Podcaster Jeanette Tapley doesn’t call herself an alcoholic. But after one sober month, she realized she had a problem with her drinking—and that the second glass of wine she couldn't say no to was doing a job she was hesitant to admit: It gave her the foggy relief she wanted when life felt heavy. Her Christian faith then forced a hard question: Why did alcohol feel easier than trusting God?

"I don't have a drinking problem; I have a problem with my drinking," she explains about what she discovered. 

Jeanette’s story isn’t about a dramatic rock bottom. It’s about recognizing an unhealthy relationship before it becomes a catastrophe. In this episode, she shares how grief, stress, and family pain gradually turned drinking, scrolling, and other distractions into ways of checking out. That's something we all do, isn't it?

We talk openly about boundaries, accountability, and obedience that helped Jeanette respond to conviction; why Christians often give alcohol a pass as a coping mechanism; why the Gospel invites us to get curious before the world thinks we have a problem; and also why Jeanette still has a drink from time to time.

She also opens up about leaving her successful role as a Christian podcaster, facing her fear that changing direction meant failure, and following God into an unexpected new career as a flight attendant.

Get Jeanette's newsletter: https://jeanettetapley.com
Follow her on Instagram: @jeanettefreakingtapley
Get Gospel-centered addiction recovery resources and help: veritasrecovery.org
Follow me: @jonseidl
Order my new book, Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic
Watch this episode at The Vertias Daily

We explore:

— The difference between having a drinking problem and having a problem with your drinking
— Why Jeanette wanted the foggy relief that came with a second glass of wine
— How grief, stress, and family pain can gradually turn life into a series of coping mechanisms
— Why immediate relief can feel easier than trusting God
— The boundaries, accountability, and obedience that helped Jeanette change
— Why Jeanette still drinks occasionally—and why I cannot
— Leaving Christian podcasting and following God into an unexpected new career