RAW Recovery Podcast

Working With Others One of the greatest gifts of recovery is the opportunity to help another alcoholic. But what does it really mean to work with others, and are we approaching it the way the Big Book intended? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're opening Chapter 7 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, "Working With Others," to explore the importance of carrying the message, sharing our experience,...

Can Alcoholics Be Codependent? We talk a lot about alcoholism, surrender, and learning to live without alcohol. But what about codependency? Can we stop drinking, work the Twelve Steps, and still find ourselves caught up in unhealthy relationships and behaviors? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're exploring codependency and how it relates to alcoholism, recovery, and emotional sobriety. We'll discuss...

What Is Our Third Legacy? Recovery, Unity, and Service are the Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous. But what exactly is our Third Legacy, and why is it so important to the future of our fellowship? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're turning to The Language of the Heart by Bill W. to explore the chapter “Our Third Legacy” and the development of service in Alcoholics Anonymous. We'll talk about how...

AA Tomorrow What does the future hold for Alcoholics Anonymous? And what responsibility do we have today to make sure AA continues helping alcoholics for generations to come? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're reading “AA Tomorrow,” written by Bill W. in July 1960, from The Language of the Heart. More than 65 years ago, Bill was already asking important questions about the future of our fellowship....

Do We Ever Use Willpower? We've all heard that willpower alone isn't enough to overcome alcoholism. But does that mean willpower has no place in recovery? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're exploring the difference between willpower, self-will, willingness, and the actions we take as part of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book tells us that our attempts to control our drinking thr...

Recovery is about so much more than putting down the drink. It's about transformation — changing the way we think, the way we act, how we treat others, and how we approach life. Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about Transformation in Recovery and the difference between simply getting sober and becoming a different person through the Twelve Steps. Are we trying to get back to the person we...

Being Convinced We Were at Step Three What does it really mean to be convinced that we're ready to take the Third Step? Have we genuinely accepted the first two Steps, or are we simply moving forward because that's what we're supposed to do? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're opening the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous to page 60 of Chapter 5, How It Works, where we're told that being convinced of...

The Spiritual Experience What exactly is a spiritual experience? Is it something sudden and dramatic, or can it happen gradually as we begin changing the way we think, act, and live? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're exploring the spiritual experience as described in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, including Appendix II, Spiritual Experience. We'll talk about the difference between a sudden s...

Are We Losing the Art of Showing Up for Each Other? We talk a lot about helping others, being there for people, and making sure nobody has to struggle alone. But when someone actually needs us, are we showing up? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about something that seems to be disappearing in our communities: genuine human connection and our willingness to be there for one another. With s...

A Daily Discipline Recovery isn't something we practice only when life gets difficult. It's something we learn to live every single day. Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about the importance of daily discipline in Alcoholics Anonymous and how the Twelve Steps help us build a new way of life. We'll explore what it means to practice spiritual principles consistently, even on the days when we...

Men's Mental Health Why is it that so many men struggle in silence? Why are we taught to be strong, handle our problems ourselves, and never let anyone see us struggling? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're having an important conversation about men's mental health, the expectations placed on men, and how those expectations can affect our emotional well-being, relationships, and recovery. We'll talk...

What Do We Do When We Feel Lost? Have you ever reached a point in recovery where you just don't know what to do next? Maybe you're sober, you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, but something still feels missing. Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about those moments when life feels overwhelming, our sense of direction disappears, and we begin questioning where we're headed. Alcoholic...

Guide to a Better Way What does it really mean to find a better way of living? And how do we begin making changes when the life we've been living no longer works? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about how the program of Alcoholics Anonymous gives us a guide to a new way of life through the Twelve Steps, spiritual principles, and the experience of those who have walked this path before us....

How It Works Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. But what does it really mean to follow that path, and how does the program of Alcoholics Anonymous actually work? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're going back to the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter 5, How It Works, to explore the foundation of the Twelve Steps and the spiritual principles behind recovery....

Humility as an Ideal Is Often Misunderstood What does it really mean to be humble? Is humility about thinking less of ourselves, putting everyone else first, or recognizing who we are and where we stand? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're exploring humility through the Twelve Steps and the spiritual principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. Humility is often misunderstood, especially by those of us who ha...

The Painful Past Can Be of Infinite Value What if the very experiences we wish we could forget could become some of our greatest assets in recovery? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're exploring a powerful idea from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous: Our painful past can become a source of hope, understanding, and help for others. Many of us came into recovery carrying guilt, shame, resentment, re...

Are We Still Teachable? — The Daily Trudge We talk a lot about willingness in recovery, but what happens when we've been sober for a while and start thinking we already know everything? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about remaining teachable, keeping an open mind, and recognizing that spiritual growth doesn't stop just because we've put some sober time together. Have we become so comfor...

The Tremendous Fact: We Have Found A Solution “We have found a solution.” Those words from Chapter 2 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous carry a message of hope for every alcoholic who still suffers. But what exactly is the solution, and how does it work? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're diving into the chapter There Is a Solution and exploring what the early members of AA discovered about alc...

Alcoholism: The Progressive Disease Alcoholism is a progressive disease. But what does that really mean, and how do we recognize its progression? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about how alcoholism develops, how it gets worse over time, and why we cannot measure the severity of our alcoholism simply by looking at what we still have. Alcoholism doesn't look the same for everyone. Some los...

Showing Love Through Our Primary Purpose What does it really mean to show love in Alcoholics Anonymous? Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety. But are we truly living that purpose, or are we just talking about it? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about how love, compassion, and service are demonstrated through carrying the message to the alcoholic...

Unity — The Second Legacy What happens to Alcoholics Anonymous when we forget the importance of unity? Bill W. left us three legacies: Recovery, Unity, and Service. Each one plays an important role in keeping Alcoholics Anonymous alive and available for the alcoholic who still suffers. Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about the Second Legacy — Unity — and why it's so important to the survi...

Integrity What does it really mean to live with integrity? We talk a lot about honesty in recovery, but integrity goes beyond simply telling the truth. It's about doing the right thing, even when nobody is watching. It's about keeping our word, taking responsibility for our actions, and living by the principles we claim to believe in. Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about integrity and th...

Are We Restored To Sanity? Step Two tells us that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. But what does being restored to sanity actually mean? Does it mean we never make another bad decision? That our thinking is suddenly fixed? Or is the sanity we're talking about something much more specific to alcoholism? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're digging into Step Two and the meaning...

True Tolerance What does it really mean to practice tolerance in recovery? It's easy to be tolerant of people who think like us, believe what we believe, and live the way we live. But what happens when someone challenges our beliefs, disagrees with us, or lives a completely different way? Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about true tolerance and what it means to practice patience, understa...

I Am Responsible... What does it really mean to be responsible in recovery? In Alcoholics Anonymous, we talk a lot about taking responsibility for our actions, our recovery, and our relationships with others. But responsibility goes beyond simply admitting when we're wrong. Today on The Daily Trudge, we're talking about what it means to be responsible for our own recovery and what happens when we...