Childless not by choice carries a grief many women silently numb with alcohol. In this episode of Love Life Sober, Maureen Benkovich shares how infertility, miscarriage, and a failed adoption fueled years of binge drinking—and how surrendering to God led to lasting freedom.

Christy sits down with Maureen Benkovich, Alcohol Freedom Coach, author, speaker, and host of the Sober Fit Life podcast, for a powerful conversation about infertility grief, childlessness not by choice, and the hidden pain only God could heal.

A former fitness professional who outwardly embodied discipline and success, Maureen shares how miscarriage, infertility, and a failed adoption quietly shaped her identity and fueled years of binge drinking, depression, and the exhausting detox-to-retox cycle. She opens up about the “untangible” grief of not becoming a mother, the party-girl persona she used to survive, and the moment she stopped asking God for moderation and instead surrendered completely.

This episode is for the woman who feels stuck, unseen, and tired of numbing her sorrow with wine. There is a way out—and it begins with laying it down.

If You’ve Ever Thought…


“Why would God let this happen to me?”


“I don’t know who I am if I’m not a mom.”


“Alcohol is the only thing that helps me get through the sadness.”

This episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode


How infertility grief and a failed adoption quietly escalated Maureen’s drinking over time


Why alcohol can trap you in rumination, depression, and emotional stuckness


The detox-to-retox cycle and how it keeps you feeling “fine”… until you’re not


What it looks like to rebuild identity when motherhood doesn’t happen


Why moderation wasn’t the answer—and what finally changed everything


How faith, community, and renewing your mind create new pathways forward


Practical encouragement for women who are childless not by choice and feeling alone

💌 Links & Resources

Maureen’s website:
soberfitchick.com

🌟 Join the Love Life Sober Community
https://lovelifesober.co.uk/community

🌿 Join the Lent 40-Day Alcohol Fast
https://lovelifesober.co.uk/the-fast

📖 Order Love Life Sober: A 40 Day Alcohol Fast to Rediscover Your Joy, Improve Your Health, and Renew Your Mind
https://lovelifesober.co.uk/book

Learn more about the Tyndale Life Recovery Bible:
https://hubs.la/Q041HjWm0

Connect on Instagram: @lovelifesoberwithchristy
Subscribe on YouTube — Come hang with us! 

Disclaimer

The creators, hosts, and producers of the Love Life Sober podcast are not healthcare practitioners and do not provide medical, psychological, or professional advice. Content is not intended to substitute professional care. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect those of the Love Life Sober team. Content Note: This episode includes discussion of suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Childless not by choice carries a grief many women silently numb with alcohol. In this episode of Love Life Sober, Maureen Benkovich shares how infertility, miscarriage, and a failed adoption fueled years of binge drinking&mdash;and how surrendering to God led to lasting freedom.
Christy sits down with&nbsp;Maureen Benkovich, Alcohol Freedom Coach, author, speaker, and host of the Sober Fit Life podcast, for a powerful conversation about infertility grief, childlessness not by choice, and the hidden pain only God could heal.
A former fitness professional who outwardly embodied discipline and success, Maureen shares how miscarriage, infertility, and a failed adoption quietly shaped her identity and fueled years of binge drinking, depression, and the exhausting detox-to-retox cycle. She opens up about the &ldquo;untangible&rdquo; grief of not becoming a mother, the party-girl persona she used to survive, and the moment she stopped asking God for moderation and instead surrendered completely.
This episode is for the woman who feels stuck, unseen, and tired of numbing her sorrow with wine. There is a way out&mdash;and it begins with laying it down.
If You&rsquo;ve Ever Thought&hellip;
<ul data-start="1799" data-end="1956">
<li data-start="1799" data-end="1841">
&ldquo;Why would God let this happen to me?&rdquo;
</li>
<li data-start="1842" data-end="1887">
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know who I am if I&rsquo;m not a mom.&rdquo;
</li>
<li data-start="1888" data-end="1956">
&ldquo;Alcohol is the only thing that helps me get through the sadness.&rdquo;
</li>
</ul>
This episode is for you.
What You&rsquo;ll Learn in This Episode
<ul data-start="2030" data-end="2599">
<li data-start="2030" data-end="2124">
How infertility grief and a failed adoption quietly escalated Maureen&rsquo;s drinking over time
</li>
<li data-start="2125" data-end="2204">
Why alcohol can trap you in rumination, depression, and emotional stuckness
</li>
<li data-start="2205" data-end="2287">
The detox-to-retox cycle and how it keeps you feeling &ldquo;fine&rdquo;&hellip; until you&rsquo;re not
</li>
<li data-start="2288" data-end="2361">
What it looks like to rebuild identity when motherhood doesn&rsquo;t happen
</li>
<li data-start="2362" data-end="2434">
Why moderation wasn&rsquo;t the answer&mdash;and what finally changed everything
</li>
<li data-start="2435" data-end="2511">
How faith, community, and renewing your mind create new pathways forward
</li>
<li data-start="2512" data-end="2599">
Practical encouragement for women who are childless not by choice and feeling alone
</li>
</ul>
<hr data-start="2601" data-end="2604">
💌 Links &amp; Resources
Maureen&rsquo;s website: <a href="https://www.soberfitchick.com/">soberfitchick.com</a>
🌟 Join the Love Life Sober Community <a href="https://lovelifesober.co.uk/community" data-start="2713" data-end="2750">https://lovelifesober.co.uk/community</a>
🌿 Join the Lent 40-Day Alcohol Fast <a href="https://lovelifesober.co.uk/the-fast" data-start="2793" data-end="2829">https://lovelifesober.co.uk/the-fast</a>
📖 Order Love Life Sober: A 40 Day Alcohol Fast to Rediscover Your Joy, Improve Your Health, and Renew Your Mind <a href="https://lovelifesober.co.uk/book" data-start="2950" data-end="2982">https://lovelifesober.co.uk/book</a>
Learn more about the Tyndale Life Recovery Bible: <a href="https://hubs.la/Q041HjWm0" data-start="3038" data-end="3063">https://hubs.la/Q041HjWm0</a>
Connect on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lovelifesoberwithchristy/?hl=en">@lovelifesoberwithchristy</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@LoveLifeSober">Subscribe on YouTube</a> &mdash; Come hang with us!&nbsp;
<hr data-start="3173" data-end="3176">
Disclaimer
The creators, hosts, and producers of the Love Life Sober podcast are not healthcare practitioners and do not provide medical, psychological, or professional advice. Content is not intended to substitute professional care. Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect those of the Love Life Sober team. Content Note: This episode includes discussion of suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Love Life Sober is a Christian podcast for women questioning their relationship with alcohol and sensing God might have more for them beyond the wine glass.

Have you felt that nudge from God to put down the wine glass, but the thought of relaxing, having fun, or even coping with life feels impossible without it? Are you waking up each morning vowing not to drink tonight, only to find that by five p.m., all bets are off?

Love Life Sober is for sober and sober-curious women who love Jesus, or who are longing to reconnect with Him, and who know deep down that alcohol is no longer serving them.

Hosted by Christian sobriety coach and author Christy Osborne, author of Love Life Sober: A 40 Day Alcohol Fast to Rediscover Your Joy, Improve Your Health, and Renew Your Mind, this podcast blends Scripture, neuroscience, and practical coaching to help you understand what’s happening in your brain, your nervous system, and your heart, and how lasting freedom from alcohol is actually possible.

You’ll hear expert conversations and powerful testimonies for women exploring Christian sobriety, faith-based recovery, mindful drinking, and alcohol-free living. Each episode gently invites you to step away from wine and toward deeper connection with God, without shame, pressure, or the need to decide forever.

At the heart of Love Life Sober is a simple truth. Love, joy, peace, and connection were never meant to be found in a wine bottle. They are found in Jesus.

This is a grace-filled, shame-free space for women seeking freedom from alcohol through faith, neuroscience, and compassionate coaching. You don’t have to hit rock bottom. You don’t have to white-knuckle your way through sobriety. And you don’t have to do this alone.

If you’re ready to loosen alcohol’s grip and live the life God is inviting you into, you’re in the right place.
Welcome to Love Life Sober. Want more? Visit lovelifesober.com. 

Love Life Sober is a Christian podcast for women questioning their relationship with alcohol and sensing God might have more for them beyond the wine glass.
Have you felt that nudge from God to put down the wine glass, but the thought of relaxing, having fun, or even coping with life feels impossible without it? Are you waking up each morning vowing not to drink tonight, only to find that by five p.m., all bets are off?
Love Life Sober is for sober and sober-curious women who love Jesus, or who are longing to reconnect with Him, and who know deep down that alcohol is no longer serving them.
Hosted by Christian sobriety coach and author Christy Osborne, author of <a href="https://lovelifesober.co.uk/book">Love Life Sober: A 40 Day Alcohol Fast to Rediscover Your Joy, Improve Your Health, and Renew Your Mind</a>, this podcast blends Scripture, neuroscience, and practical coaching to help you understand what&rsquo;s happening in your brain, your nervous system, and your heart, and how lasting freedom from alcohol is actually possible.
You&rsquo;ll hear expert conversations and powerful testimonies for women exploring Christian sobriety, faith-based recovery, mindful drinking, and alcohol-free living. Each episode gently invites you to step away from wine and toward deeper connection with God, without shame, pressure, or the need to decide forever.
At the heart of Love Life Sober is a simple truth. Love, joy, peace, and connection were never meant to be found in a wine bottle. They are found in Jesus.
This is a grace-filled, shame-free space for women seeking freedom from alcohol through faith, neuroscience, and compassionate coaching. You don&rsquo;t have to hit rock bottom. You don&rsquo;t have to white-knuckle your way through sobriety. And you don&rsquo;t have to do this alone.
If you&rsquo;re ready to loosen alcohol&rsquo;s grip and live the life God is inviting you into, you&rsquo;re in the right place. Welcome to Love Life Sober. Want more? Visit <a href="https://lovelifesober.com/">lovelifesober.com</a>.&nbsp;

Love Life Sober is a Christian podcast for women questioning their relationship with alcohol and sensing God might have more for them beyond the wine glass.  Have you felt that nudge from God to put down the wine glass, but the thought of relaxing, having fun, or even coping with life feels impossible without it? Are you waking up each morning vowing not to drink tonight, only to find that by five p.m., all bets are off?  Love Life Sober is for sober and sober-curious women who love Jesus, or who are longing to reconnect with Him, and who know deep down that alcohol is no longer serving them.

Love Life Sober

Childless Not By Choice: The Hidden Grief Alcohol Couldn’t Heal | Maureen Benkovich

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/610be6d5-d81e-4452-9a9b-b3f9016044bc/transcript