Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight! (The Daily Trudge)

Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight! (The Daily Trudge)

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This RAW Recovery episode, part of the Trudging Together project, zooms in on one simple but gritty idea: "Fall down seven times, stand up eight." The host, Dion, uses everyday chaos – drunk neighbours blasting music, a dodgy car repair that ate his paycheck, and frustrating meetings with local officials – to show how recovery plays out in real life, not just in meetings.

You’ll hear how he links a Chinese proverb and a line from Alcoholics Anonymous (“a design for living that works in rough going”) with the truth that "recovery isn't for people who never fail. It's for people who never stop trying." Instead of pretending life gets easy once you’re sober, Dion talks openly about anger, disappointment, money stress, and how tempting it can be to react the old way.

The style is relaxed, chatty and unfiltered, with live comments from people like Leisure and Amber shaping the conversation. There’s humour about neighbours, “master technicians” who don’t work weekends, and his own ADHD “superpower”, but it’s wrapped around serious points: drinking wasn’t the only problem, emotions are big, and shame can keep people stuck.

Dion keeps coming back to practical recovery: using AA principles on real-life problems, treating failure as information, leaning on a Higher Power, and, crucially, not doing this alone. He stresses calling people who won’t “buy your bullshit”, staying honest, and turning bad days into chances to grow, help newcomers, and stand up one more time. If you’re in recovery or sober-curious and wondering why you still “fall down”, this conversation shows that stumbles are expected, shared, and survivable.

The real question is: what are you going to do after you hit the ground?