ESH: Ketta M - 28 Years (Funny)

ESH: Ketta M - 28 Years (Funny)

What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This talk from Ketta M, recorded at the Serenity Weekend in Williamsburg, Virginia, gives a raw, funny, and very real picture of 28 years of sober life in AA. You’ll hear Ketta describe herself as “for the most part, a free woman today,” while making it clear that freedom didn’t arrive wrapped in perfection.

She talks openly about end-stage alcoholism at 22 – living in a flea-ridden flat, drinking round the clock, terrified, and convinced she was beyond redemption. A simple moment in an emergency room, admitting “I can’t stop drinking,” became the turning point that led her to AA and a life she never imagined. Her style is warm, self-deprecating, and full of humour, even when she’s talking about some very dark experiences.

She shares vivid stories of chaotic drinking, family alcoholism stretching back generations, and the wildly mixed cast of characters in her home group: “We absolutely are people that wouldn’t mix.” For anyone curious about long-term sobriety, Ketta’s story shows what happens when someone keeps showing up, gets a sponsor, takes the steps seriously, and stays in the middle of AA.

She talks about being pushed to make hard amends decades later, going back to study from an eighth-grade education to a degree from UCLA, and finding unexpected purpose as a special education teacher. Throughout, she stresses aggressive treatment of alcoholism, the importance of commitments, and the quiet magic of “just taking the next indicated action,” even when it feels pointless or scary.

If you’re wondering whether AA can really transform a life over the long haul, Ketta’s mix of honesty, humour, and gratitude might be exactly what you need to hear today.