Spiritual Malady, First (The Daily Trudge)

Spiritual Malady, First (The Daily Trudge)

What insights can experts and survivors share about addiction? This RAW Recovery instalment of The Daily Trudge zooms in on the idea of a “spiritual malady” and why fixing the inside has to come before rearranging the outside. Host Dion speaks straight from lived experience, mixing humour, honesty and a bit of wizard talk (“I arrive precisely when I mean to”) to unpack why changing jobs, cities, partners or substances rarely solves the inner chaos.

He shares how pride, ego and “intellectual power” kept him stuck, and why clever people can struggle the most to accept alcoholism: they try to think their way out long after the tears have dried and the alcohol has left their system. You’ll hear Dion break down spiritual malady as restlessness, irritability, discontentment, fear, selfishness, emptiness and disconnection, and why alcohol was once the attempted solution, not the core problem.

He keeps it practical, explaining how he tests decisions by checking his gut, his heart and his intentions, and why he still doesn’t trust his first thought. The chat with his online community adds warmth and humour, from mispronounced names becoming running jokes to celebrating people who simply turn their cameras on at meetings. Underneath the laughs is a clear message: “Recovery isn't just removing the substances.

It's about healing the condition that needed it.” For anyone wondering why life still feels off even after putting the drink down, this conversation points back to spiritual work: prayer, inventory, honesty, amends, service, connection and asking for help. It’s aimed at people in recovery who like their wisdom with a side of sarcasm and who are ready to consider that the problem—and the solution—might both start with themselves.

What might change if spiritual health came first on your list today?