When Instincts Exceed Their Proper Function

When Instincts Exceed Their Proper Function

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This RAW Recovery episode centres on how "good" human instincts like fear, anger, security and the need to belong can quietly hijack life when they start running the show. Host Dion uses his own recovery experience and AA literature to talk through the idea that instincts aren’t the enemy – it’s what happens when they exceed their proper function.

He reads and reflects on passages from the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, linking them to real-life behaviour: clinging to others out of fear, chasing money or sex to fill a spiritual hole, or isolating to avoid being seen. As he puts it, "Happiness isn't the goal. Balance. Love.

Love's the goal." You’ll hear Dion share candid stories about anxiety attacks, misdirected advocacy turning into vengeance, and learning not to "burn the bridge on the way out" when leaving a role in mental health advocacy. There’s humour and honesty throughout – from jokes about haircuts and ADHD "squirrely world" detours, to heartfelt pride in his niece who wrote and performed the podcast’s theme song based on his recovery talks.

The conversation keeps circling back to Step Four and the moral inventory: writing things down, asking "why" until you hit the real feeling, and recognising where instincts like self-protection, security and the need to be right have become liabilities. Journaling, willingness, and a relationship with a higher power are framed as practical tools to move from misery into a more balanced life.

For anyone in recovery who feels pulled between extremes – isolation vs clinging, control vs helplessness, revenge vs advocacy – this episode offers straight-talking encouragement to seek balance, love and genuine partnership with others. Could it be time to look at where your instincts are running the show and bring them back into balance?