The Psychic Change That Makes Step One PossibleThe Psychic Change That Makes Step One Possible
RAW Recovery Podcast
Dion talks through the “psychic change” that makes admitting Step One possible, using AA literature, personal stories, and humour to explain powerlessness and the removal of obsession. The conversation touches on God, desperation, craving, and how slips and struggle fit into ongoing recovery.
37:06•22 Aug 2026
Psychic Change, Step One, and the Gift of Desperation
Episode Overview
- A genuine change of mind (psychic change) often comes before a full Step One admission and makes that step possible.
- Relying on people for emotional security usually fails; lasting stability is described as coming from dependence on God.
- Alcoholics struggle to distinguish truth from falsehood and often view their alcoholic life as normal until desperation breaks through.
- The obsession to drink is said to be removed by a power greater than oneself rather than personal willpower alone.
- Slips can be part of learning in recovery, and adding shame or extra barriers around them can hinder people from coming back.
“Our admission of personal powerlessness finally turned out to be the firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? RAW Recovery Podcast tackles that question by zooming in on the “psychic change” that makes Step One of AA possible. Host Dion chats casually with his online community, mixing bad-coffee humour, cat wrangling, and duct-cleaning stories with some pretty hard-hitting recovery truth.
Dion talks about craving, denial, and the belief that other people or better circumstances are the solution, all while insisting that the real turning point comes from a deeper inner surrender: sick and tired of being sick and tired, the gift of desperation, and the moment you “just didn’t want to drink anymore.” God’s role is front and centre, with Dion returning to the idea that “it is only a loving God who can give me inner peace and emotional stability,” and that the obsession to drink is removed as an act of grace rather than sheer willpower.
Using Dr Silkworth’s *Doctor’s Opinion* as a guide, he explains that “the change of mind is what allows us to finally see so that we can do Step One,” and that this shift often starts before anyone formally admits they’re powerless. You’ll hear him read and unpack lines like, “Our admission of personal powerlessness finally turned out to be the firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built,” tying the Big Book language directly into everyday experience.
He’s clear that slips can be part of learning, pushes back on shame-heavy views of relapse, and reminds everyone that recovery is serious business, but laughter and honesty absolutely belong in the process.
If you’re wrestling with Step One, arguing with the truth, or wondering why you keep going back to the bottle despite your best intentions, this chat-style episode might help you ask a bigger question: has your own psychic change already started, and are you ready to admit it?
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