PODCAST · religion
Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl
by Jon Seidl
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
Episodes
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Dying from Alcohol and Still Not Able to Stop: Karla Adkins on Why the Comparison Trap Is So Dangerous
Karla Adkins was successful, active in church, and working in health care—and yet she was dying from alcohol-related liver failure. When Karla’s doctor called and asked if she was OK, Karla said she thought she was dying. Her doctor was honest: “I think you are too.” Yet even surviving liver...
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Alcohol Became Her Food: Natasha Kennedy on Losing the Ability to Eat, Turning to Alcohol, and Ultimately Feasting on Jesus
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…
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Married to an Alcoholic Pt. 2: Faith, Forgiveness, and Surrender with Dr. (and Wife) Brenda Fann Katula
What do you do when you love someone who won't stop drinking or give up their addiction? Dr. Brenda Fann Katula knows that frustration well. She understood alcohol addiction, withdrawal, and relapse. But none of that could fix her husband. In Part 2 of this two-part interview, Brenda takes us...
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Married to an Alcoholic Pt. 1: When Your Spouse Won't Stop Drinking, with Dr. (and Wife) Brenda Fann Katula
Dr. Brenda Fann Katula knew how to recognize alcohol addiction in an exam room. But when alcoholism took over her own home, the family physician who understood the diagnosis could not figure out how to make her husband choose sobriety—or explain to her nine-year-old son why Daddy wouldn't stop...
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Drinking Problem, or Problem With Drinking? Christian Podcaster Jeanette Tapley on Re-Examining Alcohol and Completely Switching Careers
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…
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When God Seems Silent: Em Tyler on Hearing His Voice and Discerning the Holy Spirit
What do you do when God seems silent? How do you even hear God's voice? International speaker and author Em Tyler knows what it's like to struggle to hear God. She joins host Jon Seidl for an honest conversation about hearing God, abiding in Christ, prayer, and discerning the Holy Spirit. For…
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When Harm Hides Behind "Healthy": Amber Ginter Johnson Unmasks Orthorexia, Exercise Addiction, and True Recovery
Amber Ginter Johnson spent seven years trapped in an eating disorder and exercise addiction rooted in trauma, fear, and a desperate need for control. What began as “healthy eating” became orthorexia, severe food restriction, obsessive calorie counting, and compulsive exercise—even jogging in…
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When Jesus Shows Up in the Darkest Place: Arman Kaymakcian on Why Trauma and Heroin Addiction Didn't Get the Final Word
Arman Kaymakcian’s (Ky-mock-chin) journey from childhood sexual abuse and heroin addiction to faith in Jesus Christ began in unimaginable darkness. After years of using food, marijuana, drug dealing, and eventually intravenous heroin to escape his pain, Arman reached a point of suicidal...
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The Addiction the Church Won’t Touch: Kristy McCammon Reveals Why Food and Sugar Can Be So Destructive and Addicting
We know how to talk about alcohol, pornography, drugs, and other destructive behaviors. But there is another substance Christians regularly use for comfort, escape, reward, and emotional relief. It’s present at nearly every church gathering, woven into our traditions, and rarely questioned. We’re...
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The Worship Leader with a Secret: Joel Warneking on His Double Life and Finding Freedom from Pornography
“I desperately wanted to be loved... and yet my entire life had feared that if I let people know me, I would be deemed unworthy of love.” Joel Warneking lived a double life. He was preaching, leading worship, traveling with a Christian band, and serving in ministry—all while secretly battling a...
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The 'Good Christian' with a Secret: Sherry Hoppen on How She Hid Her Alcoholism, and What Finally Brought Freedom
“I told my whole family, ‘I'm quitting.’ But in my head this voice was screaming, ‘I don't know what to do. I can't quit.’” For years, Sherry Hoppen lived between those two realities. To the people around her, she was trying. She was making promises. She was attending church, raising a family…
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What You Didn't Know or Realize About Confession: Jamin Goggin on Exposing Our Secret Struggles
“The fear of our heart is built on sin’s great lie: that the place of healing is the place of harm. That the chalice of confession is filled with poison. That the medicine God has provided cannot be trusted. We have come to believe that confession is not a place of life but instead a place of...
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How a Foster Mom Changed Her Mind on Addiction: Christina Dent's Life-Changing Realization
“The addiction is not who you are. This is not your identity. You are a person first and you are loved by God.” For years, Christina Dent viewed addiction the way many of us were taught to view it: as people being simply too lazy, too selfish, or too indifferent to stop. Then she became a foster...
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From Pro Basketball Coach to Rock Bottom: Travis Blakeley's Story of Gospel-Centered Recovery and Restoration
“In success, I sought to self-medicate. In failure, I sought to self-medicate.” From the outside, Travis Blakeley had the kind of life many people would envy. He grew up in an affluent area of Dallas, attended a prestigious school, followed Jesus, worked in professional basketball as a coach,...
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Hiding Addiction While Helping Others Recover: Jed Payne on the Reality of Relapse and Being Honest
“It was such a relief to not have to lie anymore.” That’s how Jed Payne describes the moment he finally stopped hiding and came clean. Again. For years, Jed was a substance abuse counselor. He hosted a recovery podcast. He helped other people pursue sobriety and healing. Meanwhile, behind the...
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The Parts of You That Still Need Jesus: Trauma, Healing, and IFS with Kimberly Miller
"The younger we are when things happen to us and the more serious they are, the stronger the feelings are and the more often those feelings show up.” Those are the words of therapist and author Kimberly Miller, one of the kindest and most genuine people I have ever met. Kim’s work has profoundly...
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Has the Enneagram Duped Christians? Christina Wallace Reveals Some Shocking Details
“The Enneagram was demanding that I look to it first, and only through its lens could I look to God second.” That’s just one of the revelations made by author and Oxford theology student Christina Lynn Wallace. For years, Christina loved the Enneagram—a tool that has become popular in counseling...
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Saved from Sobriety: How Brett Smith Got Sober but Realized That Wasn't Enough
“The only thing that had changed was the object of my worship—I went from worshiping alcohol to worshiping sobriety.” Those are the words of Brett Smith. For years, Brett struggled with alcoholism, eventually finding sobriety through the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. He did everything right.…
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Bonus Episode: Why Sobriety Isn’t the Goal (A Special Interview with Christy Osborne of Love Life Sober)
Welcome to the first ever bonus episode of the Confessions podcast! I'm trying something new, and I'm excited to hear what you think. On this special episode, you’re going to hear me on the other side of the mic—instead of interviewing someone, I'm being interviewed. The interviewer? My good…
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From Pro Soccer Player to four DUIs and Nearly Losing Everything: Ian Faulkner's Incredible Journey of Restoration
“I didn’t want to be sober. I wanted to be free. True freedom is only found in Jesus Christ.” Ian Faulkner looked like he had everything going for him. He grew up in the Church, became one of the top-ranked soccer players in his area, and even played professionally for the Los Angeles Lazers.…
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Theologian Brenna Blain Gets Radically Vulnerable About Her Addictions and Faith: “I Knew I Wasn’t Supposed to Do It”
“I knew I wasn’t supposed to do it but I didn’t understand why, because it felt like it was helping and I wasn’t hurting anyone.” That’s how modern-day theologian, author, and speaker Brenna Blain describes her addiction. Addictions, really. Because she didn't just develop one. Even after...
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A Pastor's Confession: Andy Reveals His Secret Addiction, Affair, and How God Met Him in His Mess
“I knew all the right things to say about Jesus, but I was living a completely different life when no one was looking.” That’s how Andy describes the reality of leading in the Church while quietly unraveling behind the scenes. Andy wasn’t just a Christian struggling in private—he was a pastor. He...
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Drunk Poets Society: Poet Amy Leigh Wicks on How Alcohol Stole More Than It Ever Delivered
“Alcohol is not a kind or fair lover.” That’s how Amy Leigh Wicks describes the relationship that quietly shaped her life for years—one that didn’t always look chaotic from the outside, but was slowly taking more than it ever gave. Amy is a poet, professor, actor, and mom. But long before the…
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The Identity Crisis We're All Facing: Jamie Winship on Fear, Finding our Identity, and His Own Alcohol Addiction
“Most people don’t actually know who they are. And when you don’t know who you are, you will always live in fear.” What if your struggles with alcohol, food, or whatever else is tripping you up wasn't about the substance as much as it was about something below the surface you never would have put...
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He Loved Jesus but Couldn’t Stop Drinking: How JP Graves Went from Hidden Addiction to True Freedom
“You think you’re losing your best friend, but you’re gaining the ultimate friend in Jesus.” That’s how JP Graves describes what it felt like to walk away from alcohol. I felt that, too. Alcohol was always there for me no matter what. It told me I was right, it comforted me when I was wrong, and…
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When the Drinking Problem Doesn't Look Like a Problem: Heidi Mills on the Signs Alcohol Might Be an Issue
“It was taking so much more of me than it was giving.” That’s how Heidi Mills describes her relationship with alcohol—and not in a dramatic, rock-bottom kind of way. In fact, that’s what makes her story so relatable. There wasn’t a single moment where everything fell apart. Instead, there was a...
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Chronic Illness, Suffering, and the Idols We Don’t Recognize: Kimberly Phinney's Story of Perseverance
“Suffering brings you to the end of yourself and you have to decide—do I love the Giver or do I love the gifts the most?” That realization didn’t come easily for Kimberly Phinney. It came after years of chasing the kinds of addictions people rarely call addictions at all—perfectionism…
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Your Shame Story: Dr. Zoe Shaw on Why We All Have One and What We Can Do About It
“Everyone has a shame story.” That’s from this week’s guest, Dr. Zoe Shaw. And she’s right. Shame isn’t reserved for the dramatic or the scandalous. It’s universal. It goes back to the garden. It hides deep. And it quietly shapes far more of our behavior than we’d like to admit. Dr. Zoe is a...
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Simon Cowell Gave Him a Record Deal, and Yet He Still Wasn't Fulfilled: Eddie Brett on Hitting Rock Bottom and Finding Jesus
“I feel like I’m seeing colors now that I didn’t know existed.” There should be a study done on how many recovering addicts say this exact thing (or something similar) about colors and their senses. It's what I said after getting sober and pursuing Jesus, and it's what Eddie Brett told me…
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Holding Onto Hope Amidst Depression, Anxiety, and Uncertainty: Tanner Olson on Getting Through What You're Going Through
“Hope does not know how to leave. It just stays and quietly whispers, 'everything’s going to be okay. I know everything isn’t okay right now. Everything’s going be okay.'” That's from Tanner Olson, an absolutely incredible poet who has a lot to say about the things that plunge us into addiction…
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He Wrote CeCe Winans' 'Come Jesus Come.' Stephen McWhirter Now Reveals His Past Struggles with Addiction and Forgiveness.
“Forgiveness isn’t condoning what happened. It’s choosing not to let it destroy you anymore. … I forgave my dad more times than I can count, and I’ll probably keep forgiving him forever.” Those are the beautiful words from Stephen McWhirter. You might not know McWhirter's name, but you do know…
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Addiction, Trauma, and Rewiring Your Brain: Dr. Lee Warren Explains the Art of Self-Brain Surgery
“You are not stuck because of what happened. You’re stuck because your brain keeps running the same play. And your brain is always ready to run a new one the moment you tell it to.” That's just one of the incredible insights from practicing neurosurgeon Dr. Lee Warren, who joins us today to talk...
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Addiction as Spiritual Warfare? Joel Muddamalle on Why Our Struggles Are Bigger Than We Think
“Addiction promises control, comfort, and rescue—but it actually strips all of those things away. It intoxicates you so you can no longer discern what’s really happening.” Is addiction merely a personal struggle—or is it part of a much larger spiritual battle? In this episode, Joel Muddamalle…
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The 'Good Christian' Missionary Who Still Struggled with Alcohol: Ali Kennedy's Story of Obedience and Letting Go
“It wasn’t about how much I drank—it was about how much mental and heart space it occupied. I loved it more than I wanted to admit.” That realization for Ali Kennedy didn’t come during a dramatic rock bottom. Instead, it came after years of managing, moderating, and justifying a relationship with...
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He Relapsed After 5 Years of Sobriety: Jeramy Houghton on Obedience, Pride, and Honest Surrender
“I got prideful. I was like, ‘I’m never going to drink again.’ And then all of a sudden… it looked really good.” This conversation with Jeramy Houghton is a reminder that recovery is rarely clean or linear. Jeramy shares how growing up in an unsafe home shaped his sense of stability long before...
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A Poison Disguised as a Remedy: Ericka Andersen on Christian Drinking Culture and How It Harms Women
“Alcohol is a poison disguised as a remedy.” That’s the wisdom Ericka Andersen brings to this conversation—wisdom that developed after years of a quiet struggle that slowly took ahold of her and wouldn't let go. Like many evangelicals nowadays, she assumed drinking was neutral, normal, and…
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High-Functioning Anxiety and the Hidden Cost of Numbing Pain: Ericka Graham on OCD, Scrupulosity, and What Addictions Really Cost Us
“When I numbed anxiety and uncertainty, I also numbed beauty and joy.” That moment of clarity from Ericka Graham came after years of abusing prescription drugs, when God met her in a beautiful way involving a bumble bee and a flower. The point? Substances numb the bad, sure, but they also numb…
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Special Needs Parenting and the Hidden Alcohol Struggle of a Christian Mom: Carol McCracken's Honest Story
“If you think you have an issue, you probably do.” That sentence from Carol McCracken gets to the heart of this week's episode. Carol didn’t fit the picture she had in her mind of what an alcoholic looked like. She was a Christian. A Bible study teacher. A ministry leader. A good mom. And for...
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The One Question You're Not Asking Yourself: Nicole Zasowski on Learning to Hope Again
“We can think and act our way to a new feeling. We cannot feel our way to a new way of thinking and acting.” That line from therapist and author Nicole Zasowski cuts to the heart of anxiety, addiction, and the stories we tell ourselves when life feels uncertain. Nicole is the author of What If…
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The Christian Leader with Secret Struggles: How Brandon Ricks Went from Burnout to Healing by Naming His Pain (Episode 31)
“I don’t want to be 60 years old having the same issues I had when I was 25.” What an honest and important statement from this week's guest, Brandon Ricks. Because the truth is, too many of us have just resigned ourselves to always being the way we are now. The fight for something different is...
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What Trauma Really Is and Why Your Origin Story Matters with Therapist Adam Young (Episode 30)
“Trauma does not reside in the bad event. Trauma is what becomes embedded in your body in the wake of a bad event when there’s no one there to comfort you.” What if you've been viewing trauma all wrong? And what if you don't think you've experienced trauma but you actually have? My guest this…
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The People-Pleasing Pastor Who Had an Affair: Tim Sexton's Story of Redemption (Episode 29)
“We all just have different medicines that we reach for.” That’s how Tim Sexton describes the real story behind the affair that blew up his life. Even though at one point that affair led to his downfall as a pastor, today it's not something he hides from. Instead, he's leaning into it in hopes to...
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Can Christians Keep on Sinning? 'Bible Nerd' Faith Womack Reveals Why Hypocrisy Is Your Greatest Testimony (Episode 28)
“Our hypocrisy is our testimony. That’s God’s glory on display.” That truth from Faith Womack is exactly what those of us with messy sanctification stories not only need to hear, but embrace and embody. We all fall short. We all stumble. And yet, God uses our weakness—not our polished moments—to...
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From a World Series to a Prison Cell: The Addiction and Redemption Story of Brandon Puffer (Episode 27)
“I was tormented. Literally tormented. I'd look in the mirror and go, ‘What are you doing? That’s not you.’” Brandon Puffer had everything, or so it seemed. He was a Major League pitcher with a World Series ring and was even being groomed to be a big league coach. But beneath the success were so...
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How to Heal the Brokenness Inside: Counselor Chuck DeGroat on Trauma, Disconnection, and Coming 'Home' to the Most Flourishing Life Possible (Episode 26)
“Sin’s power is disconnection.” That's one of the essential ideas that runs through what therapist and author Chuck DeGroat talks about in this episode. A longtime pastor and counselor, Chuck isn't just commenting on burnout and addiction from afar—he's actually lived it. In fact, he opens up…
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The Woman Who Became a Porn Addict: Kirby Kelly Tells Her Story of Keeping Secrets and the Key to Breaking Free (Episode 25)
“Sin doesn’t care who you are or what you’ve seen—it’s coming for all of us.” That theme runs through Kirby Kelly’s story. See, she's part of a group of women you don't often hear about: females that struggle (or have struggled) with pornography addiction. Kirby's story is heartbreaking: She was...
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How Freedom From Any Addiction Can Start Today: John Elmore's Journey From Nearly Ending It All to Lasting Transformation (Episode 24)
“Getting sober without salvation is like giving a painkiller to a cancer patient.” That’s how John Elmore describes the difference between behavior modification and true transformation. He'd know. He was on the verge of ending it all with a shotgun when he finally realized his problem went deeper...
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How Hannah Brencher Overcame Her Phone Addiction, and How You Can Too (Episode 23)
“I didn’t know how to sit still with myself. I didn’t want to be alone with myself.” That’s what Hannah Brencher realized when she was finally able to admit she was an addict. But she wasn't addicted to any substance. Instead, she suffered from an addiction much more common, much more acceptable:...
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When Rock Bottom Isn’t Rock Bottom: How Stephanie Ziebell Went from Party Girl to Working Mom with a Wine Problem (Episode 22)
“Once I started drinking, I didn’t want to stop until something made me.” That’s how Stephanie Ziebell describes the grip alcohol had on her life. Stephanie got sober in Wisconsin—the capital of drinking culture. The place where not having alcohol at your wedding is like not having a bride. But…
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Curt Thompson on What We All Get Wrong About Shame, and Why Bearing Our Wounds Is So Important (Episode 21)
“Shame is first and foremost not a thing that begins with me thinking a certain thing about myself. It begins first as a thing that I feel literally in my body.” That’s how Dr. Curt Thompson reframed shame in our incredible conversation—and I think he'll probably do the same for you, too. Curt is…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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
HOSTED BY
Jon Seidl
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl have?
Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl currently has 73 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl about?
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...
How often does Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl release new episodes?
Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl has 73 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl?
You can listen to Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl?
Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl is created and hosted by Jon Seidl.
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