Today I speak with Shantel Chandler about surrendering alcohol to God and finding freedom through faith. If you’ve been struggling to quit drinking as a Christian, Shantel’s on the other side, alcohol free, and here to tell how she did it.
Just 16 months ago, Shantel was at the very beginning of her journey—listening to the podcast, reading Love Life Sober, and wondering if freedom could actually be real for her. Today, she’s living alcohol-free and one of the amazing Fast Captains apart of the Love Life Sober Community.
Shantel opens up about how alcohol first entered her life as a confidence boost in high school, how it became a coping mechanism through heartbreak and loneliness, and how it eventually turned into a stronghold during some of the hardest seasons of her life—including motherhood, moving, stress, and navigating her child’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis.
But this story is also about the slow and steady way God pursued her—through a sister’s gentle comment, through sermons she couldn’t forget, through discipleship that felt like grace instead of condemnation, and finally through the moment she woke up and prayed, “Okay God, I’m done… but I don’t know how.”
If you’ve ever felt the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart and you’re not quite sure what to do with it, this conversation will feel incredibly familiar.
If you’ve ever thought…
“I don’t know where I fit.”
“I’m keeping this secret.”
“I love Jesus… but I can’t stop.”
This episode is for you.
What You’ll Learn
• How Shantel’s drinking began as a way to feel confident and fit in
• How heartbreak and divorce shifted alcohol from “fun” to coping
• What it was like becoming a single mom, rediscovering faith, and still living in a drinking cycle
• Why major stress can deepen alcohol’s grip—including moving, isolation, and parenting through medical challenges like Type 1 Diabetes
• The tension of wanting Christian community while still hiding struggles
• What conviction felt like for Shantel and how God used sermons and conversations to pierce her heart
• The difference between white-knuckling a fast and surrendering a stronghold
• How community support helped her stop hiding and begin healing
Watch Here:
Listen Here:
Heard something on the podcast you’d love to talk through with women who truly get it? Are you craving honest conversations, safe connection, and a place where you can finally exhale without pretending you have it all together?
Inside the Love Life Sober Community, you’ll find women walking a similar road. Weekly connection calls remind you that you are not alone. Monthly masterclasses help you understand what’s really going on beneath the habit. Prayer, encouragement, laughter, and real-life support meet you right where you are.
Come continue the conversation with us in the Love Life Sober Community.
