RAW Recovery Podcast

Flipping Tables Isn’t Anger — It’s Duty

When people hear “flipping tables,” they often assume anger. That’s not what this is.

This conversation is about duty — the responsibility that shows up when recovery spaces drift away from healing and toward comfort, silence, or systems that protect themselves instead of people.

Using the biblical image of Jesus flipping tables in the temple, we’re talking about the difference between rage a...

H.O.W.--Honesty, Openness, Willingness

In recovery, things usually don’t fall apart because we didn’t know enough — they fall apart because we stopped practicing the basics. H.O.W. isn’t clever, trendy, or complicated. It’s simple, uncomfortable, and effective.

Today, Two Sober Guys, we’re talking about H.O.W. Honesty, Openness, and Willingness — and why these three principles are often the first to slip when things start going sid...

Let's Keep It Simple

AA is growing fast. Meetings are multiplying. The message is spreading beyond anything they imagined. And Bill voices a concern that growth might dilute the heart of the program — that structure, organization, and popularity could eventually replace the spiritual core that saved their lives.

Bob listens, then responds calmly.

Bob reminds Bill that AA was never meant to be protected by control. It was meant to b...

On this episode of RAW Recovery — a Trudging Together podcast, Dion Miller sits down with comedian and author Jeff Allen for a raw, honest, and often hilarious conversation about recovery, marriage, anger, faith, and service.

Jeff talks about writing his critically acclaimed book Are We There Yet?—including how emotional it was to revisit the early chapters—and shares that a pilot based on the book is set to film in March. From “li...

Serving My Brother

Recovery was never meant to be a solo achievement. From the beginning, it’s been about connection, responsibility, and service — not hierarchy, not ego, and not fixing anyone. Serving my brother doesn’t mean rescuing him or running his life. It means showing up, staying available, and walking alongside him when he reaches out.

Today on The Daily Trudge, we talk about what serving my brother really looks like in r...

Imposter Syndrome in Recovery

A lot of people don’t talk about this, but it’s common — feeling like a fraud in recovery. Like you don’t really belong, like you haven’t earned your seat, like everyone else has something you’re missing. You show up, you stay sober, you do the work… and still there’s a voice that says, “Who do you think you are?”

Today on The Daily Trudge, we talk about imposter syndrome in recovery — that quiet feeli...

Showing Up Without a Script

Some days in recovery, there’s a clear message. Other days, there isn’t. There’s no polished topic, no big insight, no tidy lesson — just the decision to show up anyway. And sometimes, that is the work.

Today on The Daily Trudge, we talk about what it looks like to show up without a script. Not having the answers. Not feeling inspired. Not knowing exactly what to say — but refusing to disappear, isolate,...

It’s Tough for Me to Live in a Fake World

One of the hardest parts of recovery isn’t staying sober — it’s learning how to live honestly in a world that often rewards pretending. Once we stop lying to ourselves, it becomes harder to ignore dishonesty, perform roles, or go along with things that don’t feel real anymore.

Today on The Daily Trudge, we talk about what it’s like to wake up to truth and still have to function in a world t...

I Have a Dream — Recovery, Responsibility, and Carrying the Message

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and instead of quoting his “I Have a Dream” speech for inspiration alone, we’re slowing down to look at it through a recovery lens — and asking an honest question: how does that dream line up with AA?

Dr. King’s dream wasn’t passive. It wasn’t just hope, words, or belief. It demanded action, responsibility, sacrifice, and commun...

I Am Responsible…

“I am responsible” isn’t a slogan — it’s a line drawn in the sand. It doesn’t mean we caused everything that happened, but it does mean we take ownership of what we do with today. In recovery, responsibility isn’t about blame — it’s about freedom.

Today on The Daily Trudge, we talk about what it really means to say I am responsible. Not in a perfectionist way. Not in a shame-based way. But in the way that gives us...

Dr. Bob’s Spiritual Quest

Dr. Bob didn’t start out looking to build a movement or create a program — he was looking for relief, meaning, and a way to live without alcohol. Long before there was a book, meetings, or structure, there was a man on a deeply personal spiritual search, trying to find something that actually worked.

Today on The Daily Trudge, we talk about Dr. Bob’s spiritual quest — not as history trivia, but as a living...

Is This Recovery or Just Validation?

Recovery was never meant to be comfortable all the time. It was meant to be honest. Somewhere along the way, support can quietly turn into agreement, and encouragement can turn into avoidance. When that happens, growth slows — and sometimes stops altogether.

Today on The Daily Trudge, we ask a direct question: Is this recovery… or is it just validation?

This isn’t about shaming, attacking meetin...

True Ambition

For a long time, many of us confused ambition with escape. We chased money, approval, control, status, or relief — not because we knew who we were, but because we were trying to outrun discomfort. In recovery, ambition doesn’t disappear… it gets redefined.

Today on The Daily Trudge, we talk about true ambition — not the kind driven by ego, fear, or comparison, but the kind rooted in purpose, responsibility, and servic...

Faith, Works, and the Cost of Protection

Most of us act out of love when we try to protect someone we care about. We remove consequences, soften landings, and shield them from temptation, pain, or reality — believing that our faith, hope, or good intentions will somehow be enough.

But in recovery, protection can come at a cost.

Today on The Daily Trudge, we talk about the hard balance between faith and action, and why faith without...

Showing Up as Me (I Had to Find Myself First)

For a long time, many of us weren’t really being ourselves — we were surviving. Substances, chaos, people-pleasing, and fear shaped who we showed up as, and it worked… until it didn’t. When we get sober, we don’t automatically know who we are. Before we can show up as ourselves, we usually have to find ourselves first.

Today on The Daily Trudge, we talk about the process of discovering ...

Regret Isn’t the Boss Anymore

Most of us come into recovery carrying a heavy load of regret — things we said, things we did, and time we can’t get back. Early on, regret can feel useful, like it keeps us accountable. But at some point, it stops teaching and starts controlling.

Today on The Daily Trudge, we talk about what it looks like when regret loses its power. Not because the past disappears, and not because the damage didn’t m...

Random Reading from the Big Book

Today on The Daily Trudge, we slow things down and let the Big Book speak for itself. No agenda, no picking a favorite passage, no trying to force a message — just an honest, random reading and a few reflections on what shows up.

Sometimes what we need isn’t what we would have chosen. A random reading removes control and expectation, and that’s often where the truth lands. Certain lines hit differen...

Growing Up Emotionally

Many of us didn’t grow up emotionally — we just got older. Substances, chaos, and survival froze our emotional development, and getting sober doesn’t magically fix that. Sobriety doesn’t mean we’ve grown up emotionally… it means we finally get the chance to start.

Today on The Daily Trudge, we talk about what emotional growth actually looks like in recovery. Not perfection. Not calm all the time. Not having t...

The Relief of Being Wrong

One of the strangest — and most powerful — signs of progress in recovery is realizing we were wrong… and feeling relief instead of shame. Wrong about how this works. Wrong about what we needed. Wrong about who we thought we were.

Early on, many of us believed progress would feel like confidence, clarity, or constant peace. But real recovery often feels quieter than that. It shows up as less chaos, fewer re...