Hope Beside Us

Jenny Teeters looked like she had life completely under control. She managed a six-figure tech career, raised two teenage daughters, finished an MBA, and even taught Zumba classes. What almost no one knew was that she was doing much of it while intoxicated.

For years, she kept the plates spinning: professional success on the outside, addiction quietly growing underneath. Eventually the balancing act collapsed, and Teeters realized she needed help. But there was another barrier standing in the way: shame.

“In my addiction, I had veered away from faith,” she said. “I thought, who am I to walk into a church knowing I’m doing the same damaging thing over and over again?”

Then one day she confessed her struggle to a priest, and his response surprised her. Instead of condemnation, he offered a simple piece of guidance: work on a personal relationship with Jesus. And that conversation planted a seed.

Teeters began practicing something that felt unusual at first. She would imagine herself sitting on a beach in Monterey, California — hearing the waves, watching the birds — and picturing Jesus sitting beside her.

She talked; she listened. Over time, the imagined conversation became something deeper. She said she now pictures Christ with her throughout ordinary moments of life — even at the gym, imagining Jesus “spotting” her during chest presses. The relationship, she says, helps her stay sober.

Teeters’ story may be deeply personal, but new research suggests it may not be unusual. An analysis published in JAMA Psychiatry last month examined 55 studies involving more than half a million people. Researchers found that people who maintain spiritual beliefs or regularly participate in a faith community are less likely to develop harmful relationships with alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes.

Faith also appears to help people sustain recovery once they begin the process. Researchers offer several reasons: A spiritual life often provides hope — something addiction steadily erodes. And faith communities offer connection and support, both of which are essential for recovery.

Even organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous emphasize the importance of believing in “a power greater than ourselves.” The goal is humility, freedom from the illusion of control, and a source of strength beyond one’s own willpower. In other words, recovery rarely happens alone.

Now in her 50s, Jenny Teeters is sober and helping others find their way forward. She works as a career and life coach and mentors people through a program called Catholic in Recovery.

Her story reminds us of something Christians have always believed: Faith is not reserved for people who have their lives perfectly together. Faith is the place where healing begins.

In 2 Corinthians 3:17, the Apostle Paul writes, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Sometimes that freedom begins with an honest conversation ... and the courage to believe that Jesus Christ is sitting beside us, ready to listen.