Jason Umidi Shares Recovery Success In New Book, JESUS + SELTZER

Jason Umidi might not have quite hit rock-bottom, but he was close.

The preacher's kid-turned-actor and model was living the high life in New York City in the early 1990s, when he became hooked on pain pills as the result of multiple back surgeries. Binge drinking only made his problems worse, and soon things were spiraling out of control.

"I had complicated issues in my life that led to the abuse of alcohol and opioids," he said. "I started to self-medicate to avoid feeling the physical and emotional pain that dominated my life. I did not set out to be an addict-alcoholic, but it happened and it robbed me of the life I was meant to live. I no longer had any dreams, sense of hope or sense of purpose."

Umidi got sober in 2017 thanks to a 12-step program and God, reconnecting to the faith he once shunned, finding redemption and restoration through his recovery journey. He is now sharing his reflections and the approach that worked for him, with the hope of helping other addicts and alcoholics, in his new book "JESUS + SELTZER: STORIES AND MEDITATIONS ON SOBRIETY AND RECOVERY" (The Weight of Ink Publishing).

"JESUS + SELTZER" is based on meditations Umidi has written for his recovery blog, Today's One Minute Read (todaysoneminuteread.com). Each is preceded by an inspirational quote from a famous figure, such as Henry David Thoreau, Carl Jung, Benjamin Franklin, Joan Baez, Mother Teresa, Oscar Wilde and others, followed by Umidi's explanation of how that quote is relevant to his recovery.

"There are a lot of self-help and recovery books, but most of them are memoirs or medical-type books," Umidi said. "Jesus + Seltzer is an easy read for busy people, who might be looking for quick inspiration any time of day or night. With these 'one minute' meditations I reflect on the gratitude that I have for life as I journey on this road through recovery. The hope that I offer is born out of my decades of experience living with addictions and the ultimate freedoms found through this sober lifestyle."

Umidi's reasons for severing ties with Christianity in his younger years were complicated, involving family issues and theological disagreements. Though he is now a follower of Jesus, he believes that Jesus and Seltzer can help addicts and alcoholics of other faiths, or even those who have no faith in a Higher Power.

"The title definitely identifies who and what I'm about, but I have friends who don't practice any particular faith who really enjoy reading my work," Umidi said. "If you're struggling with addictions and you pick up this book, my prayer would be that our shared experiences would create a bond that would transcend our differences and that the reader would experience an intimate connection with the God of their understanding."

"JESUS + SELTZER: STORIES AND MEDITATIONS ON SOBRIETY AND RECOVERY" is available through Amazon for $9.95 (paperback) and $2.99 (Kindle). More information is available at JasonUmidi.com.

About the author

Jason Umidi is a certified life coach who works with people seeking sobriety. He is the creator of the blog Today's One Minute Read (todaysoneminuteread.com), which is dedicated to the abundant life that can be found in a sober lifestyle. While working as an actor in New York City, he was the Director of the New York City branch of Inter-Mission, a ministry of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood that provides support for those in the entertainment community. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He now lives in Norfolk, Virginia with his wife and three children.

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