I think it's only "the R-word" to a small corner of the community of former drunks and druggers, to the rest of us it means different things but not necessarily with any negative connotations. To me it means getting better from being sick, and I sure was physically and psychologically ill at the end of my drinking days. I also think it's possible to be fully recovered, and that's what I consider myself to be - not necessarily a perfect flawless human being, but a very comfortable ex-drinker who has no more "issues" than the next person who was never an alcohol addict.