"My name is Hecho, and I am a grateful believer"
When I first started going to CR, I was annoyed by people's introductions. Almost everyone started out by saying, "I am so and so, and I'm a grateful believer/hope-filled believer/learning believer"...what is all this believer nonsense?! I wasn't a Christian at the time, and if it wasn't completely inconvenient I would have chosen CODA or NarAnon over CR in a heartbeat- mostly for reasons like this.
But I've since come to appreciate the reason behind this. Our pastor says we do this because we are believers first and foremost. We may have addictions or tendencies, but those are not the core of who we are.
I don't think this has to be applied only to Christians. I think some of us get a little to caught up in our problems and let them define us. Even if we are atheists, maybe we should introduce ourselves first by something that makes us who we are. "I am a lover of all things nature... a musician... a mother... and also a codependent."
What do you think?