are we in recovery or recovered ??
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Lakeside, Ca
Posts: 10,208
are we in recovery or recovered ??
some in AA say "they are in recovery"
others in AA say "that they are recovered"
I believe that I'm recovered unless I take another drink
then all goes out the door
their was once a man who was healed
he was then told
"now stop your sinning or something worse may happen to you"
this explains all so clearly to me my brief times of sobriety
and then what happened when I returned to the bottle
something worse usually happened to me
thus I believe that for me drinking is a sin
yes, for a short time I truly was healed
but
I once again deceived myself with the thought of
I can now drink like a normal person
MM
others in AA say "that they are recovered"
I believe that I'm recovered unless I take another drink
then all goes out the door
their was once a man who was healed
he was then told
"now stop your sinning or something worse may happen to you"
this explains all so clearly to me my brief times of sobriety
and then what happened when I returned to the bottle
something worse usually happened to me
thus I believe that for me drinking is a sin
yes, for a short time I truly was healed
but
I once again deceived myself with the thought of
I can now drink like a normal person
MM
Laozi Old Man
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 6,665
I AM RECOVERED*
I got alcohol out of my life with abstinence
I got alcohol out of my life with Recovery
I got alcohol out of my mind with a Spiritual Awakening
*However, I must keep one thing in mind. I can be "recovered" from a gunshot wound but that does not make me bulletproof.
:uzi:
I got alcohol out of my life with abstinence
I got alcohol out of my life with Recovery
I got alcohol out of my mind with a Spiritual Awakening
*However, I must keep one thing in mind. I can be "recovered" from a gunshot wound but that does not make me bulletproof.
:uzi:
Its_me_jen
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Salina, Ks
Posts: 8,547
I consider myself in recovery. I suppose you could say I'm recovered from the desire to drink but Ive still got lots of work to do.
That's what works for me.
Sent from my iPhone using SoberRecovery
That's what works for me.
Sent from my iPhone using SoberRecovery
Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Bklyn. NY
Posts: 1,859
This is a topic like NA beers. We seem to never tire of it. 
After writing about it 10 or more times here I decided I like the word recoveringed best.
The big book says recovered. So those that strictly adhere to the bigbook use this word.
I heard that Bill W. said (or wrote somewhere) that they used the word "recovered" because people oustide of the fellowship wouldn't understand the meaning of recovering. That makes the most sense to me.
I know as far as alcoholism is concerned, I can't drink like a normal person and if I pick up a drink I'm going to be in deep trouble and will probably die. I therefore can't say I'm not an alcoholic, I have not recovered from that. I'm in recovery and recovering so long as I don't pick up that first drink.
Bottom line for me is that I understand all the above. The rest is IMO just a word game. People use different words for different reasons, I think ego comes into play with some people who insist it's one over the other. In actuality, I never really use either word. I have no reason to ever state to anyone, other than here in these threads, whether I'm recovered or recovering.
After writing about it 10 or more times here I decided I like the word recoveringed best.The big book says recovered. So those that strictly adhere to the bigbook use this word.
I heard that Bill W. said (or wrote somewhere) that they used the word "recovered" because people oustide of the fellowship wouldn't understand the meaning of recovering. That makes the most sense to me.
I know as far as alcoholism is concerned, I can't drink like a normal person and if I pick up a drink I'm going to be in deep trouble and will probably die. I therefore can't say I'm not an alcoholic, I have not recovered from that. I'm in recovery and recovering so long as I don't pick up that first drink.
Bottom line for me is that I understand all the above. The rest is IMO just a word game. People use different words for different reasons, I think ego comes into play with some people who insist it's one over the other. In actuality, I never really use either word. I have no reason to ever state to anyone, other than here in these threads, whether I'm recovered or recovering.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Poconos PA
Posts: 1,544
I think it there is a point for most people where you go from recovery to recovered. For me I was still in recovery until about 8 months when I feel like I went into being recovered. Although, with that said I am not sure if there was ever a time in my life I could call myself 100% sober until now. So what did I recover if I never lost it before? 
Peace, Love, Sobriety
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Wilmington, DE
Posts: 1,549
I will always be recovering for the rest of my life. I may not take a drink, but the disease is still there trying to convince me otherwise. It is a daily effort to work my program and fight evil.
Sober Alcoholic
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,539
I looked at the title for this thread and said …oh, not again.
Recovering and recovered are verbs. They refer to something (an object for the verb). When people say I’m a recover/ing/ed alcoholic they are referring back to an unspecified object. In other words, they are in the process of, (in the case of recovering) or have already regained (in the case of recovered) SOMETHING. That SOMETHING is left undefined.
It is left up to the listener to define what that SOMETHING is.
The variety of things that can be recovered or be recovering are enormous. Hope, health, sanity etc. The list can go on and on. That SOMETHING is unspecified, making the statement somewhat vague and open to interpretation. The worst possible interpretation (made by the listener) would be that the person who is alcoholic has recovered the ability to drink normally. Without defining exactly what has been recovered, it leaves open this possibility.
In a room that includes people not familiar with recovery, this is a misunderstanding I never wish to take place, so I will use recovering (even if recovered is more apt).
Recovering and recovered are verbs. They refer to something (an object for the verb). When people say I’m a recover/ing/ed alcoholic they are referring back to an unspecified object. In other words, they are in the process of, (in the case of recovering) or have already regained (in the case of recovered) SOMETHING. That SOMETHING is left undefined.
It is left up to the listener to define what that SOMETHING is.
The variety of things that can be recovered or be recovering are enormous. Hope, health, sanity etc. The list can go on and on. That SOMETHING is unspecified, making the statement somewhat vague and open to interpretation. The worst possible interpretation (made by the listener) would be that the person who is alcoholic has recovered the ability to drink normally. Without defining exactly what has been recovered, it leaves open this possibility.
In a room that includes people not familiar with recovery, this is a misunderstanding I never wish to take place, so I will use recovering (even if recovered is more apt).
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Lakeside, Ca
Posts: 10,208
much said regarding (recovered) in the AA Big Book
1.
... recovered. BB There Is A Solution, p.17 View THERE IS A SOLUTION chapter
Nearly all have recovered.
2.
... recovered. BB There Is A Solution, p.29 View THERE IS A SOLUTION chapter
Further on, clear-cut directions are given showing how we recovered.
3.
... recovered. BB Working With Others, p.90 View WORKING WITH OTHERS chapter
If he says yes, then his attention should be drawn to you as a person who has recovered.
4.
... recovered. BB To Wives, p.113 View TO WIVES chapter
He knows that thousands of men, much like himself, have recovered.
5.
... recovered. BB The Doctor's Opinion, p.xxv View THE DOCTOR'S OPINION
This man and over one hundred others appear to have recovered.
6.
... recovered alcoholics. BB Foreword to Second Edition, p.xv View FOREWORD TO SECOND EDITION
In that brief space, Alcoholics Anonymous has mushroomed into nearly 6,000 groups whose membership is far above 150,000 recovered alcoholics.
7.
... recovered alcoholics carried their message to still ... 12&12 Foreword, p.17 View FOREWORD
With the publication of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" in 1939, the pioneering period ended and a prodigious chain reaction set in as the recovered alcoholics carried their message to still others.
8.
... recovered, and have been given the power ... BB The Family Afterward, p.132 View THE FAMILY AFTERWARD chapter
We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others.
9.
... recovered, but holds a relatively unimportant job, ... BB To Employers, p.146 View TO EMPLOYERS chapter
An alcoholic who has recovered, but holds a relatively unimportant job, can talk to a man with a better position.
10.
... recovered from a gastric hemorrhage and seemed ... BB The Doctor's Opinion, p.xxxi View THE DOCTOR'S OPINION
He had but partially recovered from a gastric hemorrhage and seemed to be a case of pathological mental deterioration.
11.
... recovered from a hopeless condition of mind ... BB There Is A Solution, p.20 View THERE IS A SOLUTION chapter
Doubtless you are curious to discover how and why, in the face of expert opinion to the contrary, we have recovered from a hopeless condition of mind and body.
12.
... recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of ... BB Foreword to First Edition, p.xiii View FOREWORD TO FIRST EDITION
We, of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body.
13.
... recovered from serious drinking, are miracles of ... BB The Family Afterward, p.133 View THE FAMILY AFTERWARD chapter
We, who have recovered from serious drinking, are miracles of mental health.
14.
... recovered immediately and became A.A. number three. BB Foreword to Second Edition, p.xvii View FOREWORD TO SECOND EDITION
Their very first case, a desperate one, recovered immediately and became A.A. number three.
15.
... recovered in A.A., they can become the ... 12&12 Step Twelve, p.112 View STEP TWELVE essay
And if these are facts of life for the many alcoholics who have recovered in A.A., they can become the facts of life for many more.
16.
... recovered is the main purpose of this ... BB Foreword to First Edition, p.xiii View FOREWORD TO FIRST EDITION
To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book.
17.
... recovered long ago. BB We Agnostics, p.45 View WE AGNOSTICS chapter
If a mere code of morals or a better philosophy of life were sufficient to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago.
18.
... recovered, of their chance. BB Working With Others, p.96 View WORKING WITH OTHERS chapter
He often says that if he had continued to work on them, he might have deprived many others, who have since recovered, of their chance.
19.
... recovered on their own resources. 12&12 Step One, p.22 View STEP ONE essay
It was a statistical fact that alcoholics almost never recovered on their own resources.
20.
... recovered through A.A. 12&12 Foreword (Note), p.15 View FOREWORD
(*) In 2003, it is estimated that over two million have recovered through A.A.
... recovered. BB There Is A Solution, p.17 View THERE IS A SOLUTION chapter
Nearly all have recovered.
2.
... recovered. BB There Is A Solution, p.29 View THERE IS A SOLUTION chapter
Further on, clear-cut directions are given showing how we recovered.
3.
... recovered. BB Working With Others, p.90 View WORKING WITH OTHERS chapter
If he says yes, then his attention should be drawn to you as a person who has recovered.
4.
... recovered. BB To Wives, p.113 View TO WIVES chapter
He knows that thousands of men, much like himself, have recovered.
5.
... recovered. BB The Doctor's Opinion, p.xxv View THE DOCTOR'S OPINION
This man and over one hundred others appear to have recovered.
6.
... recovered alcoholics. BB Foreword to Second Edition, p.xv View FOREWORD TO SECOND EDITION
In that brief space, Alcoholics Anonymous has mushroomed into nearly 6,000 groups whose membership is far above 150,000 recovered alcoholics.
7.
... recovered alcoholics carried their message to still ... 12&12 Foreword, p.17 View FOREWORD
With the publication of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" in 1939, the pioneering period ended and a prodigious chain reaction set in as the recovered alcoholics carried their message to still others.
8.
... recovered, and have been given the power ... BB The Family Afterward, p.132 View THE FAMILY AFTERWARD chapter
We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others.
9.
... recovered, but holds a relatively unimportant job, ... BB To Employers, p.146 View TO EMPLOYERS chapter
An alcoholic who has recovered, but holds a relatively unimportant job, can talk to a man with a better position.
10.
... recovered from a gastric hemorrhage and seemed ... BB The Doctor's Opinion, p.xxxi View THE DOCTOR'S OPINION
He had but partially recovered from a gastric hemorrhage and seemed to be a case of pathological mental deterioration.
11.
... recovered from a hopeless condition of mind ... BB There Is A Solution, p.20 View THERE IS A SOLUTION chapter
Doubtless you are curious to discover how and why, in the face of expert opinion to the contrary, we have recovered from a hopeless condition of mind and body.
12.
... recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of ... BB Foreword to First Edition, p.xiii View FOREWORD TO FIRST EDITION
We, of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body.
13.
... recovered from serious drinking, are miracles of ... BB The Family Afterward, p.133 View THE FAMILY AFTERWARD chapter
We, who have recovered from serious drinking, are miracles of mental health.
14.
... recovered immediately and became A.A. number three. BB Foreword to Second Edition, p.xvii View FOREWORD TO SECOND EDITION
Their very first case, a desperate one, recovered immediately and became A.A. number three.
15.
... recovered in A.A., they can become the ... 12&12 Step Twelve, p.112 View STEP TWELVE essay
And if these are facts of life for the many alcoholics who have recovered in A.A., they can become the facts of life for many more.
16.
... recovered is the main purpose of this ... BB Foreword to First Edition, p.xiii View FOREWORD TO FIRST EDITION
To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book.
17.
... recovered long ago. BB We Agnostics, p.45 View WE AGNOSTICS chapter
If a mere code of morals or a better philosophy of life were sufficient to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago.
18.
... recovered, of their chance. BB Working With Others, p.96 View WORKING WITH OTHERS chapter
He often says that if he had continued to work on them, he might have deprived many others, who have since recovered, of their chance.
19.
... recovered on their own resources. 12&12 Step One, p.22 View STEP ONE essay
It was a statistical fact that alcoholics almost never recovered on their own resources.
20.
... recovered through A.A. 12&12 Foreword (Note), p.15 View FOREWORD
(*) In 2003, it is estimated that over two million have recovered through A.A.
Peace, Love, Sobriety
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Wilmington, DE
Posts: 1,549
Originally Posted by 1undone 
Well I've never read a thread discussing this so it's not new to me. Just an FYI who feel as thought they are beating a dead horse.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Lakeside, Ca
Posts: 10,208
Originally Posted by FlyerFan
If it isnt one debate its another.
a good debater can debate both sides of the issue
if issues or debates such as this bother you why do you post ??
to just to let us know that this is by far not new to you ??
congratulations
Mountainman
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: C.C. Ma.
Posts: 3,697
I'm recovered from the ravages of active alcoholism for +30 years now. I'm in recovery to make sure I don't repeat and need to be recovered again, which personally I don't thing I can at this stage of recovery.
BE WELL
BE WELL
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Lakeside, Ca
Posts: 10,208
Originally Posted by 1undone
Well I've never read a thread discussing this so it's not new to me. Just an FYI who feel as thought they are beating a dead horse.
anything and everything that causes (me) to think about sobriety
comes as a positive thing
MM
Grateful to be free
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,680
I think this is one of those terms that is an inside deal. Like alcoholic, dry drunk, etc. Only a person themselves can really know what their relationship to booze/life/addiction is.
I'm in recovery.
Other people say they are recovered, and I believe them.
Many of the issues and tendencies that led me to reach for a drink, pill or other unhealthy behaviors and substances are still alive and kicking in me.
For me, taking the substance out was a great and necessary first step towards addressing other things. I'm still a neophyte in the addressing the other things part.
I'm in recovery.
Other people say they are recovered, and I believe them.
Many of the issues and tendencies that led me to reach for a drink, pill or other unhealthy behaviors and substances are still alive and kicking in me.
For me, taking the substance out was a great and necessary first step towards addressing other things. I'm still a neophyte in the addressing the other things part.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 3,359
semantics IMO. I believe you could substitute growth for recovering the two are the same. I personally like the concept of movement. I am recovering or growing. I am changing. They say that you emotional maturity stands still when you being drinking and partying - I tend to agree. This for me probably puts me at about 22-24yo in a body of a 39yo. I have started to grow again and the image I have is closer to my real age - vs the invincible 22yo. This took growth and movement and change, which all came from recovery and the process of recovering. Whatever adjective you choose I think is up to the individual and does not matter. The underlying reason has significance and perhaps might tell you something about yourself.
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