Addiction & Faith Journey With Matthew Demoulin (Episode 2)Addiction & Faith Journey With Matthew Demoulin (Episode 2)
Relational Recovery
Wes Thompson and Austin Hill talk with Matthew Demoulin about addiction as a disease, the shame cycle, and how Christian faith shapes his understanding. The conversation covers his journey with painkillers, shifting views on stigma, and using spiritual language to describe self-destruction and hope.
7:54•22 Apr 2026
Addiction, Shame and Faith: Matthew Demoulin on Seeing Addiction as a Disease
Episode Overview
- Addiction is described as a disease involving real physiological changes in the brain, particularly in areas linked to rational decision-making.
- Shame often fuels the cycle of addiction, as people return to substances to cope with low self-worth and regret over their behaviour.
- Public understanding of addiction has shifted over time, but stigma and the belief that it is simply a choice still linger.
- A verse from Ecclesiastes is used to picture addiction as self-consumption, highlighting how people can harm themselves while convincing themselves it is fine.
- Matthew’s addiction to painkillers grew when they became a way to medicate emotional discontentment and broken relationships, rather than physical pain.
“It’s a disease where you are actively involved in the annihilation of yourself while telling yourself that it’s okay and it’s fine.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation on **Relational Recovery** brings together honest storytelling, Christian faith, and practical thinking about addiction as a disease. Host Wes Thompson and co-host Austin Hill talk with guest Matthew Demoulin, who shares candidly about his history with painkillers and how his view of addiction has changed over time.
Wes opens up about the shame cycle so many people know too well: using substances to escape pain, then feeling worse and going back for more. It’s raw, recognisable stuff for anyone who’s ever felt stuck in patterns they hate. Matthew explains how he once rejected the idea of addiction as a disease, assuming it would just become “a crutch”.
Later, after working in public health and studying disease more closely, he came to see addiction as “a physiological change that occurs in the brain”, especially in the frontal area responsible for reasoning and decision-making. That shift helps frame addiction less as a moral failure and more as a serious health issue.
One of the most striking moments is Matthew’s use of a verse from Ecclesiastes to picture addiction: “It’s a disease where you are actively involved in the annihilation of yourself while telling yourself that it’s okay and it’s fine.” For people who connect with Christian spirituality, this offers a language for both the darkness of addiction and the hope of meaning beyond it.
Matthew also talks about how his pill use changed from a legitimate treatment for physical pain into “medicine for my discontentment,” especially after relationship breakdown and growing dissatisfaction with life. This episode suits anyone wrestling with shame, faith questions, or confusion about whether addiction is a choice or a disease. If you’re wondering how your story fits into all this, this honest chat might help you feel a little less alone and a bit more understood.
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