Episode 1130: What Do We Mean "Just Do The Next Right Thing"?

Episode 1130: What Do We Mean "Just Do The Next Right Thing"?

How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? This instalment of Take 12 Recovery Radio’s Came to Believe Recovery Podcast zooms in on a phrase heard constantly in 12-step circles: "Just do the next right thing." Rather than tossing the slogan around like a magic fix, the conversation asks what it actually means, who decides what is "right", and why it can sometimes be terrible advice if used as a lazy shortcut.

Host Monty Dale Meyer, a recovered alcoholic, chats with Came to Believe Recovery CEO Tom Williams in a lively, good-humoured style that mixes deep recovery talk with playful trivia and everyday grumbles about first-world problems like the pool closing for the summer. Between laughs, they challenge the habit of throwing platitudes at people who are in real pain instead of asking practical questions like, "Have you taken the steps?

Do you have a sponsor?" As Tom bluntly puts it, "It's terrible advice if that's the advice." You’ll hear them break the slogan down into something usable: the "next right thing" isn’t whatever feels good, pays the most, or helps you dodge discomfort.

They talk about using the four absolutes – love, honesty, unselfishness and purity – as a simple test, and point back to step work, especially the 10th and 11th steps, as a way to see where things went wrong and what needs to happen next. "Doing the right thing isn't dependent on how we feel," Monty notes, stressing that feelings can’t be the steering wheel for recovery.

The episode speaks especially to people in 12-step recovery who are tired of vague slogans and want clear, practical guidance grounded in spiritual principles. If you’ve ever been told "just do the next right thing" and thought, "But how?" this conversation might be exactly what you need to mull over your own next move.