Fast to Faith: Weight Loss & Hormone Support for Women Over 35

271: Sober Joy, Real Freedom

• Dr. Tabatha • Episode 271

Share episode

What if the “self-care” you reach for at 5 p.m. is the very thing stealing your sleep, peace, and energy? We dig into why alcohol and sugar feel soothing in the moment yet quietly disrupt dopamine, flatten motivation, inflame anxiety, and throw women’s hormones off balance. Ashlee shares what changed across 17 months alcohol-free—better cycles, calmer mornings, clearer joy—while Tabitha breaks down the functional medicine behind cravings, from microbiome shifts to estrogen clearance and why weekend binges still drive risk.

We don’t stop at science. Shame loses power when brought into the light, and sustainable change comes from pairing spiritual honesty with smart physiology. You’ll learn how to reset dopamine gently, use protein and healthy fats to stabilize blood sugar, and create friction for triggers with mocktails and simple swaps. We talk about why white knuckling fails, how to re-associate weddings, weekends, and summers with real joy, and the line that changed our approach: you can’t pray away a dopamine deficit and you can’t supplement your way out of spiritual avoidance.

If you’re tired of feeling puffy, wired, and stuck, this conversation offers a kinder path: one day at a time, one lever at a time, with community, Scripture, and practical tools that work. Freedom isn’t about restriction; it’s about restoration—body and soul in alignment so cravings finally quiet. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review telling us the one habit you’re ready to lay down this week.

If you’re ready to move beyond trying harder and start living more aligned, you’re invited to join Empowered by Faith — LIVE, a guided 5-day reset led by Dr. Tabatha that helps women reset body, mind, and spirit through simple, faith-centered rhythms.

🎧 Learn more and join the reset here:
https://ftf.fasttofaith.com/empoweredbyfaithlive

Dr. Tabatha:

When you drink, you think you're doing it to enjoy people more, but what you're actually doing is you're tolerating people you wouldn't tolerate sober. I'm like, oh, that's so good. If you're tired of doing all the right things and still feeling exhausted, stuck in your body, and disconnected from God, this podcast is for you. I'm Dr. Tabitha, triple board certified functional medicine physician, and I help women stop fighting their bodies and start healing them God's way. This isn't about another diet or quick fix. This is about restoring your energy, your confidence, and your faith through fasting, functional medicine, and biblical truth. Welcome to Fast to Faith, where you don't just lose weight and feel great. You step into who God created you to be. So let's get into it. Welcome back to the Fast of Faith podcast. Thank you for coming in, Ashley. Absolutely happy to be here. It's insane outside. We just need to acknowledge in case you hear something in the background, it is like a little kid's snow globe, and the kid shook it off really bad, and it's wild out there. So I'm just grateful that we're actually in the studio because I don't know how we got here actually.

Ashlee:

I don't either, but I think it's really nice to be here. We're in that weird week between Christmas and New Year's, and here we are recording for you guys.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yes, and you are listening after the new year. So I have no doubt you made some kind of New Year's resolution. Hopefully, you listened to our episode last week about New Year's resolutions because the truth is a lot of us need to break up with some strongholds. Can we just be honest today?

Ashlee:

Yeah, two main two main things, I think. What are they? Sugar and alcohol.

Dr. Tabatha:

Ooh, okay. I I might get a lot of hate mail for this. All right. Maybe not the sugar, but definitely the alcohol. But if you partied hard and enjoyed the new year, um, then you're you may be ready to hear this. But maybe you went to bed at nine o'clock because you can't even tolerate alcohol anymore. So I think everybody needs to listen to this episode, right?

Ashlee:

Yeah. That's true. Because you know what? This is coming out that Monday after the everyone goes back to work. So this is the after work episode. Like everyone's back to reality today.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yes, we're back to reality. And let's just talk about the truth about alcohol and sugar, is they are a socially acceptable addiction. I know that some, you know, drug addicts, other addicts, they sometimes don't want us to put sugar and alcohol on the same level, but it hits the same chemistry. So we're gonna talk about that. We're gonna talk about why you are addicted to sugar and alcohol and what it does to your neurochemistry, to your hormones, and more importantly, how to break free from it. Because I think the new year is the perfect time to just give it one last chance. And I say last because I want this to be done and finished, right?

Ashlee:

Yes, exactly. And this is such an important conversation because women don't feel addicted. Um, I was there myself, they just feel stuck and then they blame themselves.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yeah. Tell me how long, when's the last time you had a drink?

Ashlee:

Man, we are when you're watching this episode, we will have hit 17 months. So 17 months ago, I had my last drink. I remember it like it was yesterday. And was that on purpose? Um, a little bit. I woke up feeling like crap. I think every year you it gets harder and harder to recover. Um, and then there also was that point of like, I didn't think I had a problem. Um, it got to the point where I needed a drink every day and I needed a little bit more every day to feel better. So um I look back now and I can say I was relying on alcohol more than I would like to admit that I was at the time.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yeah. Unfortunately, we see this every day with our clients and our patients, right? So it's the I just need to unwind. I deserve this. I worked hard today. Or why else would I get together with my girlfriends? We just we go out for drinks. That's what we do. And so it's very socially acceptable.

Ashlee:

Oh, it's totally socially acceptable. And I will say that it is starting to become more socially acceptable to have a mock tail instead of a cocktail, which is a really cool thing to see.

Dr. Tabatha:

Thankfully, yes. But can I even say I think it it's not just socially acceptable, it's almost mandatory. Yeah. I hear from patients and clients that I can't not drink because my girlfriends will question me about it and they'll think I'm judging them. And so it's like you're stuck in this situation where you can't stop drinking even if you want to. So I'm so excited about the mocktails that have come out, and now they're like in cans and sparkling adaptogens and all these different options. Um, but for so long, women just felt this peer pressure to fit in and belong. So if that is you, I really want you to know that it doesn't have to be that way, and your friends probably secretly feel like crap too. Yeah. And so you gotta just be the leader and get on board and be like, this is what we're doing. Let's try something new. Cause we can learn to have fun.

Ashlee:

Yeah, learn to have fun without alcohol and us and not associate every outing with alcohol because that's what it is. Like weddings, and for me, it was summer and boating, and I just instantly thought I gotta have a drink. And so every day that has gone by over the last 17 months, that's what that's what's happened, is I've been able to now reassociate those activities with joy and actually see the joy in them instead of having to find the joy through alcohol.

Dr. Tabatha:

Oh my goodness. Okay, so how did you do that?

Ashlee:

Well, it took a while. And it took, it took the I remember like the first wedding, and I remember going to the all-inclusive and like every day at the all-inclusive being like, okay, today we're not gonna have a drink, and we're only gonna worry about today, and then living in the moment. Um, at first, um, it was kind of switching, and I remember like I would have a little bit more sweets, or I would have a lot more CBD and different things, and so it does sometimes take switching to something that is better for you than the alcohol, but still not great, and then dialing that back. Uh, so I did that first.

Dr. Tabatha:

I think that's really important, and I've shared this many times with my sugar addiction. Like the the sugar and the gluten, it would talk to me from the break room. I just had to have everything I could get my hands on. And I replaced it with fruit, even though fruit didn't taste as sweet because my taste buds were so hyper palatable at that point from all the sugar. I ate fruit like it was nobody's business. Like the amount of blueberries and strawberries and watermelon I ate, those are probably the three best things to start with because they have the lowest amount of sugar. Um, but a lot of times we need to have some kind of replacement as we're transitioning. Because as we're going to talk about, there's chemistry going on that is sending these cravings and these addictive feelings, right?

Ashlee:

So being prepared, always making sure I had a mock tail. Now I can go places and I feel confident. Like if they don't have something I can drink, I just drink water and that's completely fine. But at the time, I would literally think ahead like, what do I need to have so that I don't feel left out? And that's that's what I did. I always made sure that there was something I could have when I was there.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yeah. And okay, maybe you're listening and you're like, what is the big deal? Women in Italy drink a glass of wine every night. They have forever, and they have, you know, one of the best lifespans. Um, Italians live completely different lives, they walk probably four to six hours a day up and down hills carrying their groceries. They do not have pesticide-laden wine like we do. Our wine is so toxic. If you drink California wine, I'm sorry, it's very toxic and bad for you. And so there's all kinds of issues. And then we eat the standard American diet. So we already have blood sugar dysregulation. And one of the biggest reasons women struggle with sleep and perimenopause and beyond is because of alcohol, because of that blood sugar dysregulation. And I I would be remiss if I didn't mention alcohol is the number one modifiable risk factor for developing breast cancer. Estrogen is not the enemy, alcohol is, unfortunately. Yeah.

Ashlee:

People need to know that.

Dr. Tabatha:

They do, and nobody tells them. The doctors don't tell them, the oncologists don't tell them. It like it drives me crazy. Why is the oncologist not telling you to stop drinking alcohol? It's the number one modifiable risk factor. Like it doubles and triples your chance of developing breast cancer and recurrence dependent. It's dose dependent. So the more you drink, the higher your risk. And that includes binge drinking. So you could be good all week, but if you're partying on the weekends, that is just as bad as two glasses every single night. So we cannot drink the way men drink. We just can't. Yeah.

Ashlee:

And I that was where that was the first sign for me, too, was I was like, okay, I'm gonna get through Monday through Thursday, and Thursday night, I'm gonna be able to have a drink. And I literally I got to the point where I couldn't wait for Thursday. And then it would be like four o'clock, and then it'd be three o'clock, and be two o'clock, and then it'd be noon on Thursday, and I'm like, okay, this is where you know you have a problem. You're addicted to you're addicted to that dopamine hit that you're getting.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yeah, so let's talk about that because there really is no shame here. This is a chemical situation that's happening in your body. Your body is missing certain things, and alcohol gives you that temporary relief because it numbs certain nerves and emotions, it dulls things down. That's why it feels good to have the cocktail at 5 p.m. But long term it kills off your good microbiome, which is creating your neurotransmitters, your dopamine and serotonin and GABA. And so long term, you're missing these essential neurotransmitters. And so, short term you keep going for that relief, but long term you're making it worse. It's a terrible vicious cycle.

Ashlee:

Yeah, I usually wake up with anxiety the next day, and I would cope with that anxiety by having a drink later on that night. And then I'd be like, oh, the anxiety's gone, but then it's back again the next day. So you just have to pay attention to what it's doing to your body. A lot of times it's crappy sleep, you just feel puffy and gross.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yeah, yeah. And we don't talk about dopamine enough. I think everybody understands serotonin because of antidepressants, they make you feel happy and you know, motivated to do things. GABA is our calming neurotransmitter, but dopamine is essential for motivation and reward. We do a lot of things based on a dopamine hit. And the truth of it is scrolling on our phones. Yes, since social media really came into our daily existence, like it is it's part of our daily lives at this point. We can't even check your email. Right. So you get little dopamine hits every time you like something when you're scrolling, every time you hit that heart or that thumbs up, it's a dopamine hit. And unfortunately, what happens is the dopamine receptors they get saturated. And so then you no longer feel that good feeling when you continue to scroll. And so you keep scrolling because you want that feeling back. You're like, where's the dopamine hit? Where's the dopamine hit? Yeah, and you have to wait for those hormone receptors to become unsaturated again and to feel that again. And so that can be a chase that happens. And the same thing happens with alcohol and sugar, like you mentioned earlier, you needed more to have that same feeling. So you you need more and you need more and you need more. And at some point, we have to say enough is enough. Like this is crazy. It is time to reset our dopamine receptors and have some sensitivity again, right?

Ashlee:

Yeah. And I if you're listening to this and you're like, well, I feel great, but I drink every day. It also, another thing that it did for me was it really helped my cycles. Like every month I saw my cycle improve, improve, improve. Um, and here we are, you know, 17 months later, and I my cycle is at the best that it's ever been. It actually comes every 28 days like it's supposed to. And it was down to like 22, between 22 and 24 days for a while. So it does really make a difference. So if you're listening to this and you're like, I don't need to give up alcohol because I feel great mentally, awesome for you. But there's probably some other things. You're asleep, you're probably tired, your cycle's probably messed up. Some things you don't want to admit are not right. So if you're not tracking your cycle, we talked about this last week, track your cycle because then you're gonna start to notice. And you'll hold on to those little things because that's what I did too was I would go to weddings and I would go to parties and different things, and I would wake up the next day feeling really good. And I would hold on to that at the next event that I went to or the next book club that I skipped the drink. And I was able to be like, Well, I'm gonna go to bed tonight without anxiety, and I'm gonna wake up tomorrow without anxiety and I'm gonna feel good. And so that was what I held on to. And I would literally talk to God at places, and I still do, but I did it a lot heavier. I relied on him a lot more in the beginning, and I would just literally say, like, please, Holy Spirit, get me through this. Like, just help me through it, get the little devil off my shoulder that's gonna try to get me to get alcohol in my drink today.

Dr. Tabatha:

Oh my gosh, you hit on so many important points.

Ashlee:

I know, sorry, I kind of went on a tangent there.

Dr. Tabatha:

No, that is a really important point. Some women they don't feel the mood changes that are happening, but they're suffering from heavy periods or really painful periods or fibroids or endometriosis, and now they're on all the drugs for that and having surgery for those things, and literally it could be your alcohol intake. So let me just break that down because some women are like, that doesn't even make any sense. How does alcohol affect my uterus? I promise you it does. So the liver is very much responsible for alcohol metabolism, it's also responsible for estrogen metabolism. So our body will break down anything exogenous before anything endogenous. What does that mean? It means if you are bringing something into your body, especially toxins, alcohol, medications, drugs, your liver is gonna prefer to metabolize those first because it wants to protect you and it will put estrogen on the back burner. It will say, we can't deal with you right now. And your estrogen levels will start to rise and build up, and you will get crazy high estrogen levels, which feeds too much growth in the endometrium and in those fibroids and in the endometriosis, and then you can start to have these symptoms, you know, from the uterus. And most women are not putting two to two together. I did not learn this as an OBGYN, you guys. I had to go on and study at the Cleveland Clinic Institute for Functional Medicine. And the day I learned this, I just I can still remember being in that conference room going, What? Why don't I know this? Why don't I know this as a gynecologist? This is so wrong that I wasn't taught this. So, like I'm on a mission to share it with everybody because you need to understand that what you're putting in your body affects your hormone levels. It affects how your hormone levels, you know, come or go. It's not just about how much you're taking in or how much you're making. It's are you breaking it down properly? Are you accumulating it? And you have way more say in it than the doctors tell you. So that's just a really important point. I'm really glad you brought that out because that's one of the first things we see with our clients is we get them to go 30 days without alcohol, and they're like, oh my gosh, my period wasn't painful. Like, I didn't have raging PMS. I didn't hate my husband. What's that about?

Ashlee:

I'm like, oh, because he got rid of sugar and alcohol. Yeah, exactly. And it's okay um to have support and to celebrate the fact that every day, I mean, maybe you've only been one week alcohol free, but that is okay. And it took me, I announced that 11 months uh that I had been alcohol free for 11 months. So for 11 months, I had a support system behind the scenes, but I didn't put it out there on social media. I think it was one of those things where like I needed to figure out what it was gonna be. And I remember when I made the post, I put very frankly, I don't know if alcohol is gone for me forever. You know, you can't, you know, I can't look into the future. Um, but I know that I just feel better without it. So here we are, we just continue on and I'm okay with it. I went, um, there's been a couple of times in the last couple of months where I've been at stuff and you just realize that you you don't even think about it. Like I used to really have to pump myself up and now I don't have to do that anymore. And that's what's nice about it.

Dr. Tabatha:

It's freedom, right?

Ashlee:

Yeah, it's total freedom. Yeah, it feels really good.

Dr. Tabatha:

It does. And I used to think freedom was drinking whatever I wanted, eating whatever I wanted. And I felt so deprived and like I didn't have freedom because I couldn't eat gluten, I couldn't have a cocktail because I was on call or whatever. And I just I had to reframe what I was saying to myself. Instead of um, instead of saying like I can't have this, I choose not to have it because I actually feel better. And there's so much freedom in choosing something that is good for your body. Yep.

Ashlee:

And now we have freedom to have joy without having a substance.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yes. And, you know, trying to follow our notes today, but the Holy Spirit is guiding our conversation. I know. I love, I always love that, but um, something that we had written in here, I just want to read because it's we wrote, alcohol is often framed as self-care, but biologically and spiritually, it's a counterfeit comfort. So I want to talk about these counterfeits because they show up a lot in our lives. We talked about this, how we feel like we're getting relaxed and relief and comforted. But really, all we're getting is poor sleep, hormone imbalance, anxiety, inflammation throughout our body. We feel terribly. Puffy in the mornings, and we get emotionally numb. I I put a story up recently because I just I had to reshare it. It was so good. It was like when you drink, you think you're doing it to um enjoy people more, but what you're actually doing is you're tolerating people you wouldn't tolerate sober.

Ashlee:

I'm like, oh, that's so good.

Dr. Tabatha:

Right? Like, let's call the truth the truth. Yeah.

Ashlee:

So I also think it that kind of leads to quantity over quality because sometimes we look at like we need to have this huge friend circle. And now that my friend circle is a lot smaller, they're much more qualified, like quantity-based relationships, or and I get so much more from them, and they're all God-given relationships. And I know I can go to them anytime I'm feeling spiritually attacked. And when I pull away from those relationships, those people should know that I am probably getting spiritually attacked and I don't want to tell them. Um, and so it's important to have those relationships in your life.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yeah. I just reading that post just pointed out to me that alcohol blunts our discernment and our sensitivity and our ability to spiritually uh read another person's spirit, like it really does cloud your judgment, right? So, and it replaces the dependence on God with dependence on a substance. So, what we see in our clients is they they're ashamed, they pray less, they don't want to admit. And anytime you are living in that shame of darkness and not wanting to admit anything, you're gonna retreat, you're going to be alone, and that is where the devil really comes in and starts working. So, like, we have to bring it to the light. We have to just say, like, oh, I think I'm, you know, drinking too much at this point. I think I'm using it as a comfort or as a replacement. And like, God, will you help me figure this out and come in and deliver me from this? And just get really honest about that because the more that we can shine the light on this, the more freedom that we're gonna have. Absolutely. Yeah, 100%. So the the last thing we wanted to talk about is why white knuckling never works. So we talk about this with our clients because we meet as a team and we want our clients to be so successful, and time and time again, and I'm completely um oh, what's the word? Guilty of this.

Ashlee:

Yeah.

Dr. Tabatha:

Look at me trying to block it out. This all or nothing mentality of like, I can't cut it out, I can't just get rid of it. If it's in the house, I have to eat it all, so I can't even have it. And so I think we've talked about this before. There's two types of personalities. There's the people who can have alcohol around and they won't drink it, but then there are people who are like, if it's around, I'm gonna drink it. So we need to stop white knuckling and trying to like just willpower our way through it and really invite God in, don't we? Yeah, we do.

Ashlee:

And I think you have to um learn to take it one step at a time and one day at a time. So something that you and I have been working on over the last year is just focusing on today. Like tomorrow's problems are gonna be there, whether we want them or not. And so um we've gotten really good at calling each other out, like we're worrying about you know, next week and it doesn't really matter. We just gotta do we have everything we need to do today, and just doing one thing at a time. And so if it's alcohol, stick with alcohol until you feel really comfortable. If it's gluten, stick with that. If it's sugar, stick with that. I would not recommend um this is just personal, uh, doing alcohol and sugar all at the same time. Like you will, you will probably fail. Like it will be really hard. So, because you're like, well, I can't have the alcohol, I can't have the cookie, I can't have like anything. So doing one thing at a time. That is my recommendation.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yeah, it's hard. You have to get to know your personality and get to know your triggers and how you handle things. And so it takes some self-reflection and like looking at past decisions and behaviors. And oh my gosh, I'm so excited we got Dr. Russ Irwin coming because he is the trauma expert in the Christian space. Oh my gosh, you guys, I cannot wait for this conversation because I know I wanted to talk about trauma on a deeper level and how it affects our neurochemistry and our hormones and our ability to make decisions, but I needed it to have a biblical perspective because that piece, if we're not nurturing the soul and recognizing that the spirit sometimes can be broken and detached, then we're not actually gonna heal, right? Like it's more than just the body keeping the score and reprocessing the stuff that happened to you as a child. Like it is repairing your spirit and nurturing your soul. And so I'm really excited for that conversation because that is a deeper piece of why we continue to reach for the sugar or the alcohol or the organic, gluten-free Cheetos. Hello, I was on that kick last week. Like we justify in our head, oh my gosh, it's gluten-free. Oh my gosh, it's organic. So let me eat a whole bag of Cheetos. Like, what? For real? I know. But our mind plays these tricks on us. And the reality is you have to forgive yourself and not have shame around that. You're like, oh, that was a curious choice, what I did last week. It was the holidays. I was a little lonely. I have a lot of trauma around December. And so I just gave myself grace and I moved on.

Ashlee:

But you got back on track. So actually, when I was talking, I was thinking about that. Like, it's okay. So let's say, you know, you make it six months, even or even six days, whatever it is, and you don't have sugar, alcohol, whatever you get out of this conversation, and you have sugar or you have alcohol, that's okay. Like, have it and move on. Like, we say this so much. Um, our nutritionist Morgan and I are constantly preaching this to the patients, like, move on. Like, that's okay that you screwed up yesterday. Today's a new day, move on.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yes. When you vociverate on the past and just like you chew on it and you just, oh my gosh, you can't get over it. That is shame. You are stuck in a downward spiral, and you have to learn how to pull yourself out of that or get some friends that you can be fully honest with to help pull you out of that. Yeah. Because there's just there's no condemnation in Christ. He forgives us, he took away our sins and he continues to. That's what I had to learn. It's like if he didn't just wash away my past, he knows all the crap I'm gonna do now and in the future, and he's already paid the price for that. So give yourself some grace and move on. Yeah, exactly.

Ashlee:

Okay, I want to read something because um he wrote it in here and I don't want to miss it because it's a really good point. Okay. You can't pray away a dopamine deficit and you can't supplement your way out of a spiritual avoidance. I feel like that's so good.

Dr. Tabatha:

Isn't that important to understand? Like, we need Jesus, we need to pray, we need to trust and rely on his strength, but we also are a physical body with physiology happening all of the time that God created, and there are deficits, there are things, there are dysfunctions that need to be addressed, or you will actually feel a certain way. So you can pray for the depression spirit to be lifted, but literally, if you're not making any serotonin, or if you have a major B vitamin deficiency, the depression is gonna stay. Yeah. Like you need your vitamin D, you need your B12, you need your exercise in your serotonin production. You need all those things to happen. So did you drink water today? You know, I know it can be so simple. Yeah. You have to check off those foundations. So that's why I love testing and really just seeing exactly where your body is at this point, because here's some things that you need to think about while you're praying, and in addition to praying, we need to think about our metabolic flexibility, our ability to burn sugar or fat for fuel. We need to think about our neurochemistry. Is our microbiome healthy enough that it's making our neurotransmitters, our dopamine, our serotonin, our GABA? Are our hormones functioning properly? Do we have insulin sensitivity? Do we have estrogen dominance or issues like that? And then we can go, okay, spiritually, am I connected with other people? And am I going for that counterfeit comfort or am I really addressing it? And lastly, like we need to be in community because if you don't have someone showing up for you and holding you accountable and helping you through it, you it's easy to slide back into the darkness and into the shame.

Ashlee:

Yeah. And this is where Fast of Faith looks different. And this is why Fast of Faith is different for women. And as coaches, um, we often are shocked by how quickly cravings quiet when the body is nourished properly. And so that's super important to make sure you're getting enough protein and healthy fat, but also connecting to God at the same time.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yeah, I'll tell you, freedom feels so effortless when you're in alignment, when you you really have figured out what your body needs, you have nourished it and fueled it properly. All these bad habits and decisions, they they kind of start to go away. Like I fell off the wagon hard in Jamaica last year, or was that earlier this year? It's all a blur. Yeah, it was eight months ago. And I had to day by day just focus on giving my body what it needed to break up with the sugar and the alcohol. And that is what I've been doing for eight months. I'm like, let me just lead with healthy fats and protein, let me lead with scripture and meditation. And at some point, you're like, oh, I'm free. I don't even think about it anymore.

Ashlee:

Yeah, because freedom isn't about restriction, it's about restoration.

Dr. Tabatha:

I love that so much. Okay. So we what else do we need to talk about here?

Ashlee:

Let me give All right. So here's what I'm gonna ask you. That's how we're gonna wrap it up today. If a woman is listening right now and thinking, this is me, what would you say to her?

Dr. Tabatha:

Cravings will go away when your body feels safe and supported, and when you get your physiology back in alignment. I always have to pull in the medical piece. I'm a doctor, right? So we have to have both pieces of it. You have to get your body functioning efficiently, get things in alignment, get balanced, and then you also have to nourish the spirit. So at Fast of Faith, we always say, you know, we we fast the body, but we feast or nourish the soul because that piece is absolutely essential. Your soul is crying out for more, and you may or may not realize it. You may completely have numbed it down from alcohol, and so you can't even hear anything. Um, that's something we hear from our clients all the time, and it was a huge epiphany I had a decade ago was when you feel like crap all the time, you don't even know what good feels like. No, and then when you clean up the landscape and you try to put something bad back in, it's so much more obvious. Like when I lived on pizza and alcohol and you know, candy and Mountain Dew, like eating Taco Bell didn't make me feel any different because I already felt like crap. But I thought that was my standard, my norm. So now if I eat Taco Bell, like I'm feeling it for 24 hours. It is so much more obvious.

Ashlee:

Yeah. Um, isn't that right? Yeah, it is. Um, so sugar and alcohol don't have power over you. If that if you get anything out of this um episode today, that's what we want you to get out of it. And they've just been filling a gap that God wants to heal.

Dr. Tabatha:

Yes. I we need to make that declaration. Like Jesus has the power and the authority, he's given it to us. So we don't have to have strongholds in our lives, we don't have to have sugar addictions, alcohol addictions. And even if you don't think that they're an addiction, you don't have to have a go-to that you feel pulled toward. Like you can literally have freedom from all of that. So if this conversation hit you at all, if you're feeling a little uncomfortable or even a little mad at us, like screw off. I don't like anything that you said. You just might need to be in the Fast of Faith sisterhood. You might need to wrap your brain around this a little bit more because we need to go deeper. Like, I don't want you to struggle another year. I don't want you to have another failed New Year's resolution. I don't want you to drop 20 pounds and then gain 30 back and end 2026 frustrated, like my body failed me again. It's it sucks. Like it doesn't have to be that way, but you do have to make a decision. You have to make different choices. And those different choices do come from um breaking through those strongholds and figuring out what you believe about yourself and sometimes renewing that and changing it. So, like, literally, I think this episode is dropping the first day of our five-day challenge. So it's literally not too late to jump in. It is five days of a live challenge where we are renewing your mind, we are figuring out what's holding you back, and maybe it's not sugar and alcohol, maybe it's trauma, maybe it's just your current situation that you're in, maybe it is a gut you need to heal. Like we unpack all the things, so jump in there. It is not too late, but literally, I want you to just meditate on this scripture the rest of the day and see what God says to you because there is so much power in connecting with women doing the same thing that you're doing, not just going through what you're going through. This is not an AA meeting, right? You know, this is freedom. Like we have figured it out, we've cracked the code, we have broken through, we've and we're on the other side, and we want you there with us. So, 1 Corinthians 10, 23. Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. God gives us free will. You can eat the sugar, you can drink the wine and the cocktail and the shot, whatever you want. It doesn't mean it's good for you, it doesn't mean your body's gonna behave properly. Um so think about that today. Think about the fact that your free will got you where you are, but your free will can also bring you to Christ and bring true freedom.

Ashlee:

So that was so good. And if you're listening to this and you're like, I don't, I don't even drink alcohol, whatever it is that you're struggling with, put that in this conversation because this can be relatable to anything that you're addicted to and you don't even know it.

Dr. Tabatha:

Oh, yes, shopping, right? Yeah, it's bad decisions.

Ashlee:

Endless scrolling. I mean, we could go on, so yes.

Dr. Tabatha:

Oh my gosh. Okay. All right, ladies, we love you. Have an amazing week. Go be Christ hands to serve. Yep, bye, guys.