That's Me! That's Me! Episode # 25 with Diana S.That's Me! That's Me! Episode # 25 with Diana S.
Recovery Radio Network
Diana S shares how she got sober at 20, moved to Paris just months into recovery, and found her place in AA through meetings, service and friendship. Julia and Monica highlight how community, amends and a bit of fun keep people coming back to their second meeting and beyond.
46:55•31 Jul 2026
“We Absolutely Insist on Enjoying Life”: Diana S on Young Sobriety, Paris Meetings and Finding Her People
Episode Overview
- Returning for a second AA meeting can start with something as simple as seeing someone you know stay sober and still be themselves.
- Family programmes and honest feedback from counsellors can expose personal denial and highlight the need for help.
- Regular meetings, treatment support and a sponsor’s guidance offer a “sufficient substitute” for alcohol in early recovery.
- Service and small acts of connection, like putting away chairs or answering a phone call, can quietly save lives.
- Sobriety makes it possible to show up for loved ones, make overdue amends, and still “absolutely insist on enjoying life.”
“We absolutely insist on enjoying life.”
Curious about how others manage their sobriety journey? This episode of Recovery Radio Network’s “That’s Me! That’s Me!” zooms in on what draws someone back after that very first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, with guest Diana S sharing her long-term sobriety story that began at just 20 years old.
You’ll hear how Diana was first “tricked” into a family support group for her brother’s outpatient treatment, only to realise, as she puts it, that she was “in the wrong group” and had her own problem with alcohol. A blunt question from the facilitator – “So do I… what are you going to do about it?” – planted a seed she couldn’t shake, even as she resisted AA and tried white‑knuckling it on her own.
Diana talks about seeing a friend, Brad, stay sober yet still be funny and himself, which calmed her fears about AA being some kind of strange mind-control cult. She describes hitting that “jumping off place” between living with alcohol and living without it, entering a care unit with her parents’ support, and then taking a huge risk: heading to Paris just a few months sober.
Her stories of early meetings at the American Church in Paris, being too shy to talk but finding connection while stacking chairs, and nearly “craving the gutter” even after a meeting, show how vital fellowship and simple phone calls can be. She also shares about amends to her parents and younger brother, and what it meant to be present with her parents at the end of their lives.
Hosts Julia Jay and Monica Kay keep things light but real, weaving in their own “that’s me” moments around parenting, grief, and the fear that sobriety won’t be fun. As Diana reads, “We absolutely insist on enjoying life,” you’ll be left asking yourself: what might joyful sobriety look like for you?
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