That's Me! That's Me! episode 33 with Rosalie S.That's Me! That's Me! episode 33 with Rosalie S.
Recovery Radio Network
Rosalie S. talks about finding aa through jail, a powerful spiritual moment involving her son, and learning to stay sober through grief and guilt. The chat blends humour, emotion and twelve-step principles aimed at people living alcohol-free or working towards it.
43:29•25 Sept 2026
Grief, God Moments and Getting Honest: Rosalie S.’s “That’s Me” Story
Episode Overview
- Anniversary dates and grief can be a cue to go back to basics with inventory, meetings and self-care.
- Court-mandated attendance can still lead to genuine identification once someone hears “that’s me” in other people’s stories.
- Spiritual experiences can appear in unexpected ways, like a chance meeting that answers a heartfelt prayer.
- Love for children alone doesn’t cure alcoholism; ongoing twelve-step work and support are crucial.
- Seeing others as “sick too” and asking how to be helpful can soften anger in and out of the rooms.
“If loving your children was enough, I would have been sober a long time ago.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This conversation with Rosalie S. gives you a mix of raw honesty, spiritual moments, and practical twelve-step wisdom that many people in recovery will recognise. The chat opens with hosts Julia Jay and Monica Kay joking about anniversaries, coins, and recycling trips, setting a relaxed, funny tone before shifting into more emotional territory.
Rosalie shares that her week has been intensely emotional around the anniversary of her husband Rico’s death, and talks about how grief still shows up in waves. With guidance from her sponsor Janet, she’s going “back to the basics” with inventory work and extra meetings, quietly reminding you how ongoing programme work supports both sobriety and loss.
Rosalie’s main story centres on how she found aa after being locked up on addiction-related charges and having what she calls her first spiritual experience. A church service in jail unexpectedly brings in her father-in-law, the very person caring for her son, just days after she’d been praying to hear news of him.
For her, that coincidence was huge: “If loving your children was enough, I would have been sober a long time ago.” She talks frankly about pre-drinking, driving kids around with open containers, detoxing three times “just to get him to shut up”, and still believing she was a “good mum” until sobriety showed her the truth. Today her son is grown, proud of her, and able to gently tell her about things she doesn’t remember from her drinking days.
You’ll also hear about recommitting to aa through Zoom meetings after Rico’s death, finding comfort in conferences and fellowship, and choosing a sponsor whose kindness and packed circle of sponsees signalled the kind of sober life Rosalie wanted. It all adds up to a story that’s messy, moving, and very relatable. How might her mix of pain, humour and faith echo moments from your own journey?
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