Dave and Darcy Word Salad
Dave and Darcy Word Salad

Voices In Recovery Podcast

David and Darcy share a raw, funny and serious conversation about racism, forced treatment, privilege and politics while trying to protect their recovery. They talk about feeling overwhelmed by a dark world and how small joys, creativity and community help them keep going.

HonestAuthenticInformativeEncouragingHopeful

1:01:33•22 Apr 2026

RSS Feed

Word Salad, Dark Times and Finding Small Joys with Dave and Darcy

Episode Overview

Staying sober can feel harder when constant news of conflict, corruption and injustice feeds despair.
Forced treatment in addiction is complex: some people welcome it, others fear it, and both reactions exist in the same system.
White privilege shows up in very practical ways, such as how police treat different people at protests or in public spaces.
Creative outlets, humour, music and small pleasures like time with pets can help balance out the heaviness of the world.
Recovery and growth often mean questioning old beliefs, including religious ideas and assumptions about equal opportunity.

“How do we live a life while you're aware of what's really going on, but also not so fucking caught in despair by that, that you don't want to be here anymore?”

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This chat between David Lewry and Darcy on *Voices In Recovery* throws you right into the messiness of staying sober while the wider world feels like it’s falling apart. You’ll hear them swap what they jokingly call “word salad” on heavy themes: racism, bigotry, forced treatment in addiction, creeping police presence, capitalism, incels, and the rising cost of simply existing.

At the same time, they keep circling back to a central question: how do you keep going, and even find joy, when everything feels so bleak?

As David puts it, “How do we live a life while you're aware of what's really going on, but also not so fucking caught in despair by that, that you don't want to be here anymore?” The conversation will resonate if you’ve ever felt weighed down by the news cycle while trying to protect your own recovery.

They talk frankly about white privilege, policing at protests, and how some people are terrified of forced treatment while others welcome it, all framed through their experiences in recovery work and activism. There’s plenty of gallows humour, from gay orcas nicknamed “Brokeback Ocean” to self-aware jabs at their own anxiety-fuelled internet rabbit holes.

Yet amid the darkness, they keep pointing to small anchors: dogs, good books, creative people, young bands like Milkmaid, and the simple act of staying connected through podcasts and community. If you’re trying to balance awareness of injustice with the need to protect your mental health and sobriety, this conversation might leave you asking yourself: where can you still find beauty, and who can you share it with, today?

PreviousThe Milkmaids