Originally Posted by
mariechi Hey all,
Since the day I heard myself say "I am an alcoholic," many, much, mucho has happened. All of it good, really. I've had the luxury of doing a lot of soul searching, learning - much of it here at SR. The time is fast coming when I have to take my recovery out into the everyday, work-a-day world and be....
I almost said a functional alcoholic. No, that's what I was.
I didn't know what alcoholism was while I was in full swing. The people in my life don't know what it is, and I don't want to be a person telling everybody about my affliction. That gets OLD. It also detracts from what I want their experience of me to be.
So while I'm not planning on wearing it on a T-shirt, I want to get it straight in my own mind.
I always thought of an alcoholic as a person who's drunk all the time.
An alcoholic is a person who cannot handle alcohol. Nothing wrong with not being able to handle alcohol as long as you don't ingest any. I can't eat watermelon either.
But can't just be an alcoholic. You need a modifier.
Recovering alcoholic? If you can't recover from alcoholism the language doesn't work for me. I can't recover the person who could enjoy an occasional drink.
Non-drinking alcoholic? Better.
I found the one that works for me: alcohol-free alcoholic.
This is probably a silly thread, but maybe if anybody else is having a little bit of an identity - well, not crises, you know -
I'm off to spend the weekend with my folks. I'll check back and see if any ideas occurred.
Be well!
mariechi: welcome.. i don't think this is a silly thread! nothing wrong with it at all.. my name is john and i am a grateful recovering alcoholic!