The Hidden Alcohol Crisis in the Church | Ericka Andersen on Freely Sober

Ericka Andersen joins Pastor Josh Burtram on The Faith Roundtable for a thoughtful and deeply honest conversation about alcohol, sobriety, faith, shame, motherhood, freedom, and the church’s struggle to talk openly about addiction and dependency.

Drawing from her new book Freely Sober, Ericka shares her personal journey through what she calls a “gray area” relationship with alcohol — not necessarily full-blown addiction, but a growing realization that alcohol had become emotionally, spiritually, and relationally unhealthy in her life. The discussion explores why drinking increased dramatically during the pandemic, why women and mothers have been uniquely affected, and how alcohol often functions as self-medication for anxiety, stress, loneliness, and exhaustion.

Josh and Ericka also dive into:

• Why shame rarely produces real transformation

• The difference between conviction and condemnation

• Why many Christians hide struggles with alcohol

• The church’s changing relationship with drinking

• The rise of “sober curious” culture

• Accountability, freedom, and spiritual formation

• Why gray-area moral issues are often the hardest to navigate

• How alcohol affects families, parenting, discernment, and emotional health

• The importance of honesty and vulnerability inside Christian community

This is not a conversation built around fear, legalism, or simplistic answers. It’s a thoughtful exploration of freedom, discipleship, self-awareness, and what it means to pursue spiritual and emotional wholeness in a culture saturated with alcohol.

If you’ve ever wondered:

“Do I actually have a problem?”

“Why do I feel conflicted about drinking?”

“Why is this so hard to talk about in church?”

or “What does healthy freedom really look like?”

— this conversation is for you.

Ericka Andersen is a journalist, author, and speaker whose work has appeared in Christianity Today, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and WORLD Magazine. She is the author of Freely Sober, Reason to Return, and Leaving Cloud 9.

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