Sobriety Without Shame: Clarity, Choice, Space

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The noise gets loud—on our phones, at the bar, in our heads. We kicked off Unbottled to cut through that noise and talk about sobriety the way it actually feels: messy, honest, and full of second chances. Marcy shares why she started this show, how 38 years of sobriety have shaped her life, and why she refuses to make recovery a punishment. If you’re sober curious, newly sober, or simply tired of waking up thinking “I did it again,” this conversation meets you where you are.

We explore a simple, powerful reframe: sobriety isn’t about what you stop doing; it’s about what finally gets quiet enough to hear. That quiet reveals three gifts—clarity, choice, and space. Clarity lifts the “wet wool blanket” off your mind. Choice returns agency so you can decide how to spend your time, money, and energy. Space lets you show up at parties, games, and family dinners without planning your next escape. Along the way, Marcy unpacks why periodic drinking can still be alcoholic, how AA became a life-saving tool, and why it’s not the only door. The lens widens beyond alcohol to the other loud habits—over-scrolling, overworking, sugar, shopping—and how swapping the noun keeps the principles intact.

You’ll hear personal context that grounds the show: growing up in the Valley, early blackout drinking, the first AA meeting in a small library, Friday night home group in Chicago, a year shaped by cancer and community, and the humility of never quite feeling like a “grown-up.” Most of all, you’ll get an invitation: experiment with quiet. Try dry January. Try a meeting. Try a nightly check-in. Try asking what you’d hear if you weren’t numbing. We’re building a space that honors AA and welcomes other paths, with future guests sharing different routes to recovery.

If this resonates, follow or subscribe, share it with a friend who might need it, and email Marcy at Marcy Bacchus Media at gmail.com if you have a story or a path to contribute. Let’s live unbottled—one clear, honest day at a time.