“Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 2:12
Exploring
True Christian Stories of Addiction and Recovery
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash | Photo of a woman praying, reflecting on God's all-encompassing help in life, whether with struggles such as illness or addiction and recovery, or with joyful endeavors.
Stories of addiction and recovery often begin in silence. The weight of shame and fear keeps many from speaking up. But when someone finds the courage to tell the truth, it can help others find the strength to face their own pain.
That’s what you’ll find in An Almighty God? Get Serious! and Trophies of Grace by Darlene Lamoureux and Karen Hanson.
Held in purpose, they are true Christian stories of addiction and recovery. The goal is to help people see what faith can do when nothing else works. These stories reflect lived experience, grounded in Scripture and sustained by grace.
Facing What’s Broken
Karen Hanson’s story in Trophies of Grace begins with pain and personal confusion. She shares her journey through addiction, spiritual searching, and emotional isolation. There’s no attempt to gloss over the hard truths. She speaks plainly about what it means to hit bottom and how hard it is to trust that healing is possible.
One reader described her story this way:
“You expressed the way things happened to you so well... It was easy to see you in my mind, the struggles and trials you experienced.”
Karen doesn’t try to fix herself. She doesn’t find answers in willpower or new habits. What changed her life was beyond anything - Jesus Christ. She tells her story as someone who was lost and then found, not as someone who figured it all out. That is the crux of a Christian healing testimony. It’s about receiving that essence.
With her story, she echoes what many people in recovery know. There is no fast solution. But there is hope, especially when that hope rests on something bigger than the self.
Photo by samane mohammadi on Unsplash | Photo of a person’s silhouette holding a glass of alcohol, depicting addiction,
A Different Kind of Fight
Darlene Lamoureux’s story begins elsewhere. Her struggle wasn’t with substance use but with life-threatening illness. Her narrative brings another side of suffering to light—one that’s easy to overlook. Not all pain shows on the outside. Some battles happen in silence. Some take place in the mind, where fear and helplessness set in.
Darlene describes how a tumor the size of a grapefruit disrupted her life and tested her faith. She had to make quick decisions about surgery, treatment, and the future. But she held to a quiet confidence that God had not left her. That belief framed how she moved through each day.
“It’s hard to move forward when I can so easily self-induce a feeling of disheartenment.”
That honesty helps readers see how faith and fear can exist in the same space. Darlene was scared and didn’t pretend to be brave. She just chose to trust God in small moments. Her story adds a striking perspective to stories of addiction and recovery, not as a contrast, but as a reminder that recovery is about restoring what life, illness, or trauma tried to take away, and not merely about the substance itself.
Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash | Photo of the word “RECOVERY.”
Recovery That Lasts
One common line across both stories is that healing takes time. Many stories of addiction and recovery emphasize the crisis. These two depict what happens after the crisis. They walk through what it means to stay in recovery, not just from addiction or illness, but from fear, anger, regret, and guilt.
Karen reclaims her identity in Christ. She no longer defines herself by her past. Her story shows what faith-based recovery looks like in practice when it comes to daily choices, small victories, and a new sense of self.
As one reader put it:
“She takes no glory or honor for herself but points to the one who redeemed and restored her broken life.”
This change happens with help, through prayer, through Scripture, and sometimes through therapy or medical care. For those beginning that path, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is a helpful first step. They offer free, confidential resources for treatment and support.
Stories of Addiction and Recovery: They Matter Greatly
These are stories that are real. Both authors take the risk of telling difficult realities. They write with a purpose to reach. They aim to impart how God shows up in weakness. And that message comes through indisputably.
Darlene explains her purpose this way:
“Hopefully, by sharing some stories from my life, I can introduce someone to the Almighty God, who lives, and gives life.”
For anyone walking through addiction, illness, or any kind of loss, that statement is worth holding onto. These stories of addiction and recovery show what it means to feel broken and still believe that healing is possible. That is what makes them so important.
A Book Worth Reading
If you’re searching for inspiring and powerful stories of addiction and recovery, this book can help. It gives readers a reason to believe they are not beyond repair. It shows how people have been changed by grace.
As Darlene writes in one of the most honest moments of the book:
“The world’s Creator is my mentor and my gauge, my inspiration and my guide. He’s my peace of mind… my All in all.”
An Almighty God? Get Serious! and Trophies of Grace are available now under one single cover. The book is worth reading so grab a copy now