I am an alcoholic, a recovering one thank God. Until my last breath i will still be an alcoholic.
Now here is where I go with it.
Me saying I am an alcoholic is NOT A LABEL, it is a statement of FACT.
When I was a drunk there were a ton of folks that would have and some the did "LABEL" me an alcoholic/drunk.
To me there is a distinct difference between a "LABEL" & a "FACT".
"LABEL" I see a young man with his pants/shorts hanging off of his arse, I could "LABEL" him a gang banger. Does that "LABEL" make it fact?
"FACT" a young man with his pants/shorts hanging off of his arse, is a respectful hard working young man who would never ever dream of joining a gang of any type, I can "LABEL" him a gang banger every time I see him, but all that really is, is a "LABEL" I gave him based upon my opinion of the way he is dressed.
"LABEL" Some one sees some one fall down drunk so they "LABEL" them an alcoholic.
"FACT" The young man on a dare chugalugged a 40 on a dare, he had never drank before, he may or may not be an alcoholic.
A "LABEL" to the individual who is being "LABELED" means nothing to that person.
Now a "FACT" that one discovers to be "FACT" means some thing.
Until I accepted the "FACT" that I am an alcoholic, I remained a DRUNK!
Today I easily accept the "FACT" that I am an alcoholic, to me it is crucial that I do not view that "FACT" as a "LABEL".
LABELS can be true or false or even some where inbetween. I can not afford to "LABEL" myself an alcoholic because I know people who have been sober for over 20 years who had "LABELED" them selfs to be alcoholics and after all those years of being sober convinced them selfs that all it was, was a "LABEL", they drank again.... some have made it back to sobriety, others have not yet and may never make it back.
A "FACT" is a "FACT", I am an alcoholic, this is a "FACT" for me, it is not a "LABEL"!
With a "FACT" there is no wiggle room with time!
With a "LABEL", there is all the wiggle room I need to allow me after 10 years of sobriety to like others who have merely "LABELED" them selfs alcoholic to have that first drink. I am 56, do I have another recovery in me? I kind of doubt it, it took me 40 years of drinking to hit my first bottom, I am not sure I would live long enough ti hit a second one.