The Right Door [Season 11, Episode 14]The Right Door [Season 11, Episode 14]
AA Grapevine's Podcast
Don and Alice host a lively mix of conversation and stories on loneliness, connection and service in AA, featuring Christina’s powerful journey into sobriety through the “right door.” Additional voices from Terrence and Kenneth add humour and show how Grapevine and fellowship reach prisons, families and newcomers alike.
29:37•5 Oct 2026
Finding the Right Door: Loneliness, Laughter and Belonging in AA
Episode Overview
- Loneliness can still show up in long-term sobriety, and talking about it openly helps reduce shame.
- Simple actions like going to a home group, taking service positions, and working the steps can ease feeling disconnected.
- Service – from making coffee to answering phones or bringing magazines into prisons – is a powerful way to feel useful and less alone.
- Sharing honestly about past mistakes, including family and legal problems, can give hope to others with similar experiences.
- AA fellowship often becomes a wider ‘village’, offering support not just to members but to their families too.
“It never occurred to me that alcohol was the issue. I always thought alcohol was the solution.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This AA Grapevine half hour variety show brings that question to life with humour, honesty, and a lot of heart. Hosts Don and Alice kick things off by chatting about their own meeting routines, proving that “regular meetings” can mean anything from weekly groups to all-day sessions with sponsees. Their banter sets a light, welcoming tone for anyone who’s ever wondered where they might fit in.
The focus then shifts to loneliness in sobriety, with the October Grapevine issue highlighting the less-talked-about “L” in HALT: being lonely. Stories of members in new towns, feeling disconnected in meetings, or turning to a higher power instead of people frame the theme: you can be sober and still feel alone – and that’s okay to admit. Author guest Christina M. from Lake Country, British Columbia, shares a raw and relatable story.
She describes her drinking as having her “face smushed against the glass,” watching everyone else live normal lives while she thought alcohol was the solution, not the problem. After judges, psych wards, and losing her children, she “mysteriously” walks into the Vancouver Intergroup office, where a woman simply shares her own story instead of criticising.
That moment becomes Christina’s “right door” into AA, service, and eventually a life where, as she says, “they loved me until I could love myself.” Later, Terrence M. from Shawnee, Oklahoma talks about his love for Grapevine audio and bringing old issues into prisons, where people “really appreciate reading those in prison because they got nothing there.” Kenneth C.
lightens the mood with a cheeky joke about a “naked step study” home group that fell apart when people started to compare rather than identify. If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong anywhere, could this be the door you’ve been looking for?
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