{"id":3143,"date":"2025-12-03T15:47:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T15:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/?p=3143"},"modified":"2025-12-03T16:33:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T16:33:45","slug":"cody-winingear-from-collapse-to-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/2025\/12\/03\/cody-winingear-from-collapse-to-calling\/","title":{"rendered":"Cody Winingear: From Collapse to Calling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n



Cody Winingear: From Collapse to Calling<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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For our Christmas newsletter, we\u2019re excited to share a wonderfully encouraging recovery story. Meet Cody Winingear!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cody recently joined CORE as our men\u2019s intake coordinator at the Branson Recovery Center. His wife, Karli, who has performed in Branson shows for years, also sings with the praise and worship team at CORE Church. Together with their adorable furbabies, they have called Branson home since they married three years ago. We\u2019re thrilled to have Cody on our team!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Because Cody is new and working hard to make a good impression, he seemed a little cautious when asked to share his story for this holiday edition. We got the sense he preferred to be seen as a man of serious mind who is dedicated to helping newcomers. We reassured him we would take good care of him. So, here goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be candid, Cody\u2019s addiction was anything but merry. Alcohol had always been at the center. \u201cAlcohol was the constant<\/em>,\u201d he says, \u201cbut there were always drugs involved at various stages<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they first met, Karli knew nothing about addiction or how difficult life could become if Cody used again. When he eventually fell off the wagon, \u201cit was a big surprise for her<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside, Cody had been unraveling long before anyone noticed. He was \u201cnot working steps\u2026 a sitting duck<\/em>,\u201d and he stayed busy with work and video games to outrun the restlessness, irritability, and discontent he did not want to face. \u201cIf I stayed busy, I didn\u2019t have to pay attention to life<\/em>.\u201d He filled his days with money, vacations, and gadgets, but each distraction failed just as quickly as it arrived. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually the obsession returned in full force, and he relapsed. His addiction escalated quickly, and his world shrank to \u201cjust me and my job of avoiding people<\/em>.\u201d At home, secrecy and manipulation took over. \u201cI was always intoxicated. By the three-month point it was constant<\/em>.\u201d He hid bottles, drank before getting home, and even provoked arguments to keep Karli away from his behavior. Eventually, she moved out. \u201cIt\u2019s not what she bargained for<\/em>,\u201d Cody says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His body and mind finally gave out, and he landed in the hospital. Damage had been done at home, at work, and within his family, yet he still could not see the depth of his problem. He had been to treatment centers and recovery housing before and believed another \u201ctwenty-eight day program<\/em>\u201d would fix everything. Happily, something larger had other plans for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened next can only be described as a divine setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A friend urged him to come to CORE\u2019s one-year recovery program, which Cody remembers as \u201cthe last place I wanted to come to<\/em>.\u201d He checked into a rehab, but his insurance would not cover the stay. A caseworker then asked, \u201cHave you ever thought about going to CORE?<\/em>\u201d In August 2024, Cody finally arrived to CORE, broken, exhausted, and out of solutions. Still, fate was not finished with him, not just yet.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cMy first thirty days here, I was planning my exit<\/em>,\u201d he says. He wanted to go home, his thought still being that he could fix everything on the outside without changing anything on the inside. On day thirty, bags packed, he arrived at the recovery center ready to check out. A conversation with our program manager, Dallas Conaway, gave him a much needed reality check. Dallas reminded him of the consequences of leaving without working a real program. At Dallas\u2019s suggestion, Cody wrote a list of reasons he wanted to leave. The first was \u201cbe with my wife and try to fix things<\/em>.\u201d He prayed over the list alone and with a sponsor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then a CORE client walked in with Chinese takeout and tossed him a fortune cookie. It read, \u201cA distant relationship is beginning to look more promising<\/em>.\u201d The message spoke directly to Cody\u2019s greatest fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That night, visiting pastor and friend of CORE, Jay Scribner, preached on finishing the race you have started and the importance of committing to one full year of true recovery. As Cody listened, everything went still. \u201cThere was a presence there<\/em>,\u201d he says, \u201cI wasn\u2019t supposed to go<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the church service, Cody told Karli he was staying at CORE. She responded with relief and her support, saying \u201cWhatever we have to do, we will make it work<\/em>.\u201d In retrospect, that moment became the turning point of Cody\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once Cody surrendered, he threw himself into the work. \u201cMy step work, I took it seriously<\/em>,\u201d he says. He studied the Big Book, listened to speakers, and sought out the men \u201cyou could tell by their walk<\/em>\u201d had recovered. With guidance from graduates of CORE\u2019s program, he worked the Steps thoroughly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resentments lifted. Shame fell away. \u201cI could move again and breathe freely. I had mental clarity. And a sense of peace<\/em>,\u201d Cody recalls, citing a \u201cmiraculous change<\/em>\u201d happening within himself.  In fact, Cody had recovered and was freed from the obsession that had dogged him most of his life. The man who once panicked in restaurants with bars could now walk through stores that sold alcohol and feel nothing. Not fear, not craving, not pull. Only freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of his progress, he also set about repairing his relationships with Karli, with his employer, and with his family, and he succeeded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also began teaching 4D recovery classes at CORE.  With this experience came a significant change in his perspective. \u201cI was always in the mindset of I have thirty days to fix my life, or six months<\/em>,\u201d he says.  Now he knows better. \u201cThat isn\u2019t possible, not even a year. It takes time. I\u2019m still in this wonderful process of the transformation<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spiritually, Cody says everything still feels new, but in the best way. His early prayers were \u201cfox hole prayers<\/em>,\u201d but over time he sensed a dramatic shift. \u201cGod is everything to me<\/em>,\u201d he says matter of factly. He now sees God at work in every part of his life. Scripture, worship, and prayer have become central. \u201cOnly He can fill it. He\u2019s everything to me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Cody\u2019s vision for the future is full of hope. In five years, he sees a happy, healthy family where he and Karli continue to put God first in their marriage. He imagines a home where Karli can garden, where the pups can run, and where a child can grow up safe and loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professionally, he sees himself \u201csomewhere within CORE<\/em>,\u201d still working alongside Dallas. \u201cI get a lot of joy seeing it work for others. There really is something special about living the selfless life<\/em>.\u201d He also loves being on staff, remarking \u201cI\u2019ve never had a job where all my coworkers were like me. That\u2019s really awesome<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Cody, what began as reluctance has now become purpose. What began as survival has transformed into a calling. What began as collapse has grown into a life rebuilt, marked by willingness, honesty, spirituality, and service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We at CORE are deeply grateful to have Cody on our staff. It\u2019s been a joy to watch him recover and grow into a mentor who now guides others through the same journey. We\u2019re committed to supporting his success every step of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And because he\u2019s definitely one of us, we think he will appreciate a little holiday cheer to show that recovery comes with joy, laughter, and a spirit made new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what Cody looks like as Santa Claus!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Cody Winingear: From Collapse to Calling For our Christmas newsletter, we\u2019re excited to share a wonderfully encouraging recovery story. Meet Cody Winingear! Cody recently joined CORE as our men\u2019s intake coordinator at the Branson Recovery Center. His wife, Karli, who has performed in Branson shows for years, also sings with the praise and worship team…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3143"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3154,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3143\/revisions\/3154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}