Ep 148: When Peace Feels Far Away — Returning to Christ in the Middle of Cravings

When your mind is racing and cravings rise, peace can feel far away — but what if peace could meet you right there in the craving? 

In this episode, Catholic sobriety coach Christie Walker unpacks what’s really happening in your brain and body during moments of restlessness and temptation — and how to plan for peace instead of panic using her P.R.A.Y.S. Method.

You’ll learn how to invite Christ into the craving, regulate your nervous system with grace, and prepare your heart before the hard moment ever arrives.

In this episode:

• Why peace feels distant when you’re overwhelmed
• The neuroscience of cravings and “limbic takeover”
• How to turn temptation into a sacred invitation
• Step-by-step through the P.R.A.Y.S. Method
• How to plan for peace through grace, not perfection

 Peace isn’t something you earn after the craving passes — it’s something you can create with Christ, right in the middle of it.

Drop us a Question or Comment

The Catholic Mom Bundle is available for one week only, and it’s packed with beautiful, faith-filled resources to help you prepare for Advent with more peace and less overwhelm.

It’s an incredible value, and my Reclaiming Peace Gentle Alcohol Reset is included as a bonus.

If this is something your heart needs right now, the link is in my show notes. It’s only here for a few days, so don’t wait!

👉🏻 GRAB the Catholic Mom Bundle: 33 faith-filled resources for $25, only from November 17–21 (ends 11:59 PM EST) https://catholic-mom-bundle.myshopify.com/?ref=CHRISTIEWALKER

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to the Catholic Sobriety Podcast, the
go-to resource for women seekingto have a deeper understanding
of the role alcohol plays intheir lives.
Women who are looking to drinkless or not at all for any
reason.
I am your host, Christy Walker.
I'm a wife, mom, and ajoy-filled Catholic, and I am

(00:22):
the Catholic sobriety coach.
And I am so glad you're here.
Have you ever had one of thoseevenings where your mind just
won't stop spinning?
And you can almost feel thecraving rise in your body.
It's that thought that says, Ijust want to feel calm.

(00:43):
I just want peace.
But somehow, peace feels likethe farthest thing away.
You tell yourself, I'll praylater, I'll reset tomorrow.
But right now, your brain isbargaining.
Your body is buzzing, and theglass of wine or moment of
escape feels like the only thingthat will quiet everything down.

(01:07):
I've been there and I can tellyou peace isn't something that
appears once the craving isgone.
Peace is something that can meetyou in the craving.
And that's what today's episodeis about: learning how to return
to Christ right in the middle ofthat tension.
Not once you've handled it, notwhen you've proved your

(01:27):
strength, but right there whenyou feel weak and restless and
unsure what to do next.
We'll talk about why peace canfeel so far away, what's
actually happening in yourbrain, and how to plan ahead for
peace using my praise method.
And that's P-R-A-Y-S, Planningwith Purpose and Peace.

(01:51):
It's the same framework that Iteach inside my sacred sobriety
lab, and it will help you turnreactive moments into sacred
ones.
So if you're ready to stopchasing calm and start creating
it with grace, intention, and alittle neuroscience, let's dive
in.
So let's talk about why peacefeels so hard to find.

(02:16):
When peace feels far away, it'snot because you've lost faith,
it's because your nervous systemis quite frankly overwhelmed.
Your body is just doing whatit's been trained to do, to seek
relief, seek control, and seekcomfort.
Dr.
Andrew Huberman calls this thelimbic takeover when the part of

(02:40):
your brain that's focused onsurvival hijacks the part that
helps you make calm,faith-aligned choices.
Now, this doesn't mean thatyou're broken.
You're just activated, and thatcraving, it's not the enemy.
It's actually a message.
Your body is saying, I needrest.

(03:02):
And your soul is whispering,return to me.
God doesn't wait on the otherside of the craving with a
report card.
He meets you in it withcompassion.
The catechism tells us thatgrace is the free and undeserved
help God gives us to respond tohis call.

(03:24):
That means he's calling you inthat moment, right when your
hand is reaching for the glass,right when you're sighing in
frustration, right when you justwant relief.
Peace starts by noticing thatthe moment of temptation is not
a test, but it's actually aninvitation.
So let's talk about what'shappening in your brain.

(03:47):
By late afternoon or earlyevening, your brain experiences
what scientists call a dopaminedip.
You've been focused, productive,managing emotions and
responsibilities all day.
Your brain is just trying tokeep you balanced.
It says, We need something thatfeels good.

(04:09):
And if alcohol has been part ofthat rhythm, then your brain is
of course going to remember thatpattern.
And that pattern is a cue andthen craving a drink.
And once you have that drink,you get a short relief.
And that is called the habitloop.
And that's not a moral failure,it's just repetition.

(04:32):
It's what your brain has becomeaccustomed to.
It's what your brain has come toexpect.
But here's the great news.
The brain is plastic.
Well, not literally, but what Imean by that is it can change
every time you interrupt thatloop, even once you weakened it.

(04:53):
Romans 12.2 says, be transformedby the renewal of your mind.
When you choose presence overpouring, prayer over panic,
you're actually rewiring bothyour soul and your circuitry.
And one of the best ways to dothat is to prepare before the

(05:15):
craving ever hits.
So that when the moment comes,your brain already knows the
path to peace.
And that's where my praisemethod comes in.
The praise method is how we planfor peace instead of panic.
You can actually use this foranything.
A dinner out, a vacation, astressful weekend, or even an

(05:38):
ordinary Thursday.
So let's walk through thistogether.
First, the P stands for previewthe situation.
You're going to ask yourself,what's coming up?
Who will be there?
What's usually offered?
And what tends to trip me up?
It's a no before you go kind ofquestion.

(06:00):
Anticipation calms anticipationcalms the nervous system.
And when you rehearse thatscenario mentally, your body
just feels safer.
And safety is the soil wherepeace will grow.
This helps you move from beingreactive to responsive.
Now the R stands for rememberyour deeper why.

(06:23):
So you want to ask yourself,what do I want most?
Not just what I want right now.
Play the tape forward and thinkabout that.
Maybe you want to wake upclear-headed and proud.
Maybe it's to stay present andconnected to your family.
Maybe it's to live in step withthe peace that you've been

(06:46):
praying for.
Just be sure to root youractions in identity, not
impulse.
You are not a woman trying to begood.
You are a beloved daughter ofGod, and He just loves you so
much.
And you are learning to live infreedom.
That's a completely differentstarting point.

(07:09):
The A stands for align youractions.
This is the practical part wherepurpose meets preparation.
This is where you'll askyourself, what am I actually
willing to do to support mypeace?
Maybe it's bringing yourfavorite non-alcohol drink to
dinner.
Maybe it's setting a boundary,like I will just go ahead and

(07:30):
head out after dessert.
Maybe it's swapping that 5 p.m.
pour for a walk, a prayer, or ajournal check-in.
Dr.
Anna Lempke, author of DopamineNation, says that self-binding
or intentionally limitingexposure to triggers actually
restores dopamine balance andmental clarity.

(07:54):
I think that sounds like prettygood news.
So you don't just want to removethe temptation.
You want to add in structure andsupport.
And remember, peace doesn't justhappen, it's planned.
Why stands for yield what's notfor me?
First, I want you to know thatyielding isn't weakness, it's

(08:16):
wisdom.
It means surrendering the thingsthat don't lead you toward peace
and letting God redirect yourpath.
So ask yourself, what's not forme in this season?
What expectations, pressures, orinvitations pull me away from
the life that I am trying tobuild?

(08:37):
Maybe it's that inner voice thatsays, just one drink won't hurt.
Maybe it's the social pressureto try to prove you're still the
fun one.
Maybe it's the belief that youhave to say yes to everyone to
be a good friend, wife, or mom.
To yield means to hand thoseover to God.

(08:57):
To say, Lord, I trust you morethan I trust my need to fit in.
You're not rejecting people.
You're rejecting distraction.
You're not being rude.
You're just protecting yourpeace.
You're saying yes to the peacethat Christ has already offered
you.
Finally, S is script your exitstrategy.

(09:21):
Every plan needs a backup plan.
Ask, what will I do if thingsshift?
Maybe it's deciding what to sayif someone offers you a drink,
like, I'm good, thanks, or I'msleeping so much better without
it.
Maybe it's texting your friendfrom your accountability group.

(09:41):
Maybe it's stepping outside fora breath, saying a quick Jesus,
be with me now prayer, andrecentering before returning.
When you script your strategy,you disarm the surprise factor.
And surprise is actually whattriggers stress and causes us to
slip.
But by planning the just incase, it guarantees that you

(10:05):
won't be thrown off.
That's not fear, that's wisdom.
So when I first startedpracticing this, I used to roll
my eyes at the idea of planningfor peace.
I just wanted peace to show upfor me.
Planning just seemed like a lotof work to me that I didn't need
to do.
Couldn't I just plan and keep itall in my head and just go with

(10:27):
it as soon as I was in thatsituation or encountered
whatever obstacle was before me?
But I have to tell you, writingthese things down, spending time
with the Lord, planning them,was a game changer.
And I've worked through thiswith so many women.
And I can tell you time and timeagain, when plans are made, even

(10:48):
if they don't take the paperwith them, but when they've
written it down andintentionally planned with the
Lord, they are almost alwayssuccessful.
And even if they don't followthe plan completely, they always
come away with so much awarenessand clarity of what happened.
And that helps plan for thefuture.

(11:09):
We just look at those misstepsas evidence, as data and nothing
more.
Then you take it and you makeyour plan next time.
And the more and more you do it,the more it builds and the
easier it gets.
So I've mentioned before thatsugar is kind of my thing.
It's something that I'mconstantly trying to moderate

(11:31):
and limit.
And like alcohol, it's prettymuch everywhere.
But what I've learned is thatplanning is actually how I
cooperate with grace and allowthe Lord to walk beside me.
I can tell you, there was a timewhen I'd go into situations
completely unprepared.
I would just be solely relyingon my own willpower to make good

(11:56):
choices.
But when I started previewingand remembering my why and
learning to set boundaries aheadof time, everything shifted for
me.
So even if a craving still came,I felt anchored.
I knew what I valued.
I had a plan.
And I really knew why I wasdoing it.

(12:19):
And here's the beautiful part.
Peace started showing upearlier, not just after the
craving, but actually during it.
Because I wasn't waiting to earnit anymore.
I was actually inviting Christinto the moment before it even
happened.
And that's what this work is allabout.

(12:39):
It's not about perfection, it'sjust preparation rooted in
grace.
So even if you have a plan andyou don't stick to it
completely, it's not a lossbecause you always learn from
that and can go back and thenplan for the future with the
data that you've collected fromother experiences.

(13:01):
Will you take a minute and praywith me?
In the name of the Father andthe Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord, we just thank you forbeing our peace, not when life
is calm, but when our hearts arerestless.
Teach us to prepare withpurpose, to plan from a place of
trust, and to yield what's notours to carry.

(13:24):
Please bless everyone listening.
Give them courage to pause,wisdom to plan, and faith to
know that they are never alone.
Amen.
In the name of the Father andthe Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
If this episode encouraged you,I'd love to invite you to take
the next step and join me insidemy sacred sobriety lab.

(13:46):
It's a space where Catholicwomen are learning to walk in
peace with scripture,neuroscience, and community
support guiding the journey.
You'll find practical tools likethe praise method, group
coaching, and weeklyencouragement to help you live
out the freedom that God iscalling you to.
You can learn more or join us atSacred Sobriety Lab.com or click

(14:12):
the link in the show notes.
Thank you so much for spendingthis time with me today.
And remember, when peace feelsfar away, Christ is already
near.
You are so loved, you arecapable, and you are never
walking alone.
Well, that does it for thisepisode of the Catholic Sobriety
Podcast.
I hope you enjoyed this episode,and I would invite you to share

(14:36):
it with a friend who might alsoget value from it as well.
And make sure you subscribe soyou don't miss a thing.
I am the Catholic SobrietyCoach, and if you would like to
learn how to work with me orlearn more about the cooking
that I offer, visit my website,the Catholic Sobriety Coach.