The Catholic Sobriety Podcast

Fewer Americans are drinking than at any point since Gallup started asking in 1939, and Catholics are one of the biggest reasons why. Restaurants that used to offer an O’Doul’s and a Shirley Temple now have full zero-proof menus. Celebrities, authors, and everyday women are talking openly about cutting back or quitting.

So what’s going on? And if the culture is finally questioning alcohol, why is the evening glass of wine still so hard to put down?

In this episode, Christie walks through the latest data on why people are rethinking their drinking and what the culture’s version of the story leaves out. Seeing the trade-off isn’t enough when the daily negotiation is the habit. The real question isn’t just what alcohol is costing you, but what you’ve been asking it to do, and what God is offering you instead.

In this episode:

• The Gallup numbers: drinking at a record low and a shift in what Americans believe about moderate drinking
• Why Catholic drinking rates dropped from 79% to 55% in about twenty years
• The NA boom, and the Christmas party bartender who made a mocktail like it counted
• The fine print on alcohol’s promises: relaxation, sleep, reward, connection
• Why “everybody drinks” no longer works as a cover
• What women are telling Christie about why they’re rethinking it
• Why the desire for rest and reward is good, and where alcohol counterfeits it
• Why a beautiful mocktail is a gift, but not the whole answer

Start here: Get the free Sacred Sobriety Kickstart, five short videos for the woman who’s done the math, knows something’s off, and wants to understand what’s really going on in her mind, body, and soul. (link below)

Sources mentioned in this episode:

• Gallup, “Americans’ Drinking Remains at Record Low” (Aug. 2026): https://news.gallup.com/poll/713534/americans-drinking-remains-record-low.aspx
• Gallup, “Religion and the Decline in Alcohol Use,” Frank Newport (Oct. 2026): https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/715613/religion-decline-alcohol.aspx
• Fox News, on Catholic drinking rates and Gallup’s findings: https://www.foxnews.com/health/catholic-alcohol-consumption-drops-record-low-americans-rethink-moderate-drinking-habits
• Tastewise, mocktail and zero-proof menu growth data: https://tastewise.io/?p=20029
• Scripture: Matthew 11:28

Drop us a Question or Comment

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Most of us could name our vices in five seconds. What we can't name as easily are the things we've quietly built our days around: the glass of wine at 5:30, the scroll before bed, the snack that takes the edge off, the productivity that makes us feel worth something. They don't look like idols. They look like rest.

In this episode, I welcome back Kylie Hein, Catholic coach, spiritual director, and host of the Persistence in Prayer podcast, to talk about disordered attachments. We talk about how the ordinary ones crowd out God's voice, counterfeit His peace, and keep us settling for comfort when He's calling us to holiness.

In this episode:

• What a disordered attachment is, and where enjoying a good thing crosses into needing it
• Why wine, food, scrolling, and busyness are the attachments we rarely question
• How attachments create interior noise that makes God harder to hear
• The difference between God stretching you for growth and the enemy pulling you apart
• Why letting go often feels worse before it feels better, and how to read that discomfort
• Why detachment isn't white-knuckled willpower
• A simple prayer practice and Examen question to help you notice where your heart is attached

Connect with Kylie:

• Website: kyliemhein.com
• Podcast: Persistence in Prayer

Drop us a Question or Comment

 I just rebuilt my Sacred Sobriety Kickstart — new content, new structure, all built on the four pillars I actually coach from. Five free days to get real clarity on your "why," your triggers, and the tools to stop white-knuckling it. Click the link to sign up!

👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start
https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start

👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call

Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

📈 The tools I use to optimize my podcast growth:

VidIQ: https://vidiq.com/ChristieWalker

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Twenty-five years without a drink. And I still walked into rooms feeling like an alcoholic.

Not because I was drinking — I wasn't. But because somewhere along the way, being a non-drinker became a fact about my life, and "alcoholic" stayed the truth about who I was. In this episode, I'm telling you the two specific moments that showed me I was on the fringe of my own life — one at my cousin's 30th birthday, one in Las Vegas at 40 — and the sentence that finally changed everything: there were reasons I became addicted that weren't excuses. They were explanations.

This one's for you whether you're already alcohol-free or you're just trying to get to a place where you can take it or leave it with peace. You don't have to wait for this to get worse before you get curious about it.

In this episode:

• The two moments that taught me what "on the fringe" actually feels like — even a decade-plus into being alcohol-free
• Why "excuses" and "explanations" are not the same thing, and what changes when you stop confusing them
• How I stayed alcohol-free for over two decades and never once talked about it
• The two things that actually shifted something in me: joining Walking With Purpose, and building the Sacred Sobriety Lab
• Why I don't come out swinging against alcohol, and why that's a deliberate choice, not a soft one
• The four pillars underneath all of this — faith, neuroscience, inner healing, and identity — and why none of them work alone

Drop us a Question or Comment

 I just rebuilt my Sacred Sobriety Kickstart — new content, new structure, all built on the four pillars I actually coach from. Five free days to get real clarity on your "why," your triggers, and the tools to stop white-knuckling it. Click the link to sign up!

👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start
https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start

👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call

Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

📈 The tools I use to optimize my podcast growth:

VidIQ: https://vidiq.com/ChristieWalker

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Andrea Bear didn't set out to write about people pleasing — it found her. In this conversation, Andrea unpacks the difference between pleasing God and pleasing people, why "good" behavior can quietly become a false virtue, and how her own years of over-functioning — in her marriage, her parish, and eventually caring for her dying father — forced her to confront what she was really seeking. If you've ever felt exhausted by your own goodness, or suspected your busyness is doing something other than serving God, this one's for you.

What We Cover

• Andrea's path from second-generation people pleaser to writing about false virtue
• Why pleasing isn't the problem — it's who you're pleasing, and why
• How "good" church and ministry involvement can still be self-serving
• The trap of pulling back from others only to land in selfishness or resentment
• Caring for a difficult parent, and what it taught Andrea about love as action, not feeling
• The Seven Sorrows of Mary and how they reshaped Andrea's view of suffering
• A practical filter for discernment: does this decision come from fear, anxiety, or pride — or from peace?

A Line Worth Sitting With

"He can distract you by doing all these wonderful, good things... and keeping your attention away from what you're called to do."

About Andrea Bear

Andrea Bear is a Catholic author who believes imperfect stories help us connect to the human spirit. Her novel Grieving Daughters' Club (Elk Lake Press) is loosely based on women in her Bible study and explores grief alongside people pleasing. She's currently writing a nonfiction book on people pleasing and false virtue, and hosts the Be Fruitful podcast. Outside of writing, she spends her time with family, teaching history, and coaching volleyball.

Connect with Andrea:

• Website: andreabearauthor.com
• Book: Grieving Daughters' Club
• Podcast: Be Fruitful
• Instagram/Facebook: @AndreaBearAuthor

Scripture Referenced: Ephesians 5:8-10, 1 Corinthians 13:1-2, Psalm 37

Drop us a Question or Comment

 I just rebuilt my Sacred Sobriety Kickstart — new content, new structure, all built on the four pillars I actually coach from. Five free days to get real clarity on your "why," your triggers, and the tools to stop white-knuckling it. Click the link to sign up!

👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start
https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start

👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call

Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

📈 The tools I use to optimize my podcast growth:

VidIQ: https://vidiq.com/ChristieWalker

Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1935235
(Get $20 off with my link)

If your house got quiet this fall and your wine glass got a little more full, you're not imagining it — and you're not doing anything wrong.

In this episode, Christie shares what she didn't expect in her second year of college drop-off: the small things that hit harder than the big ones, the night she caught herself buffering instead of feeling, and what actually helped the next morning. Plus, real, specific things to do instead of reaching for the glass — and why missing your kid and numbing that feeling are two very different instincts.

If you're in this season — first drop-off or fifth — this one's for you.

🤍 Grab the free Sacred Sobriety Kickstart: https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start

🤍 Learn about the Sacred Sobriety Lab: https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/sobriety-lab

🤍 IG Reel mentioned in the episode: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DchB20dyxx1

Drop us a Question or Comment

👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start
https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start

👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call

Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

📈 The tools I use to optimize my podcast growth:

VidIQ: https://vidiq.com/ChristieWalker

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Your body already knows the truth — even when your brain is still negotiating. In this episode Christie opens up about what her sleep tracker revealed after 93 days of a hormone recalibration program — and how ignoring data she already had is the perfect picture of what later-stage resistance actually looks like. She talks about why resistance gets sneakier, not louder, as you make progress, unpacks the "you deserve this" thought, walks through her Resistance Decoder tool, and speaks directly to the woman who has tried before and is wondering what makes this time different. This one is for the woman who is further along than she thinks — and needs someone to tell her that.

Topics covered: Why resistance gets sneakier — not louder — as you make progress | What "you deserve this" is actually saying underneath | The Resistance Decoder — a simple tool to use in the moment | The woman who tried before and failed — and the reframe she needs | What's different about week seven versus week one | What's available to you in the moment of resistance that no tool can replace

Drop us a Question or Comment

👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start
https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start

👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call

Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

📈 The tools I use to optimize my podcast growth:

VidIQ: https://vidiq.com/ChristieWalker

Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1935235
(Get $20 off with my link)

If you've started paying attention to your drinking and suddenly feel like you can't stop thinking about it — this episode is for you. Christie explains why the chatter gets louder before it gets quiet, what the closet analogy has to do with sobriety, and what it actually looks like to go from "all I can think about is alcohol" to "I'm not thinking about it hardly at all anymore." This is the episode that reframes the uncomfortable beginning as the path — not the problem.

Topics covered: The warning — awareness might mess up your drinking | The woman who said it's all she can think about | The closet analogy — why the mess has to come out before it can be sorted | Christie's outpatient moment and the word "yet" | The hamster wheel vs. seeing the hamster wheel | The arc: more, then less, then free | What to do with the discomfort right now | What God does in the awareness stage

Drop us a Question or Comment

👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start
https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start

👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call

Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

📈 The tools I use to optimize my podcast growth:

VidIQ: https://vidiq.com/ChristieWalker

Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1935235
(Get $20 off with my link)

For the woman who drinks because her life is genuinely a lot — this one is for you. In this episode Christie talks about why alcohol feels like the only off switch at the end of an overwhelming day, what it's actually doing to your capacity over time, and three practical things to simplify your life so the craving loses its grip. Plus: the pitcher plant analogy that explains exactly how we slide in, Christie's birthday solo lunch story, and what real self-care actually looks like.

Topics covered: The pitcher plant — how alcohol draws you in and keeps you there | Who this episode is for — the high-achiever, the homeschooling mom, the work-from-home woman, the woman who lives alone | What alcohol is actually doing to your overwhelm over time | Christie's birthday solo lunch — what real rest actually feels like | Three practical ways to simplify your life | Holy self-care vs. numbing | One thing to do tonight when the craving hits

Referenced: Annie Grace, This Naked Mind — the pitcher plant analogy Psalm 23 — "He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul."

Drop us a Question or Comment

👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start
https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start

👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call

Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

📈 The tools I use to optimize my podcast growth:

VidIQ: https://vidiq.com/ChristieWalker

Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1935235
(Get $20 off with my link)

Nobody warns you about the messy middle. You've gotten through the beginning, you're past the pink cloud, and now the doubt is setting in — is this sustainable? Can I really keep this up? In this episode Christie shares what happened the morning after she moved into her new home and why it's the perfect picture of what women go through when they start releasing alcohol. Plus: the marriage analogy that changed how one of her clients thought about sobriety, what surfaces when you stop numbing, and how to stay in it when it gets hard.

Topics covered: The morning Christie cried in her new closet — and what it has to do with sobriety | What the messy middle actually feels like | The pink cloud and what comes after it | Sobriety is like marriage — choosing it when you don't feel like it | The wound underneath the doubt | How to move through grief without going back | The specific fears that surface and what to say to them | The warning and the hope

Drop us a Question or Comment

👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start
https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start

👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call

Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

📈 The tools I use to optimize my podcast growth:

VidIQ: https://vidiq.com/ChristieWalker

Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1935235
(Get $20 off with my link)

Christie came across a reel from a health coach with an unpopular opinion: she's not going to teach her teens to drink responsibly — she's going to give them the real truth about what alcohol actually is and does. The comments were - well, interesting.

In this episode Christie adds her voice to that conversation, shares what she's seen firsthand as a mom with a son in college right now, and talks about why the cultural pressure to be the 'cool parent' around alcohol might be doing more harm than we think. If you want the deeper dive on what to actually say to your teens, go back and listen to episode 139 — this one picks up where that left off. 

Topics covered:  The "teach them to drink at home" argument — and why the research doesn't support it | Christie's real story of drinking as a teenager | The neuroscience of the adolescent brain and alcohol | What to actually say to your kids at every stage | For the parent who just found out their kid is drinking | Why this conversation matters for us too — not just our children 

Drop us a Question or Comment

👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start
https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start

👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call

Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

📈 The tools I use to optimize my podcast growth:

VidIQ: https://vidiq.com/ChristieWalker

Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1935235
(Get $20 off with my link)