Sobriety and Spirit with Seth Haines

Seth Haines is the author of (Zondervan, 2015). Sobriety and Spirit was a live event recorded in St. Paul, Minnesota, on June 25, 2016. With Seth's trademark vulnerability, he shared of his recovery from alcohol dependency, a dependency fueled by his youngest son Titus's mysterious illness.

Session 1: What is Pain? In the first session, Seth discusses the need to unearth and name the pain underlying addiction. "The drinking isn't the thing," he says, "the pain is the thing."

Session 2: What is Addiction? In this second session, Seth discusses the brain chemistry underlying pleasure and addiction. Whether originating from a satisfying meal, a shopping binge, a shot of tequila, or an injection of heroin, our bodies reward our pain-numbing behavior. In this session, Seth invites us to examine the ways in which our brain chemistry has been hijacked by addiction, and invites us to walk into freedom by experiencing the bonded love of God.

Session 3: What is Sobriety? In this third session, Seth inspires us to define sobriety not as "doing or not doing the behavior," but rather as maintaining proper dependency. He describes addictions as "inordinate attachments" to those things that cannot bring satisfaction, and which leave us exhausted, disillusioned, and angry. Here, Seth describes proper dependency as "living a life that looks a lot like the Eucharist: giving and receiving love."

In addition to the audio file, you will also receive Seth's Coming Clean Journal, a 30 day email journal designed to help you walk away from your vice(s) and into proper dependency upon God. Seth writes, is