The Power of Story When We Find God's Purpose

One woman's journey from coping to sobriety and freedom

When I stumbled across Christy Osborne’s inspirational story of seeking healing through sobriety, I immediately reached out and asked her if she would be interested in sharing her journey. I have alluded in past publications to my own connections with recovery and how true freedom is found through healing in Christ rather than worldly coping. Christy has recognized this as well and aims to help others discover these same streams of living water.

Let’s be honest… life is hard. We all face bitter disappointment, unexpected tragedies, and carry deep, festering wounds. We are hurting, overwhelmed, confused, plagued with doubt, or filled with anxiety. Sometimes we just want all the noise to STOP! So we look for something; anything to help us “turn off our brains.” We spend endless hours scrolling through our phones, watching TV, listening to music, vacationing, shopping, drinking, or any other distraction available to find some measure of peace.

There is nothing “wrong” with any of these choices or the longing for relief. However, the truth is… these temporary fixes will never fill the void or bring us lasting peace. I know from personal experience that authentic and lasting relief can only be found in the Peacemaker and Healer who comes to not only quiet the noise but offer us true rest. He MAKES us lie down in green pastures, He LEADS us beside still waters so that He may RESTORE our souls.

This isn’t about right or wrong. It isn’t about legalism or rules… It’s about LIBERATION.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free..” Luke 4:18 (NIV).

THE POWER OF STORY WHEN WE FIND GOD’S PURPOSE IN SOBRIETY - CHRISTY OSBORNE

I used to start thinking about wine on my way to school pick-up at 4 PM. Maybe it was a day I had sworn it off that morning, or maybe it was a day I had already admitted defeat. Either way, as I walked to school, the thought of that first glass settled into my mind like an inevitability.

The mere anticipation of it felt like relief. It was my signal that the hard part of the day was over. I had survived another afternoon of parenting, and soon, after an hour or so of supervising homework, I could wave the white flag and pour myself a glass.

It was my treat, my reward for all the effort of being a mom. I believed it was helping me get through the evenings.

I wanted that instant exhale, the moment where my shoulders dropped out of my ears, and I could finally breathe.

But the truth was, it wasn’t really helping me. I just didn’t know that it yet.

In 2018, my mom had passed away suddenly. She woke up one morning, walked into the kitchen to make her first cup of coffee, and dropped dead. No warning. No time for goodbyes.

I turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism. I was giving wine a job: to fix me, to numb me, to make the unbearable pain of losing her disappear.

But on the morning of March 9 2020, the second anniversary of her death, I woke up hungover, staring at myself in the bathroom mirror.

And I broke.

“Jesus, I just can’t do this anymore,” I whispered.

In that moment, He gave me the strength and courage to admit to my husband, “I think I need to take a break from drinking.”

Just a few weeks later, the UK government shut down London, and suddenly, I had nowhere to go, no one to see, and no social pressure to drink.

Instead of fighting my way through early sobriety in a world filled with boozy brunches and wine-fueled playdates, I had the quiet. I had the space. I had God.

I had always had a relationship with Him, but my drinking made me feel like I had to keep my distance. I was afraid to talk to Him, afraid to bring my struggle into the light. I didn’t feel like I was living as a Christian woman should.

And then I read 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV):

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

My weakness was my struggle with alcohol. But His power? His power was perfect in that struggle. And He showed me just that.

During lockdown, I began to dig into why I was drinking. I realized I had been giving alcohol so many jobs:

· To help me destress.

· To make me a more relaxed mom.

· To help me connect with my husband.

· To help me sleep.

· To patch up the grief hole left in my heart by my mom’s death.

But as I prayed and learned more about the effects of alcohol, I saw the truth:

· Wine didn’t relax me. It raised my adrenaline and cortisol levels, making me more anxious.

· It didn’t make me a better mom. It drained my patience.

· It didn’t connect me with my husband. It created distance through needless bickering.

· And it certainly didn’t heal my grief. Healing only began when I was clear-headed and walking closely with God.

I started sharing my sobriety journey on Instagram. Friends from every season of my life reached out with questions:

· What was it like not drinking during lockdown?

· Did it affect my health? My energy?

· What was life like without wine every night?

· What about date night? My 40th birthday? How could I celebrate without champagne?

I never said forever. I just told them the truth: I felt good. I was happier, healthier, and more connected to God, my husband, and my children than I had ever been. And I wanted to keep going.

By the end of 2020, I knew I wanted to help other women who felt trapped by alcohol. I applied to become a certified sobriety coach, and soon after, my coaching practice, Love Life Sober, was born.

I remembered how alone I had felt in my early days of sobriety, how I didn’t know a single other woman who wasn’t drinking. I didn’t want others to feel that way.

Now, five years into my alcohol-free journey, I can say with complete certainty: I will never drink again.

Not because I have to white-knuckle my way through sobriety, but because I have no desire to drink. Alcohol no longer serves me.

I’ve overcome every lie I once believed about drinking by living an alcohol-free life and seeing the truth firsthand.

And I thank God every day for leading me here.

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Today, I have the joy of helping other women break free from alcohol through my 1:1 coaching practice and my book Love Life Sober: A 40-Day Alcohol Fast to Rediscover Your Joy, Improve Your Health, and Renew Your Mind (Love Life Sober).

I also co-host The But Jesus Drank Wine and Other Stories That Kept Us Stuck podcast, where we tackle faith, sobriety, and the lies we once believed. If you’re questioning your relationship with alcohol, I invite you to join me on this journey. You are not alone, and there is so much freedom waiting for you on the other side (But Jesus Drank Wine).

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Are there places or spaces in your heart or life where you remain unhealed? How are you coping with those feelings of grief, sorrow, or disappointment?

Let’s Share Stories! I hope you will continue to join me as we celebrate the power of story together. Click on the links below to subscribe or share.

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Christy Osborne, born and raised in Los Angeles, graduated from the University of Southern California and the Pepperdine University School of Law. After passing the California bar exam, she relocated to London and assumed various roles in law, public relations, and business development. These included working for the UK Parliament and founding a popular website for American expat women. Christy discovered her true calling when she chose sobriety and discovered a passion for helping women on their own journeys. As a highly trained senior sobriety coach, she empowers women throughout the US and UK to redefine their relationship with alcohol. She lives with her husband and two children, Ella and Carter, and their cavapoo, Copper, in Sussex, UK.