Grizzled

There appears to be a bit of contention in some meetings I go to with people identifying themselves as recovering and/or recovered.

Most people that have a lot of time seem to prefer Recovering, but that is not always the case.

I was told by my sponser to introduce myself as recovering (fair enough) and he seems a bit uncomfortable with the 'Recovered' folks.

What are the schools of thought on this?

nandm

My understanding is recovered means a person would no longer have the problem where as recovering would mean the problem still exists but is getting better. Personally I like the term recovering as it would be too easy for me to believe I have beaten the disease of alcholism and justify trying drinking once more if I look at it as recovered. I prefer to know that I have to be ever viligant about how I apply the program of AA to my life so that I do not wind up thinking I might be able to drink again.

But that is just my opinion. I do not judge anyone when they use the term recovered rather than recovering as I have enough to work on in myself.

Thanks for the post. It made me think about the two terms and how they apply to my life.

laurenlanai25

hey!!
some places in the big book it uses the word recovered, but read the reference to how they use it!!

This is the Foreword as it appeared in the first
printing of the first edition in 1939.

WE, OF Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body

best

In most cases it can be a form of semantic.

The oldtimer who has found a challenge along their sober path has realized that we are in a constant state of growthand that any of us can be one slip away from a return to the past.
When I say I am recovered... I am saying I don't battle like I did in the early days but I also know that if I let my gaurd down by saying I am recovered... I put myself in a dangerous situation. For a person early in their recovery to go about thinking they have recovered (no longer have a problem) that can be very dangerous ground that can lead to a relapse.
Recovering... I am still growing and learning even after many years of being sober.

nandm

To me "seemingly hopeless state of mind and body" is different from alcoholism. It is the same concept as listed in step 2 "came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity". Sanity, and a hopeless state of mind and body are symptoms of alcoholism but not necessilarily the disease itself. When these things are relieved the disease is put into a remission but just as a cancer it is still there waiting to come back full force.

Just my interpretation.

Jfanagle

In my opinion the two terms are like so many things in the fellowship of AA, intensely personal and for that reason I don't presume to determine why anyone identifies as they do.

I have heard many members identify as "recovered" and must believe that their reasons are known only to them. I will say that I feel more comfortable and think I understand the logic better when a person, usually with a substantial amount of time, IE. (My definition: a few years), identifies as "A recovered alcoholic, recovered just for today through the fellowship of AA and the grace of God." That is a concept that I can easily wrap my mind around.

Just my observations, however as long as I keep coming to meetings and keep hearing both identities I suspect that I will be one or the other for another day and that is my business and I try and tend to my world and that I have found works for me.

Jon

laurenlanai25

i agree!! that is why i said look how it is used, not saying recovered from alcoholism....

nandm

I appologize if I offended you, that was not my intent. I was actually agreeing with you. Sometimes it can be difficult to interpret intent when posting to a discussion board. Thank you for your post. It brought out a very good point about recovered vs. recovering.

laurenlanai25

oh no!! u did not offend me at all, i hate writing too, so much to be left interpreted!! sometimes i am just afraid that what i meant to say didnt come off the way i intended it too!! just like at meetings sometimes, once i shared i was having a hard time at work, then everyone started sharing about how they hated their boss too!! i had no idea where that came!! hahaha...but thanks anyway!!! have a good day!!

laurenlanai25

ps, there i go, you never said u hated writing!! you just said it was difficult!! see i do it too!! ahhahaha

SaTiT

well, there a book from the other fellowship "we do recovered".

Beats me how everyone defines it personally. I can only share
my ESH.

I do understand that I don't have the obsession or compulsion to drink
or use today. My life has gotten better in so many level. So yes,
I have recovered from that living hell.

On the other hand, i did relapsed after 11 years of being clean and sober.
So...I defernently wasn't cured. So i do understand your sponsor.
and recovery is base on your spiritaul condition for today and only today.
So for some people it can be a dangerouse thing to get into Recovered
thinking. Slowly recovey looses priorities and I got complasent. Missed
a meeting and the next think i knew i wasn't going to meetings at all.
Then i lost contacts with people in recovery..thinking I'm recovered
and i can handle it on my own again. Well,,now you know who the story
gose when i started doing things my own ways again...no matter how
much time or how strong my recovery was.

I don't have a problem with other people saying they're recovered
or in recovery or still recovering.

I have a problem with ME saying I'm recovered.lol
Anyway, i'm one of those poeple that has to go to ACOA also to continue
my recovery. So yes, I'm defferently still recoverying and still need a lot
of healing. i guess i'm one of those alki grown in the garden on some crazy moulch.lol

not to brag about how and why I'm still clean and sober today after i replased,
after being clean and sober for a long time.
The odds are against you if you relasped. it was a total nightmare.
I don't recomemend it or suggest it.
i don't know what the statictis are..but I'm probably 1 in a million.
Nothing short of a miracle.
I share hoping people don't have to suffered as I did.
Suffering is optional.
well, of course i listened to people relapsed after decades of recovery,
when I had a couple of years under my belt working my program and life
was great. I thought to myself...
" gee whezz...that'll never happen to me, I'm too smart, strong and
of course i was doing it the right way.lol"

Rusty Zipper

recovering, recovered, semi-recovered, semi-recovering, amost recovered, almost, recovering, about to be recovered, about to be recovering... and on and on...

for me, as long as i'm contributing to my recovery...

all is as it should!

all good wishes...

xxoo, z

Fluttering

Great post...and you are right ..a graet deal of copntroversy about it...
for me...I have to remember...once an alcoholic...always an alcoholic..I must maintain and continue to grow..just for today...
My daily reprieve is based on my spiritual condition.

My spiritual condition is based on my participation and the work I put into it.

JimmyB

.... to my recovery... see, it's never ending. I'm still recovering because "God's not done with me yet"

jamdls

I'm allergic to alcohol and always will be, I no longer drink nor have cravings but I'm still allergic to alcohol so I am still an alcoholic. To me, if someone said they were a "recovered alcoholic" then that would mean that they could drink normally and for me that will never be an option.

Judy

Believe808

I am now a recovering alcoholic/addict. I thought I was recovered after 15 years of sobriety and went back out. Well for me I will never be fully recovered from this disease.

laurie6781

From the "Forward" of the first Big Book of Alcoholic's Anonymous:

Therefore, I have recovered from a "seemingly hopeless state of mind and body' and I am still recovering (as I continue to grow and change.) in how to live a spiritual way of life on a daily basis.

J M H O

Love and hugs,

sarahmills

In my humble opinion, when we say a person has "fully recovered", then it's just like saying that the person can totally control the urge of taking drugs or alcohol. That he guarantees that he would no longer be tempted by the addiction. But I would prefer the word "recovering" because he is only human. He might get tempted again but he can overcome it, by saying to himself that he would no longer choose to be a victim of drugs or alcohol.

Pinkcuda

My book says we are not "cured" of alcoholism.
Are we confusing "recovered" with "cured"
We are recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body.
The hopeless state of mind is the mental obsession and the seemingly hopeless state of body is the phenomonon of craving. I am recovered. You guys are welcome to spend the rest of your life in recovery if you want. I won't.
If we were to read the 10th step promise on pgs 84 and 85 we would have no choice but to say "recovered"!

aasharon90

Hi Im Sharon and Im an Alcoholic.

By the grace of my HP and people
like u here in SR I havent found it
necessary to pick up a drink of
alcohol since 8-11-90.

For that and u I am truely gratful.

I take my recovery one day at a time.

Yesterday is gone and tomorrow may
never arrive.

Im with Rusty.....as long as im contributing
to my AA recovery then all is as it should......