Ten Years of Sobriety — One Daily Reprieve at a Time (The Daily Trudge)

Ten Years of Sobriety — One Daily Reprieve at a Time (The Daily Trudge)

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This RAW Recovery episode drops in on Dion as he marks ten years alcohol-free, using his trademark mix of honesty, humour and Big Book wisdom to show how those years really came one day at a time. Right from the chaotic battle with the over-packaged ten-year coin, you get a feel for his style: relaxed, sweary, and very real.

He admits, “I didn’t think I was going to hit 10 years ever again,” sharing how a previous decade of sobriety ended when he decided he no longer needed meetings, sponsoring or the programme. That hard-learned lesson shapes everything he says about daily maintenance now. Dion walks through the Big Book section on step ten, making it practical: ongoing inventory, making amends with real action behind it, and turning thoughts to someone he can help.

He stresses that mistakes still happen, but “it isn’t the mistake in and of itself… it’s what you do with these that matters.” He uses down-to-earth examples like snapping at his wife, bumping trolleys in the supermarket and handling slips versus full-blown relapse. There’s plenty here for anyone who’s had stops and starts.

He openly talks about PTSD, anxiety and how mental health challenges knocked him out of the programme for a while, yet he still sees the past ten years as “earned” through hard work, prayer, routine and staying connected. Regular jokes and side stories about pacing round the house, dog-sitting and ‘Dion’s daily funnies’ keep things light without hiding the seriousness of addiction.

If you’re wondering whether long-term sobriety is possible after relapse, or what “one day at a time” actually looks like in real life, this is a raw, relatable listen that might nudge you to ask: what choice am I making just for today?