Are We Restored To Sanity?Are We Restored To Sanity?
RAW Recovery Podcast
Dion talks about Step Two and Step Ten, asking what it really means to be restored to sanity and how willingness fuels recovery. With humour, chat interaction and honest stories, the conversation focuses on the insanity of the first drink, the return of sanity around alcohol and the shared consequences of alcoholism.
37:35•23 Oct 2026
Are We Restored to Sanity? Step Two, Willingness and Real-Life Recovery
Episode Overview
- Sanity in AA terms is specifically about the ability to make reasonable decisions around alcohol, rather than never making mistakes in life.
- The "insanity of the first drink" means drinking despite clear knowledge of the harm and consequences, described as "suicide on the instalment plan."
- Willingness is the starting point for every step in recovery, including accepting alcoholism and seeking a higher power’s help.
- Step Ten is where sanity around alcohol is said to return, as the obsession is removed and people are placed in a position of neutrality.
- Not every alcoholic story looks the same, but common outcomes like jails, loneliness and broken relationships are widely shared.
“Willingness is the beginning of everything that we do. Without willingness there is absolutely nothing else.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? This RAW Recovery episode, part of The Daily Trudge series, takes a messy, funny, and very human look at Step Two and the question: "Are we restored to sanity?" This isn't a polished lecture; it's more like sitting in on a laid‑back meeting where everyone’s welcome, the host’s cat keeps interrupting, and the chat is buzzing.
Dion talks frankly about the "insanity of the first drink" – knowing exactly what alcohol does, then heading straight to the liquor store anyway. He calls it "suicide on the instalment plan" and contrasts that with the freedom described in Step Ten, where "by this time sanity will have returned" and the obsession to drink is removed.
He makes it clear this sanity is specific: "It means I can make decent decisions now," especially around alcohol, even if life is still imperfect. A big thread through the conversation is willingness. Before any change happened, he had to be "willing to become aware and accept my alcoholism." He jokes that you can even "pray for willingness" and that the very act of asking shows you already have some.
Listeners in the chat, like Amber, Leisure, Larissa and Angel, chime in with their own reflections, from gratitude for the willingness to walk through the door, to the pain of losing friends in early sobriety. The episode mixes humour (including a running gag about Red Bull and condoms), Monty Python references, cat drama, and honest talk about nightmares, loneliness, and the consequences that finally push people towards help.
It’s aimed at people in recovery, especially those wrestling with AA’s Step Two and Step Ten, and anyone wondering whether they’re "sane" yet if they still make mistakes. If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re truly changing or just staying dry, this conversation might give you a fresh way to look at sanity, willingness, and what being a "recovered alcoholic" really means.
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