#110 – Stephanie Graves: Long-Term Sobriety

#110 – Stephanie Graves: Long-Term Sobriety

What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This conversation between host Brett Morris and guest Stephanie Graves offers a raw, honest look at long-term sobriety that many people in recovery will recognise. Stephanie shares how she grew up with an alcoholic father, swore off drinking, then found alcohol at university and clung to it as a social crutch.

She describes feeling like “an alien from outer space” and says alcohol became her solution to not feeling comfortable in her own skin. From day one there were consequences: alcohol poisoning, broken relationships, harder drugs, overdoses, time in the psych ward, and being pulled out of college. By 23, drinking alone and hiding bottles, she realised, “it’s not enjoyable at all anymore and I can’t stop when I try. I am desperate.

I need help.” That desperation pushed her to her knees in prayer, into a 12-step fellowship, a sponsor, and service work.

Her sobriety date is May 11th 2009, and she’s now passionate about helping others build long-term sobriety and “create a reality that we don’t have to escape.” You’ll hear Stephanie and Brett talk about feeling like outsiders, then finding belonging in recovery rooms where everyone shares “the same disease of addiction.” They chat about service as everything from formal meeting roles to simply living recovery out loud so others can see change is possible.

The episode also touches on other pathways: meditation, yoga, harm reduction, online communities and apps. Both stress that the main goal is staying alive and sober, not defending one single method. Self-care and balance come up too, especially avoiding burnout from doing too much service. As Stephanie puts it, “Recovery is exciting.

I call it the greatest show on earth because it is.” If you’ve ever felt like an alien in your own life, could this be the kind of story that helps you feel less alone?