That's Me That's Me Episode # 8 Mary T.G.That's Me That's Me Episode # 8 Mary T.G.
Recovery Radio Network
Mary T.G. shares how she moved from Al-Anon and denial into AA, describing the moment she finally asked for help and felt the obsession to drink lift. Her story reflects on family alcoholism, spirituality, and the comfort of finding a true recovery community.
43:54•27 Mar 2026
From Al-Anon to "That’s Me": Mary T.G. Finds Her Place in AA
Episode Overview
- Recovery can begin even if someone first enters through Al-Anon and only later recognises their own alcoholism.
- Kindness and lack of judgement in meetings help people who are unsure or in denial to keep coming back.
- Admitting complete defeat and honestly asking for help can mark a turning point where the obsession to drink is lifted.
- AA offers space to reshape rigid or punishing ideas of God into a more gentle, personal sense of a higher power.
- Home groups, sponsors, and a close recovery tribe provide daily support, accountability, and a sense of true belonging.
“I walked from my office to the kitchen, got on my knees and said, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ And the obsession was removed.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation with Mary T.G. offers a warm, funny, and deeply honest look at life before and after admitting she was an alcoholic. A long‑time Al‑Anon member, treatment professional, and hospice chaplain, Mary thought she “knew” alcoholism from every angle – except her own.
You’ll hear how family patterns, a mother’s unfinished recovery, and years of quiet denial set the stage for her drinking to escalate, even while she worked in treatment and ministry. Mary talks about the moment everything shifted: a casual walk from her office to the kitchen where she unexpectedly dropped to her knees and said, “I can’t do this anymore.” She describes that as the point where the obsession to drink lifted and her commitment to Alcoholics Anonymous truly began.
Her story speaks directly to anyone who’s ever felt “too knowledgeable” or “too spiritual” to possibly have a problem. The chat also highlights the tenderness and humour of AA life: pouring wine into a 7‑Eleven slushy, hiding Chardonnay behind a desk, and being lovingly called out by her sister. Mary shares how early kindness in meetings, sponsorship, and finding a home group turned a lifetime of anxious apartness into real belonging. Spirituality runs right through the episode.
As a chaplain who wasn’t quite sure who she was praying to, Mary explains how AA helped her reshape a harsh childhood image of God into a gentler, spacious sense of “grace” – a presence she now feels in meetings, thunderstorms, and the river outside her home. If you’ve ever wondered whether AA can offer more than just “not drinking”, Mary’s mix of raw honesty, humour, and hard‑won serenity might be exactly what you need today.
Where might your own next small step lead you?
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