Beyond Rehab and 12 Steps | From Traditional Recovery to True Transformation
Have you ever wondered why traditional recovery works for some people—but didn’t quite fit for you?
This week, we’re pulling back the curtain with our friend and BJDW team member Heather whose journey to freedom started inside a rehab program that followed a 12-step model…and ended in a deeper, Jesus-led transformation.
Heather opens up about what she learned, what didn’t resonate, and how she found freedom—not just sobriety—through faith, community, and truth.
If you’ve ever felt out of place in traditional recovery, or wrestled with words like powerless and alcoholic, this conversation is going to set something free inside you.
📘 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- The parts of traditional recovery that helped Heather build early sobriety.
- The moments she knew she needed “something more” than meetings.
- Why labeling herself “powerless” didn’t align with her identity in Christ.
- How she integrated her faith into a secular recovery space—and what changed when she stopped compartmentalizing.
- The difference between sobriety and freedom (and why one without the other still feels stuck).
- The emotional sobriety piece that’s often missing in traditional models.
- How Jesus met her in unexpected places—from rehab groups to backyard birthday parties.
- Why community, not control, is what actually sustains transformation.
💌 Links & Resources:
Join The January 2026 40-Day Alcohol Fast!
https://butjesusdrankwine.myflodesk.com/januaryfast
Previous Episodes Mentioned:
Heather D’s First Episode: From High-Achieving to Healing, Heather Dillion’s Story
God Doesn’t Call You An Alcoholic, He Calls You His Beloved Daughter
🤝 Join our community: https://butjesusdrankwine.com/community
📖 Order your copy of Love Life Sober: A 40 Day Alcohol Fast to Rediscover Your Joy, Improve Your Health, and Renew Your Mind https://amzn.to/42l7z9C
📲 Connect on Instagram: @butjesusdrankwine
🎥 Watch on YouTube: Come hang out with us HERE !
The creators, hosts, and producers of the But Jesus Drank Wine podcast are not healthcare practitioners and therefore do not give medical, psychological or professional advice nor do they intend for the podcast, any communication on behalf of BJDW or otherwise to be a substitute for such. Additionally, the views and opinions expressed in any mention of and/or linked resources are those of the authors/owners of those resources and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the But Jesus Drank Wine podcast team or guests of the show.
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Christy, a former lawyer with a background in law, business, and politics, experienced radical renewal after choosing sobriety. Now a senior sobriety coach and author of Love Life Sober (Penguin Random House), she helps women renew their minds and rediscover joy through a powerful blend of faith, neuroscience, and practical tools.
Meade, a former pharmaceutical rep and stay-at-home mom, looked like she had it all together—but felt stuck in a nightly-ish wine habit. Once she realized the issue was less about drinking and more about thinking, everything changed. Now a senior certified coach and creator of the Change-Your-Thinking-to-Change-Your-Drinking method and The Missing P.E.A.C.E. framework, Meade helps women ditch shame, reclaim purpose, and live with peace and joy.
Together, we create loving, Spirit-led spaces where women can explore their relationship with alcohol, renew their minds, and pursue the freedom they were made for.
Christy lives in Surrey, England; Meade outside Atlanta. We're just two women who surrendered our wine glasses, found something far better in Jesus, and now have the joy of helping others do the same.
