We needed to surrender, we had to hand it over to Jesus – Karisa and John's story

We needed to surrender, we had to hand it over to Jesus – Karisa and John's story

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation with Karisa and John Rogers shows how surrender, honesty and faith can change everything, even when alcohol has been part of life for years. The episode opens with hosts Bill Arnold and George talking frankly about relapse, the lie of “just one drink”, and why isolation, dropping meetings and drifting from God so often come before a slip.

George shares his go-to prayer, “God, give me the power, strength, and desire to stay sober,” offering something simple you can lean on when temptation hits. Karisa and John then share their story, returning to the show ten years after appearing anonymously as “J and K”.

John talks about drinking from age 16, becoming a functioning alcoholic, mixing alcohol with unprescribed Adderall, and the morning he looked at his life and thought, “I need to stop this.” Instead of moving his car and heading into work, he rang Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge from a petrol station car park.

Karisa describes how bartending at 18, a desire to fit in, and deep shame led to blackout drinking, heartbreak and behaviour she “never knew I was capable of.” A DUI in California and a confronting visit to the morgue shook her, yet even that didn’t break the cycle. She says that in 2014, God “completely freed me from my desire to drink,” after she finally stopped trying to micromanage her intake and handed it over to Jesus.

Together they talk about meeting in a recovery-focused church, building a marriage on shared sobriety, and the power of accountability, surrender and purpose. If you’re wondering whether God really can use your mess, their story might nudge you to ask: what could change if you let someone in and handed your addiction over today?