That's Me! That's Me! episode 38 with Mary C.That's Me! That's Me! episode 38 with Mary C.
Recovery Radio Network
Mary C. shares how a teenage blackout and years of failed fixes led her to AA, where a single meeting gave her the “that’s me” clarity she needed. The conversation reflects on long-term sobriety, fellowship, and the shift from crushing loneliness to genuine connection.
42:07•30 Oct 2026
Mary C. on Finding Her ‘That’s Me’ Moment and Staying Sober Since 1988
Episode Overview
- Identifying with AA ideas like “the first drink gets you drunk” can be the turning point in accepting alcoholism.
- Trying to manage drinking through therapy, rules, or other substances rarely solves the core problem.
- Moving from blaming others to recognising one’s own alcoholism is crucial for real change.
- Continuing to attend meetings supports long-term sobriety and offers a front row seat to others’ growth.
- AA fellowship helps replace deep loneliness with a sense of belonging, being wanted, and being loved.
“There is no more aloneness with that awful ache so deep in the heart of every alcoholic that nothing before could ever reach it.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This instalment of "That's Me! That's Me!" brings Mary C. into the Cincinnati public radio studios to talk honestly about what brought her back after her first meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. The show, hosted by Julia Jay and Monica Kay, centres on that second-meeting moment when someone sits in a room and finally thinks, "that's me, that's me".
Mary shares a stark drinking history that began at 14, with a blackout and a stay in a psych ward after just her second time drinking. She describes trying to fix herself through therapy, self-help books, communes and even strict "rules" about only drinking when she felt good. None of it worked. As she puts it, "I knew what it felt like to be driven to drink".
Her path into recovery starts in Al-Anon, where she initially went to deal with her husband's drinking, convinced the problem was everyone but her.
A brutal night of blackout drinking, shame and remorse finally pushed her to call her therapist, who simply said, "Why don't you go to Alcoholics Anonymous?" The remarkable part is her answer: "Okay." From there, she hears the idea that "the first drink gets you drunk" and the concept of drinking even when you don’t want to, and realises, instantly, "That's me".
The conversation stays light and funny at times—especially around teenage antics and old drinking stories—but it never loses sight of the reality of alcoholism as a "chronic progressive disease". Mary talks about why she still attends plenty of meetings decades into sobriety: she loves the joy, the community, and that "front row seat" to watching lives change.
Readings from AA literature highlight her journey from crushing loneliness to feeling truly connected: "Now there is a sense of belonging, of being wanted and needed and loved." If you’re curious about what actually keeps someone coming back to AA, this candid chat might leave you asking yourself, "Where do I hear my own ‘that’s me’?"
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