Coming Clean

A Story of Faith

Coming Clean By: Seth Haines

Book Description

“I suppose we’re all drunk on something.”

Seth Haines was in the hospital with his wife, planning funeral songs for their not-yet two-year-old, when he made a very conscious decision: this was the last day he wanted to feel. That evening, he asked his sister to smuggle in a bottle of gin, and gave in to addiction.

But whether or not you’ve ever had a drop to drink in your life, we’re all looking for ways to stop the pain. Like Seth, we’re all seeking balms for the anxiety of what sometimes seems to be an absent, unresponsive God—whether it’s through people-pleasing, shopping, the internet, food, career highs, or even good works and elite theology. We attempt to anesthetize our anxiety through addiction—any old addiction. But it often leaves us feeling even more empty than before.

In Coming Clean, Seth Haines writes a raw account of his first 90 days of sobriety, illuminating how to face the pain we’d rather avoid, and even more importantly, how an abiding God meets us in that pain. Seth shows us that true wholeness is found in facing our pain and anxieties with the tenacity and tenderness of Jesus, and only through Christ’s passion can we truly come clean.

My Thoughts

I received this book in exchange for an honest review through Booklook Bloggers.  The title and description of this book were interesting to me because I have been closely involved with people who drink.  Some to the point that it has greatly impacted their life and their relationships, with others it has not yet reached that extreme but is still something they struggle with. I have also had the privilege of seeing the transformation when somebody makes the choice to overcome an alcohol addiction.  I wanted to get a better understanding from somebody who has drank and who has overcome that struggle.  I wanted some insight into how those who I am friends with who also have struggled, might be feeling.  I was surprised to find that it was, overall, a great book. I thought it would be perhaps better suited for somebody who might come from the same place he has, but I walked away with great tidbits of information and thoughts to ponder, even though alcohol is not something that I struggle with. It talks about truth and about how God heals and how sometimes he doesn't.  It made me think about a quote from Randy Alcorn, "God permits what he hates to achieve what he loves."  I really enjoyed this book, and while I think it would be good for somebody who is overcoming an alcohol addiction, I see where it is just also a really good read. There is a lot of insight into his thoughts about God and the questions that have all run through our minds at one time or another.  We all struggle with something and addiction knows no boundaries...