Ever notice how “peace” feels great until life gets loud? We go straight at the counterfeit calm that fades with circumstances and unpack the kind of peace that guards your heart and mind when the storm won’t quit. Drawing from Philippians 4, we walk through the surprising order—rejoice, refuse anxiety, pray with gratitude—and why thanking God before the answer reframes your outlook in recovery and beyond.

We get honest about early sobriety: slow progress, old labels that still sting, and the tug to numb instead of pray. You’ll hear how we learned to trade self-seeking, short-term relief for a deeper peace that restores identity in Jesus. We talk about subtraction before addition—laying down shame, past names, and chaotic environments so grace has room to work. We revisit the disciples’ storm to show that obedience can invite waves, and still, Jesus is in the boat. James 1 helps us see trials as formation, not failure, shaping patience and wholeness. Around the holidays, we remember peace announced in the middle of darkness, proof that true peace steps into mess and brings light.

If you’re rebuilding life after addiction, this conversation offers practical steps: Scripture meditation that plants “I am” truths, boundaries that invite old friends into your new rhythms (not the other way around), and habits that evict chaos from your schedule and screen. We share how to guard your heart and mind, choose relationships that protect your future, and develop gratitude that outlasts outcomes. Peace isn’t passive. It’s a daily alignment with God’s presence and promises, the steady assurance that he can calm you before he calms the wind.

If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs hope, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Your support helps more people find freedom and the peace that lasts.

Welcome to Rebuilding Life After Addiction. I’m Justin Franich — I’ve led recovery programs, pastored churches, and walked hundreds of men into real transformation. This podcast gives you the tools, truth, and straight talk to rebuild your life through Jesus. Let’s jump in.

Support the mission → https://giving.svtc.info/page/RebuildingHope

Share this episode and leave a review to help more families find hope.

Watch & subscribe on YouTube — https://youtube.com/@justinfranich

Most men don’t fall back because they’re weak; they fall back because stepping into a new identity feels risky. We sat down with Rob Reynolds to trace the real reasons progress turns into self-sabotage: the lie of “I’ve got this,” the pull of old labels, and the quiet fear that responsibility will crush you. Rob shares raw stories from recovery homes and his own 15-year journey, showing how control, comfort, and the need to be liked can drag us back right when life starts working.

Watch Episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/fQRN-csxtqk

We go deep on the transition from old circles to new community and why that “new kid” feeling makes relapse look safer than growth. Rob breaks down early warning signs—drifting from Scripture and prayer, isolation from fellowship, algorithms training your desires—and offers a simple but demanding antidote: surrender that requires a response. Word, prayer, worship, fellowship, and witness aren’t checkboxes; they’re daily guardrails that keep freedom sturdy when stress hits. We talk through step three’s surrender of control, why success can feel as scary as failure, and how to stop the spiral before it becomes a slide.

You’ll hear practical accountability you can start today: choose three steady people, grant access and permission, call before decisions, share passwords where lust hides, and refuse secrecy. Rob’s story of owning consequences, working multiple jobs, and trusting God in courtrooms brings identity in Christ from theory to street level. If you’re tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop, this conversation offers a way to put off the old, put on the new, and take one honest step that you can repeat tomorrow.

If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a quick review so others can find the show. Your story isn’t over—build the guardrails and keep going.

Welcome to Rebuilding Life After Addiction. I’m Justin Franich — I’ve led recovery programs, pastored churches, and walked hundreds of men into real transformation. This podcast gives you the tools, truth, and straight talk to rebuild your life through Jesus. Let’s jump in.

Support the mission → https://giving.svtc.info/page/RebuildingHope

Share this episode and leave a review to help more families find hope.

Watch & subscribe on YouTube — https://youtube.com/@justinfranich

If you’ve ever stared at the mess of your life and wondered whether anything good could grow from it, Justin’s story will meet you there. From a church-going kid to a fifteen-year-old meth addict hiding track marks under long sleeves, he walks us through the spiral—identity confusion, bad company, cocaine to crystal meth, dropping out, and a brief clean streak during Army training that collapsed the moment he got home. The freefall accelerates until a surprise intervention at his grandmother’s house finally holds a boundary: get help or go. In the backyard with an eight ball in his pocket and nowhere to sleep, he hits the kind of clarity only rock bottom can give.

What changes everything isn’t a complicated plan. It’s a sentence. After his family drives him seven hours to a Long Island rehab, a staff member looks him in the eyes and says, “God has a plan for your life.” He had heard it before, but not like this. That simple line becomes a compass. Recovery doesn’t turn into a highlight reel—he tries to leave the program again and again—but the words keep pulling him toward a future bigger than sobriety. He learns that getting clean is not the finish line; it’s day one of building identity, purpose, and relationships that can hold the weight of real life.

Two decades later, Justin has led in ministry, helped run a Teen Challenge program, married, and built a family—all anchored by the belief that purpose is not reserved for the unbroken. We talk honestly about relapse, the power of boundaries in family systems, how faith reframes identity, and why a clear, simple truth can cut through the fog when sophisticated advice can’t. If you or someone you love is fighting addiction, depression, or the ache of unfulfilled potential, this story offers both compassion and a roadmap: ask for help, accept structure, stay when it’s hard, and repeat the truth until it becomes yours.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find these stories. Your words might become someone else’s turning point.

Welcome to Rebuilding Life After Addiction. I’m Justin Franich — I’ve led recovery programs, pastored churches, and walked hundreds of men into real transformation. This podcast gives you the tools, truth, and straight talk to rebuild your life through Jesus. Let’s jump in.

Support the mission → https://giving.svtc.info/page/RebuildingHope

Share this episode and leave a review to help more families find hope.

Watch & subscribe on YouTube — https://youtube.com/@justinfranich