Paula B. AFG FemalePaula B. AFG Female
Recovery Radio Network
Paula shares how living with alcoholism led her to Al‑Anon, sponsorship and service, transforming fear and chaos into a more grounded, connected life. Her story traces family pain, an abusive marriage, an intervention, and gradual growth into trusted leadership within the fellowship.
52:58•2 Nov 2026
Paula’s Journey: From Fearful Spouse to Al‑Anon Service Star
Episode Overview
- Seeking help for chaos around someone else’s drinking can start with a simple phone call, even if you feel you’re the one going crazy.
- Having a sponsor and calling regularly can provide structure, accountability and emotional support that self‑reliance cannot.
- Service roles, even small ones like greeting at meetings, can help shy or fearful people grow in confidence and feel part of a recovery family.
- Interventions may be appropriate when guided by experienced members and a clear higher power connection, especially when safety and sanity are at stake.
- Making amends to family can change long‑standing patterns of fear and distance, even with parents who are not naturally demonstrative.
“All I can say, if you do not have a sponsor, get one today, tomorrow, but get one before the end of the week.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This talk from the Recovery Radio Network follows Paula from North Carolina as she shares how growing up with alcoholism at home shaped her fear, relationships and sense of self-worth, and how Al‑Anon family groups gave her a different way to live.
You’ll hear how Paula’s early "miss independent" mindset left her terrified of asking for help, even as her life with an alcoholic, cocaine‑using husband spiralled into abuse and chaos. Her turning point came after a violent night when, convinced she was losing her mind, she phoned AA and was directed to Al‑Anon.
That single call led to daily contact with a sponsor, deep work on the Steps, and a slow thawing of her numbed‑out emotions: "After a while, I realised the predominant feeling in everything was fear." Paula lays out why sponsorship and service became her lifelines.
Her sponsor’s conditions – call every day and say yes to service – pushed her from shy greeter to group representative, then into district, area and eventually international service, including time as a delegate and trustee. She keeps things honest and funny as she admits being terrified at the microphone, using a Q‑tip on the podium to remind herself to "quit taking it personally" during heated business meetings.
Alongside service, Paula talks about emotional amends with her parents, an intervention for her husband that led to treatment, and how her private "escape fund" unexpectedly kept them afloat when he lost his job. Throughout, her relationship with her "HP" (higher power) is practical and down‑to‑earth, guiding moves between states, career changes and major service decisions.
This episode is ideal if you’re affected by someone else’s drinking, curious about Al‑Anon, or wondering whether sponsorship and service could give your own recovery some structure and hope. It’s a candid story of fear slowly giving way to trust, one phone call and one meeting at a time. How might saying "yes" to help change your path?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.