Showing Love Through Our Primary Purpose

Showing Love Through Our Primary Purpose

Curious about how others handle their sobriety journey when real life, pain, and family chaos all collide? This RAW Recovery episode of The Daily Trudge centres on Dion unpacking what it actually means to "show love through our primary purpose" in Alcoholics Anonymous – staying sober and helping other alcoholics achieve sobriety. You’ll hear Dion mix humour, family anecdotes, and honest frustration as he talks about accountability, sponsorship, and the quiet ways love shows up in recovery.

He’s open about how long it took for someone in AA to approach him: "It wasn't until Paul came up to me and said, ‘Dion, you need God in your life and I'm going to bring it. I'm your sponsor.’ I waited two years for that." That delay fuels his passion for reaching out first, rather than waiting for newcomers to somehow figure it out alone.

The conversation drifts through cat antics, grandkids’ Minecraft rules, dodgy wrists, and bad coffee, but always loops back to a simple core message: love is shown through action. Dion talks about welcoming newcomers, asking "who here needs a sponsor" instead of "who's willing to sponsor", and how meetings, home groups, and "living amends" quietly keep people accountable.

He also highlights self-love as part of primary purpose – working the steps, doing inventories, praying, setting boundaries, and treating yourself with the same care you’d show someone else in the room. Along the way, he celebrates the energy of newcomers, the example of old-timers, and the tradition of "suit up and show up" for speaker meetings, all as expressions of respect and care.

If you’ve ever sat in a meeting wondering whether anyone actually cares, this episode asks a gentle but important question: are you just talking about recovery, or are you showing love through what you do today?