Freely Sober

Rethinking Alcohol Through the Lens of Faith

Ericka Andersen

• Publisher: IVP
• Year: 2026
• eBook ISBN: 9781514013373
• Subtopic: Religion

"Andersen offers important insights on how women's relationships with alcohol are shifting as they grapple with increased pressures at home and work, and her approach wisely utilizes faith as a recovery tool without positioning it as a cure-all... Women of faith will be empowered." — Publishers Weekly Review, September 2025

Get Honest about Your Relationship with Alcohol

Sharing a drink with friends or a glass of wine at dinner can be a nice way to enjoy God's good gifts. But what if these casual enjoyments turn into unhealthy habits? For many, drinking can easily become a dysfunctional coping mechanism or a dependency that's difficult to break.

In Freely Sober, Ericka Andersen invites Christian women to reconsider their relationship with alcohol from a posture of honesty, curiosity, and self-compassion, offering empowering knowledge and trusted recovery principles for those curious about sobriety or seeking a way out of a habitual or destructive relationship with alcohol.

Andersen vulnerably shares her own story of sobriety, reflecting on how her private drinking habits began impacting her faith and life. Through her honest account, she opens the door for sober curious women of faith to explore their drinking patterns and see clearly to choose what's best for them.

Freely Sober features:

• Practical Tools for Growth: Includes reflection questions, action steps, and assessments designed to help readers see alcohol more clearly
• Faith-Based Guidance: Invites readers to draw closer to God in their sobriety journeys, leaning on the Holy Spirit and a supportive community for encouragement and accountability
• Accessible for a Variety of Stages: Great for those who are sober curious, questioning their habits, or who want to dig deeper into how alcohol affects their life and faith

Freely Sober charts a pathway to new habits, healing, and spiritual renewal through God's abundant grace for those looking for change. Whether you're struggling yourself with grey area drinking, are looking to support a friend or family member, or are a ministry leader looking for resources, Freely Sober offers wisdom and guidance for a way forward to freedom.

"You are free to decide—honestly, thoughtfully—whether your life is better with or without it. You don't have to quit. You don't have to cut back. But you can. And you can do it on your own terms, not because anyone told you to, but because you're free to choose what serves you best. You can be freely sober." – Ericka Andersen, Freely Sober

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Let’s Come Clean
• 2. Should Christians Even Drink?
• 3. The Pressures We Face as Women
• 4. The Social Dilemma
• 5. The Self-Medication Delusion
• 6. Self-Compassion and Forgiveness
• 7. The Heart of the Matter
• 8. The Bad Theology of Control
• 9. Inviting God In
• 10. Inviting Others In
• 11. Life-Giving Choices
• 12. Grieving the Loss
• 13. Getting Back Up Again
• 14. See and Be Seen
• 15. Stepping Forward
• Acknowledgments
• Resources and Tools for Your Journey
• Praise for Freely Sober
• About the Author
• Like this book?
• Copyright