The H.O.W. of the Program

The H.O.W. of the Program

Curious about how others steer their sobriety journey when the old habits keep tugging at them? This RAW Recovery episode zooms in on the simple-but-tough trio that many AA members swear by: honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness – the H.O.W. of the programme. Host Dion keeps things relaxed and funny, dropping the odd F-bomb and cat story before getting serious about emotional sobriety.

Drawing on AA’s *Daily Reflections* and Bill W.’s writings, he looks at how surrender and self-examination sit at the heart of staying sober. As he puts it, “My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive,” and he keeps circling back to service work, sharing how helping others in hospitals, crisis units and AA cooperation committees changes his own outlook.

You’ll hear real-life examples of expectations gone wild – like getting resentful over a tripping circuit breaker instead of just moving the microwave – and how catching these moments shows where unhealthy demands and dependency are hiding.

Dion repeats that “the program cannot help the person we pretend to be; it can only help the person that we are willing to reveal honestly,” stressing that Alcoholics are often liars at first, so honesty starts with being as truthful as you can today. The episode is especially handy for people in 12-step recovery who feel stuck around Step One, emotional sobriety, or that tricky willingness to actually act.

The tone is raw, non-judgemental and very human – one minute he’s laughing about being on someone’s telly, the next he’s owning past depression and the danger of pretending everything’s fine. If you’ve been asking yourself how honest you’re really being, how open you are to new ideas, or whether you’re actually willing to change, this one might give you a nudge to look a bit closer – and maybe pick up the phone or hit a meeting today.