why we get to rewrite our story—again and again.

This episode is for anyone who’s convinced that alcohol is the only thing keeping them sane—or creative—or lovable. Kristen’s story proves that the opposite is true. Sobriety doesn’t strip you of your power. It sets it free.

We explore:
—Kristen’s early dreams, creative career, and hidden trauma
—How alcohol became her way of escaping shame and insecurity
—The illusion of being “high-functioning” while privately unraveling
—Why she believed alcohol made her more creative—and how sobriety proved her wrong
—The truth about mental health meds and alcohol
—Her “illumination moment” and how she knew she was done
—The power of writing to process pain and break shame
—Returning to New York City sober and rewriting that part of her story
—How holidays, nostalgia, and identity change in sobriety
—The four pillars of her Creative Sobriety Academy
—Why the non-alcoholic beverage space is booming—and her favorite picks

Kristen's blog: Creative Sobriety

Kristen's website: creativesobriety.co

Follow Kristen: Instagram

Follow Jon: https://www.instagram.com/jonseidl/

Order the new book, Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic: www.christianalcoholic.com.

Watch this episode and get daily motivation: www.theveritasdaily.com.

&ldquo;There is another side. You might not see it yet&mdash;but it&rsquo;s there, and it&rsquo;s better than you think.&rdquo;
What a line from this week's &ldquo;Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic&rdquo; podcast guest, Kristen Bear. Because that&rsquo;s what this conversation is really about: building something new from the ruins on the other side of what was. Kristen is a model, actress, and creative coach who chased success in LA and NYC while numbing herself with alcohol. She believed drinking gave her an edge, helped her cope with trauma, and kept her fun. But all it did was bury the girl God created her to be.
In this raw and redemptive episode, Kristen shares her story of addiction, identity, and coming home to herself. We talk about the lie that alcohol makes you more creative, the trap of performing your way through pain, and how facing her past instead of numbing it changed everything. She also shares the four pillars of her Creative Sobriety Academy, how the non-alcoholic beverage world has exploded, and why we get to rewrite our story&mdash;again and again.
This episode is for anyone who&rsquo;s convinced that alcohol is the only thing keeping them sane&mdash;or creative&mdash;or lovable. Kristen&rsquo;s story proves that the opposite is true. Sobriety doesn&rsquo;t strip you of your power. It sets it free.
We explore: &mdash;Kristen&rsquo;s early dreams, creative career, and hidden trauma &mdash;How alcohol became her way of escaping shame and insecurity &mdash;The illusion of being &ldquo;high-functioning&rdquo; while privately unraveling &mdash;Why she believed alcohol made her more creative&mdash;and how sobriety proved her wrong &mdash;The truth about mental health meds and alcohol &mdash;Her &ldquo;illumination moment&rdquo; and how she knew she was done &mdash;The power of writing to process pain and break shame &mdash;Returning to New York City sober and rewriting that part of her story &mdash;How holidays, nostalgia, and identity change in sobriety &mdash;The four pillars of her Creative Sobriety Academy &mdash;Why the non-alcoholic beverage space is booming&mdash;and her favorite picks
Kristen's blog: <a href="https://kristenbear.substack.com">Creative Sobriety</a>
Kristen's website: <a href="https://www.creativesobriety.co/">creativesobriety.co</a>
Follow Kristen: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kristencaroljeane/">Instagram</a>
Follow Jon: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jonseidl/">https://www.instagram.com/jonseidl/</a>
Order the new book,&nbsp;Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.christianalcoholic.com">www.christianalcoholic.com</a>.
Watch this episode and get daily motivation: <a href="https://www.theveritasdaily.com/">www.theveritasdaily.com</a>.

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.