Sometimes the Day You Planned Is Not the Day You Are Supposed to HaveSometimes the Day You Planned Is Not the Day You Are Supposed to Have
RAW Recovery Podcast
A candid recovery talk where Dion reflects on days that don’t go to plan, linking changed plans, hope, and a higher power to practical AA tools. The conversation focuses on staying open-minded, protecting personal boundaries, and finding usefulness and dignity in unexpected detours.
38:48•8 Sept 2026
Letting Go of Your Perfect Plan and Staying Sober Anyway
Episode Overview
- Daily plans are useful, but staying open to change can reveal opportunities and usefulness that weren’t obvious at first.
- Feeling hopeless is often about our attitude, not the actual situation, and tools from AA can shift that perspective.
- Asking a higher power to direct thinking helps balance personal planning with a sense of purpose in recovery.
- It’s important to advocate for yourself with organisations and professionals, especially when commitments aren’t being kept.
- Simple things like a good night’s sleep, routine walks and small completed tasks can be meaningful milestones in early sobriety.
“Sometimes the day you have planned is not the day you're supposed to have.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction when life refuses to stick to the script? This RAW Recovery episode centres on how plans fall apart, why that’s not always a bad thing, and how people in sobriety can roll with it without losing their footing. Host Dion talks candidly about waking up convinced his day was going one way, only to have “God’s plan, not Dion’s plan” take over.
He jokes about scrapping a trip to town hall with a simple, “My decision was, fuck them,” then realising that choice made space for a phone call and opportunity he’d been waiting on. Aimed squarely at people in recovery who like their support raw, unpolished and honest, the conversation blends AA principles with everyday chaos.
Dion talks about planning the day on waking, then asking a higher power to “direct our thinking”, and challenges that old alcoholic rigidity around changed plans. The message is clear: not every detour is a disaster. You’ll hear him unpack hope versus despair, why “I’m never hopeless. Only the situation I find myself in may seem hopeless,” and how tools like acceptance, open-mindedness and prayer help shift from feeling stuck to feeling useful.
There’s also a down-to-earth chat about ADHD, trauma, and the importance of self-advocacy with professionals who don’t always do what they say. The style is loose, chatty and slightly chaotic in a very relatable way, peppered with humour about cats, spiders and baseboards, and grounded firmly in AA language and lived experience.
If you like recovery content that feels like sitting in on a home-group meeting with plenty of swearing, honesty and heart, this one might give you exactly what you need today. So, are you ready to let the day you’re having be the day you’re meant to have?
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