Is There A Substitute? Yes, There Is... (The Daily Trudge)Is There A Substitute? Yes, There Is... (The Daily Trudge)
RAW Recovery Podcast
Dion reflects on how fellowship becomes the true substitute for alcohol, blending Big Book readings with personal stories about love, amends and family healing. The conversation mixes humour with honesty to show how connection, courage and unconditional love can reshape life in sobriety.
31:09•31 May 2026
Finding the Real Substitute for Alcohol: Fellowship, Love and a Hug
Episode Overview
- Alcohol is replaced by something “vastly more than that”: the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.
- Unconditional love means giving without expecting a specific response or return.
- Simple, honest amends can open the door to healing long-broken family relationships.
- Understanding others’ love languages can help support sponsees, partners and friends more effectively.
- Finding a home group and showing up with courage matters more than hiding behind a turned-off camera online.
“We gotta heal, folks. We gotta heal. We gotta be the circuit for healing.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? RAW Recovery’s “Is There A Substitute? Yes, There Is...” zooms in on one of the biggest questions people face when they stop drinking: if alcohol used to be the answer to everything, what on earth takes its place? Host Dion keeps things relaxed and slightly irreverent, bouncing between daily reflections, Big Book study, and real-life stories that hit close to home.
Drawing from the chapter “A Vision For You”, he reads the famous line that there *is* a substitute for alcohol and stresses that “it is vastly more than that. It is the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.” For anyone who once drank for “conviviality, companionship, and colourful imagination”, he talks about how those same things return in sobriety – just without the chaos. Alongside the book work, Dion riffs on unconditional love, pride, and people-pleasing.
He jokes about “snacks” and “blankies”, but then leans into tougher stuff, like learning to give love without expecting it straight back and questioning whether unsolicited advice can really be called love. One of the most moving moments comes when he shares making amends to the man who raised him after decades of distance, saying, “We gotta heal, folks. We gotta heal.
We gotta be the circuit for healing,” before describing a simple hug that changed the tone of an entire family history. The episode also talks about love languages, building spiritual growth through small actions, and the importance of picking a home group instead of endlessly hopping around online meetings.
Dion reminds anyone listening that courage is already inside them, and that recovery doesn’t have to be “stupid, boring, and glum” – Alcoholics like to laugh, and they’re still allowed to have fun. If you’ve ever wondered what could possibly fill the space alcohol once occupied, this honest, funny, and raw conversation might be exactly what you need today.
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