Finding True Love: Shannon Lee Hayes on Addiction, Faith, and Freedom (Audio)

In this powerful episode, Shannon Lee Hayes gets brutally honest about her journey through alcoholism and drug addiction, from shoplifting on graduation day and getting a DUI to losing custody of her kids, cycling through abusive relationships, and ending up in a trap house before drug court and treatment gave her another chance at life. She shares how sending each child to different caregivers broke her heart, how meth and heroin became ways to numb shame and guilt, and how a sponsor, a short but brutal relapse, and the death of a close friend finally pushed her into real honesty about her disease. Shannon talks about being diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety, choosing not to medicate, and instead walking through therapy, life‑recovery steps, and a deepening relationship with Jesus to face childhood trauma, grief, and the secrets that kept her sick. She also opens up about reconnecting with her now‑adult children , staying rooted in church and recovery, and how writing out what she wanted in herself led her to the man who became her husband—proof that, after everything, true love, faith, and a healthy, “chaotic in a good way” life are possible.