That's Me! That's Me! episode # 20 with Stacy M.
That's Me! That's Me! episode # 20 with Stacy M.

Recovery Radio Network

Monica and Julia talk with Stacey C about her first experiences in AA, long-term sobriety, relapse, and a powerful moment that brought her back to recovery. The conversation mixes humour, spiritual moments and honest reflection on loneliness, sponsorship and learning to live one day at a time.

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47:34•19 Jun 2026

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“That’s Me”: Stacey C on Big Books, Bottoms, and a Second Chance at Sobriety

Episode Overview

Court-ordered DUI education and Father Bill’s ‘chalk talk’ films helped Stacey identify her alcoholism before she had any solution.
Her first AA meeting at the Oak Street clubhouse showed her powerful group energy, humour around painful stories, and the importance of the Big Book.
Stacey describes deep loneliness in drinking, even when surrounded by people, and contrasts it with the connection she found in AA rooms.
After 26 and a half years sober and a relapse, a 3 a.m. moment of crying out “I want to live” marked a turning point back towards recovery.
Slogans, the serenity prayer, and guidance from her sponsor Janet gradually shifted from annoying clichés to essential tools for living one day at a time.

“I sat totally erect on my couch and screamed out loud, huge scream, ‘I want to live!’”

What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This conversation with Stacey C offers a raw, funny, and deeply honest look at what pulls someone back to their second Alcoholics Anonymous meeting – and what keeps them coming for decades.

This is what I have.”* Stacey describes walking into Cincinnati’s Oak Street clubhouse, convinced the “big book” was a Bible, and then practically elbowing people out of the way to buy a copy once she realised it held “the secret.” Her “that’s me, that’s me” moments show up in small but powerful details: the cab driver who says, “It’s about time,” when she asks to go to 405 Oak Street, the room full of laughter at stories she’d always drunk over in shame, and the newcomer confusion around aa clichés that later became lifelines.

Hosted by friends and aa members Monica Kay and Julia Jay, the episode keeps things relaxed and chatty, with gardening, pickleball and inside jokes warming things up before Stacey shares how a court-ordered DUI class in 1986 first pointed her towards aa. She talks about sitting in that classroom, seeing Father Bill’s famous ‘chalk talk’ films, and quietly realising, *“Oh my, this is it.

She also speaks openly about staying sober for 26 and a half years, relapsing, and then being jolted back to life on her sofa years later, when something hit her “right between my shoulder blades” and she screamed, “I want to live!” That turning point, along with the calm love of her long-time sponsor Janet, highlights how spiritual experiences and human connection can sit side by side.

You’ll hear about powerlessness, sponsorship, spiritual nudges, outrageous middle-finger porch drama, and why those cheesy slogans on the wall stop feeling so cheesy over time. If you’re wondering what might pull you back after that first meeting, this one may have you nodding along and quietly thinking, “That’s me.”

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