Having Had A Spiritual Awakening | PT 1
Having Had A Spiritual Awakening | PT 1

SOBER: The Podcast

Bradley Saxon talks about acceptance, the Serenity Prayer and Step 11, sharing how fully owning one’s addiction and seeking God’s help can reshape daily sobriety. The episode stresses that half-hearted effort and self-directed help keep people stuck, while consistent spiritual practice offers a new way of living.

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1:20:01•20 May 2026

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From Denial to Acceptance: A Hard-Hitting Look at Spiritual Awakening in Sobriety

Episode Overview

Acceptance of being an addict and alcoholic is presented as the starting point for any real change.
The Serenity Prayer is framed as a powerful daily plea, not a empty ritual, especially in learning what can and cannot be changed.
Half measures in recovery are described as useless, with full commitment to a spiritual programme stressed as essential.
Shifting dependence from drugs and alcohol to God is encouraged, using the same energy once spent chasing substances.
Step 11 is outlined as a daily discipline of review, prayer and thought-change to keep resentment and selfishness from blocking contact with God.

“Wanting help your way is no help at all. That ain’t acceptance. That’s manipulation.”

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This part one talk from SOBER: The Podcast drops you straight into a raw, faith-centred look at what “having had a spiritual awakening” really means for people in recovery. Speaking from 17 years clean, host Bradley Saxon pulls no punches as he walks through the Serenity Prayer and Step 11.

He challenges the group to stop treating the prayer as a ritual and start treating it as life-or-death: “You’re going to be in a lot of pain and frustration by attempting every day to change the things you cannot change.” For him, the turning point comes when someone stops trying to prove they’re not an addict and accepts, fully, “I am a drug addict and an alcoholic.” You’ll hear plenty of humour mixed with hard truth.

Bradley jokes about past mornings fuelled by pills and roxys, then contrasts that with learning to start the day in prayer and meditation. He reminds everyone that half measures “get absolutely nothing” in this journey, and that “wanting help your way is no help at all.” The episode digs into how dependence on drugs and alcohol quietly becomes worship, stripping away dignity, relationships and responsibility.

Bradley urges people to redirect that same intensity toward God, even if at first it’s “one half the zeal” they once had for the next drink or hit. He breaks down Step 11 as a daily practice: reviewing the day at night, starting the morning asking God to direct their thinking, and waging war on resentment, fear and selfishness so they don’t smother conscious contact with God.

This one’s aimed at anyone in 12-step recovery, especially those struggling with acceptance, half-hearted effort, or a shaky spiritual life. It might leave you asking: are you really asking God for help, or still trying to run the show?

PreviousStep Study 10 & 11 Continued