Originally Posted by
AtlasMcGee 
One thing that bother's me in AA is almost everyone constantly confessing that they are an alcoholic.
I am a alcoholic but I say I am an alcoholic because everybody else does. "Recovery, service,
unity"
The feeling of having shared in a common peril is one element in the powerful cement which binds us ~p17
Identifying myself like everyone else also keeps my ego out of it. My ego would always want me to make some grand gesture when I introduced myself which says "look at me I am different/special/unique/separate"