About this episode

Sherry Hoppen shares her journey of hiding her alcoholism and finding freedom through faith.

“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, and doing everything a good Christian woman was supposed to do. But behind the scenes, alcohol had become her refuge, her coping mechanism, and eventually her prison. Even after public commitments to quit, she found herself returning to the bottle and becoming increasingly skilled at hiding the truth from the people she loved most. In this episode, Sherry shares the painful road that led her from family trauma and grief into alcoholism, the deception that defined her drinking years, and the repeated attempts to fix herself through determination, discipline, and even cross-country bicycle rides. Yet none of those things could accomplish what only complete surrender eventually would. Today, Sherry is the founder of Sela House Recovery and the author of Sober Cycle . Her story is a powerful reminder that recovery is not ultimately about trying harder, hiding…

People in this episode

Host: Jon Seidl

Guest: Sherry Hoppen

Topics covered

• alcoholism
• recovery
• faith
• mental health
• family trauma
• Christianity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sela House Recovery

Books & works: Sober Cycle

More episodes of Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl

• The Addiction the Church Won’t Touch: Kristy McCammon Reveals Why Food and Sugar Can Be So Destructive and Addicting · July 15, 2026 · 1h 34m
• The Worship Leader with a Secret: Joel Warneking on His Double Life and Finding Freedom from Pornography · July 1, 2026 · 1h 12m
• What You Didn't Know or Realize About Confession: Jamin Goggin on Exposing Our Secret Struggles · June 17, 2026 · 1h 19m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic with Jon Seidl podcast page.