CWSA New Years SpecialCWSA New Years Special
Christians with Secret Addictions
Terry Hanna reflects on his decades-long journey from addiction to Christian recovery, framing addiction as a disease and emphasising faith, meetings and biblical 12 steps. The New Year message focuses on hope, community, and the possibility of a fresh start through Jesus Christ.
14:56•19 Jan 2026
New Year, New You: Faith, Recovery and Hope for Secret Addictions
Episode Overview
- Addiction is described as a disease affecting mind, body and soul, rather than proof of being a bad person.
- Real recovery is said to require community, with sponsors, meetings and support from other recovering addicts.
- The 12 steps are presented as biblical spiritual tools that guide a journey of restoration when actively applied.
- Faith in God and Jesus Christ is portrayed as the source of hope, healing and a new way of life.
- Early recovery may be painful, but sticking with the process is framed as leading to long-term freedom and spiritual growth.
“In addiction, our payoff is now. But the pain comes later. Now, in recovery, the pain is now… But the payoff comes later.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This New Year’s special from *Christians with Secret Addictions* sets a hopeful tone for anyone wrestling with hidden habits, shame, and spiritual questions. Host Terry Hanna speaks as a fellow struggler rather than an expert, sharing that he has "over 32 years of recovery and healing" after 35 years of drinking, gambling and getting high.
He talks openly about the cycle of addiction – "I used to live and I lived to use" – and how he once believed God had abandoned him. The episode centres on the idea that addiction is a "disease of the mind, body, and soul" rather than proof that someone is simply a bad person.
Terry repeats a key line from a recovery meeting: the problem isn’t alcohol, drugs or gambling themselves, but "your disease, thoughts, actions, and behaviors." That shift in thinking becomes the doorway to hope.
You’ll hear how faith and the 12 biblical steps work together as spiritual tools, described as a kind of GPS for a "journey of restoration." Terry stresses that no one recovers alone: "The ultimate weapon against addiction is the recovering addict." Meetings, sponsors, and Christian community are presented as vital, with the classic phrase "meeting makers make it" backed up by Ecclesiastes 4 and its picture of people standing "back to back" to withstand temptation.
The episode doesn’t shy away from the hard parts of early recovery—detox, withdrawal, mood swings—but flips the usual payoff: "In addiction, our payoff is now. But the pain comes later… Now, in recovery, the pain is now… But the payoff comes later." That payoff, as he describes it, is healing, faith, salvation and freedom through Jesus Christ.
Aimed at Christians and spiritual seekers struggling with secret addictions, this New Year message asks a simple question: are you ready for "a new start, a new you this new year"?
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