Do We Ever Use Willpower?

Do We Ever Use Willpower?

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This RAW Recovery Podcast episode zooms in on a surprisingly tricky piece of the puzzle: willpower. Dion digs into how willpower, self‑will and willingness show up in everyday recovery, leaning heavily on lived experience and the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. You’ll hear Dion joke about bad coffee and Broncos, then shift into serious ground: money disappointments, severe depression, and the way addiction steamrolls the best intentions.

He reads from Bill W.’s "Language of the Heart" and breaks down why trying to white‑knuckle sobriety with sheer determination rarely works. As he puts it, "Your willpower is not weak. In fact, it's very strong.

And that's kind of the problem." The conversation highlights the difference between using willpower to "fight" alcohol and using it to do hard but constructive things, like taking a moral inventory, asking for help, or getting out of bed to make a late‑night Twelfth Step call. Dion even pulls up a definition of willpower mid‑episode to show how self‑control and delayed gratification can be redirected towards recovery actions instead of endless struggle.

There’s plenty here for anyone who’s ever wondered why they can resist some substances but feel totally beaten by alcohol. Dion talks openly about his own experiences with drugs, depression, and finding a higher power, while stressing that AA isn’t the only route and people do stay sober in other ways too – sometimes "the hard way".

The tone stays relaxed and raw, with friendly shout‑outs to Amber, Larissa and Isaac, and a reminder that asking for help can take more courage than sitting in misery. If you’ve been beating yourself up over "weak" willpower, this conversation might make you look at strength, surrender and support in a very different light. How are you using your willpower today – to fight, or to move towards something better?