That's Me! That's Me! episode 21 with Steve W.That's Me! That's Me! episode 21 with Steve W.
Recovery Radio Network
Steve W. recounts his journey from blackout drinking and a house fire to four decades of sobriety, service, and spiritual growth in aa. The hosts and guest also reflect on grief, global service in Kenya, and the power of the fellowship to carry people through their darkest moments.
48:56•26 Jun 2026
From House Fire to Healing: Steve W.’s Four Decades in AA
Episode Overview
- Hitting bottom can involve seemingly ordinary days that end in life-threatening chaos, like fires, overdoses, and family rupture.
- Hearing someone “tell your story” in AA can shift paranoia into relief and open the door to genuine hope.
- Following a sober member’s actions ("monkey see, monkey do") is presented as a simple way to build a strong programme.
- Service, including helping start meetings in new places, can deepen sobriety and create unexpected spiritual moments.
- AA community support can carry people through devastating losses, including the death of a child from addiction.
“If aa could do that for Dallas… maybe there’s a chance for me.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation with long‑time aa member Steve W. offers a mix of raw honesty, big laughs, and the kind of experience that can only come from getting sober in 1983 and staying that way. Hosts Julia Jay and Monica Kaye start with light chat about chaotic school calendars, Indy 500 traditions, and rowing as moving meditation before shifting into Steve’s story.
He shares how blackout drinking, drugs, and a house fire on St Patrick’s Day pushed him to a breaking point, including waking up with burnt clothes and being told, “your house is on fire.” His mum’s brutal line, “as far as I’m concerned, you’re no longer my son,” and his brother’s suggestion to call their priest uncle became unlikely stepping stones to treatment and aa.
Steve describes the shock of relating so strongly at his first meeting that he was sure someone had been briefed on his life. Seeing “the town drunk” turn up in a suit to give him a lift to an aa meeting became his first real glimpse of hope: “If aa could do that for Dallas… maybe there’s a chance for me.” The episode also touches on long‑term sobriety without relapse, grief, and service.
Steve talks about helping start aa and Al‑Anon meetings in Narok, Kenya, and about how aa held him when his brother died, and again when his son died from an overdose. He describes aa as a place where “people carried me when I could not walk” and later carried his wife through their loss.
If you’re wondering whether the programme can actually change a life over decades, or what long‑term sobriety can look like through travel, tragedy, and everyday routines, this one might leave you asking where aa could take you next.
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