Self Control (Episode 3 - Archive)
Self Control (Episode 3 - Archive)

Relational Recovery

Wes Thompson and Austin Hill talk about self-control, conviction and freedom, using everyday examples to show how beliefs and behaviours can line up. The conversation links recovery, Christian faith and personal responsibility in a relatable and often humorous way.

InformativeHonestEncouragingSupportiveAuthentic

5:10•29 Apr 2026

RSS Feed

Self-Control, Sandwiches and True Freedom in Recovery

Episode Overview

Self-control is presented as mastering yourself so that you can experience real freedom.
Conviction is described as a helpful signal that behaviour is out of line with beliefs, not a reason for shame.
Misaligned choices, like unhealthy eating while valuing health, create emotional and physical discomfort.
People often choose between the short-term pain of self-denial and the long-term pain of unhealthy decisions.
Focusing on changing yourself, rather than external circumstances, is highlighted as central to recovery.

“"If you can’t master yourself, you will never feel free."”

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation from Relational Recovery takes a very down‑to‑earth look at self-control, mixing humour about sandwiches and tacos with serious reflections on faith, freedom, and unwanted behaviours. Hosts Wes Thompson and Austin Hill talk about what happens when beliefs and actions don’t match.

Using a funny-but-accurate example of eating “a whole pizza” or “four sandwiches” while claiming to value health, they show how misaligned choices leave you feeling “pretty crappy” both physically and emotionally. That same clash shows up in recovery and in faith. A standout story centres on a new Christian in The Refuge who returns from a home pass feeling a “weird feeling” in his chest after handling a relationship poorly.

He thinks it just means feeling awful all the time, but he’s told it’s actually conviction: a kind of inner red flag saying his behaviour didn’t line up with loving his neighbour. As they put it, “our mistakes don’t define who we are. It just kind of highlights where we can grow.” Self-control is framed as choosing which kind of difficulty you’re going to face.

You can pick the short-term “pain” of saying no to more food (or to old habits), or the long-term pain of poor health and regret.

Either way, there’s a cost, but one leads toward freedom: “If you can’t master yourself, you will never feel free.” The tone stays honest and relatable, especially as they admit to being the person who sometimes “just, like, lose[s] it.” This makes the episode especially helpful for anyone trying to bring their daily choices in line with their values, particularly those blending recovery with Christian spirituality. It might leave you wondering: what kind of hard are you choosing today?

PreviousSelf Control (Episode 2 - Archive)