DoubleBarrel

I believe I have recovered from addiction.

Recovery is a process, and it is one of self discovery and self awareness, and continual improvement.

Alcohol and drugs no longer hold sway over me, but I choose to actively work on my personality and character. It is a blessing and a gift that I have the opportunity.

Bender

I have never liked the terms recovered or recovering. If you think about it a recovered alcoholic would no longer be afflicted with alcoholism so they would be able to drink like a normal person. I don't think that is ever the case, so how could someone who doesn't drink because they are an alcoholic ever be recovered. Recovering implies someday you will recover. I prefer simply "not drinking".

Gottalife

Absolutely not Dee.

I refer to my experience in AA and the two distinct paths on offer there. In fact my whole response is AA based because that's the vehicle that got me sober and why I go along with what the book says. I don't mind what term people use except in the context of AA, where the program promises recovery. I believe a program that contradicts itself right at the start is not all that helpful to the newcomer.

yeahgr8

If you have no cravings, no triggers, no mental obsession, no thoughts about imbibing alcohol ever no matter what is going on or how you feel you can use the term recovered.

If not use recovering cos if you use the term recovered and drink again you are going to look very silly indeed.

You can also use the word recovering to describe the continuing inner journey most alcoholics are on when the recover, i mean start recovering lol

Personally i am most definitely recovered, the door is not left ajar for me but it has taken a crap load of work to get to that point. I am still on a spiritual journey and am happy to be on that fir the rest if my life because i want the best life i can have for me and my loved ones.

grtgrandpa

Thank you for that goal, and I am not there yet.

freshstart57

A recovered heroin or meth addict or cocaine addict would be able to use junk or crank or crack like a normal person?

Most people simply do not drink alcohol. The idea that drinking alcohol is normal is really not a good sign for someone who is planning on stopping.

RobbyRobot

I've thought about it too.

I didn't quit drinking because I was an alcoholic. I didn't give a damn about being or not being an alcoholic. It was the booze itself, and the drunken existence that went with my drinking that had me quitting. I was dying from the inside out. I quit drinking so as to not die as a drunken drunk.

So, I still don't drink today and haven't since 1981. Again, not because I'm an alcoholic. Surprised?

I'm still quit today because I still don't want to be drunk. Being a drunk starting off as a 12 year old and drinking until I was 24 isn't a pretty story of some guy who had a few drinks too many, realized he was alcoholic, and then quit.

Even today, I couldn't care any less then I do about being an sober alcoholic. If I didn't fit the AA definition of an alcoholic, I wouldn't do AA. If I didn't understand how to have just quit and get on with my life, I wouldn't make use of AVRT. If I didn't believe I have a soul, I wouldn't give a damn about spirituality either.

For me, there is life after quitting. My real-life experience tells me that life works best if it is travelled as a timeless (ie real time) journey and not as some pre-defined un-imaginative mish-mash of experiences that don't interweave into my daily experiences. Life is to be lived and not put on a shelf waiting for the right series of events and experiences to manifest. Waiting for life is the same as waiting for death, imo.

I think your generalizing the premise that only having alcoholism means somebody can't drink like a normal person misses the vast numbers of successful persons who quit drinking and these same people never did and never will have alcoholism. Alcoholism illness is not the only game-stopper in town. There are ton's of reasons to quit drinking besides alcoholism. Just saying.

Not drinking. Recovering. Recovered.

Not drinking suggests something not done in present time. Doesn't say anything about past experiences or future probabilities. Recovering suggests an ongoing process embracing the totality from past-to-present-to-future. Recovered suggests an ending to the past fully realized in the mindful awareness of my present moments. As for the future, there is no direct line backwards to my past unrecovered life. My unrecovered state of life back when is now history. In the present, my alcoholism is in remission and so plays no active role in my present experiences. In any and all future probabilities my alcoholism will be as it is in the present: in remission.

I've taken on several enduring responsibilities and life-long conditions to enjoy the freedoms I have won and earned in my quitting, my recovery process, and my now being recovered. Nothing I have done, am now doing, or will in future have opportunity to do - none of this can be remotely entertained as "normal"

As a guy who once drank, I immediately lost any hope of being normal the moment I loved what alcohol did for me as a 12 year old. I finished that horror of horrors when I quit at 24 years old both loving and hating alcohol all at the same time - ie: addiction ambivalence no less.

I call myself a recovered alcoholic drug addict not because its convenient to belong to some group or fellowship. I do so because the established facts wholly fit with my life experience, and only because the facts fit do I make my claims. Same for my spiritual revolution that resulted in changing out my alcoholic mind for a sober mind.

Alcoholism has nothing to do with why I don't drink anymore. Alcoholism has everything to do with my need for sobriety. Like I said, I quit and stay quit because being drunk is death to me. I don't wanna die anymore. I want to live. That alone is enough reason to never drink again. All the rest is just gravy.

thisisme

I lost my desire to drink alcohol when I saw it for what it really was, poison.
I have never had a desire to drink since day 31, 2863 days ago.
Yet....I'm still here reading.

Cow

I think of alcoholic journey as 4 phase continuum:

Unconsciously Alcoholic - you not yet aware you has problem
Consciously Alcoholic - you know you got problem, and is in struggle to get sober
Consciously Sober - you sober, but is continuous effort to stay sober
Unconsciously Sober - you no longer struggle and not think much about sobriety, it just who you is

I striving for unconsciously sober, but I realizes not everybody make through to this ideal.

RocketQueen

FWIW, I just wanted to post my little experience here. I don't have an opinion on "recovery" vs "recovered". Those of you who know my story know that I'm currently homeless and am using government sources to try and get back on track (there is a point to my story, bear with me....) when I went for my assessment with my social worker, I was asked the question "do you have any drug or alcohol dependence?" I answered that question honestly and told them I do, but I've been sober for almost a year and a half. I even went into detail of my addiction. After the "well done, that's so great" speech, he wrote "NONE" next to the question. I'll admit, I was a little bit chuffed to see that according to the Victorian Government of Australia, and the powers that be, I don't have a problem, but it made me think about this thread. I guess for all intensive purposes I could consider myself "recovered", but I would prefer to call it "in remission". At least until I've had a fair whack of sobriety under my belt. A year and a half just doesn't seem like enough time to confidently say I'm a recovered alcoholic.

FlyerFan

Never. At least not for me. One day at a time means forever for me. I live one day at a time until I run out of days.

FeenixxRising

Not to split hairs, but I understand "drug or alcohol dependence" to mean "clinical" dependence, that is a physical dependence. So that if the drug or alcohol isn't consumed, the body reacts biologically and quickly experiences "physical" withdrawals.

Since you've been sober for well over a year, you're no longer physically dependent on drugs are alcohol. So the correct answer would be "none".

However, recovered and/or recovery is an entirely different issue. A person can be free of the physical dependence but still suffer from psychological urges. And IMO most alcoholics or addicts will quickly become physically dependent if they start using again.

courage2

Getting back to the title of the thread, there are consequences of my life with alcoholism and prior to that drug addiction that I live with and can never make different; there are losses I've suffered and caused others to suffer that can not be recovered. So I will at best always be recovering, as far as I can imagine.

Plus it's usually a good idea to agree with Dee. What do they stay -- stick with the winners?

RocketQueen

That was just me paraphrasing. He didn't use the word 'dependence'. I think it was the word 'issues', or 'problem'. Not sure. I'll check when I'm there again today.

Dee74

Your $5 is in the mail lol.

D

courage2

iou

BackToSquareOne

If we dug up all the old threads on this topic, I wonder how long the combo thread would be? Stack that with all the old "Powerlessness" threads and the "How Much Did You Drink" threads and you'd have a lot of reading material on your hands. Throw in all the "Dry Drunk" and AA debates for good measure. Kind of makes me wonder what the hottest topics were since this forum was started.

karate

When the negatives outweigh the positives -its time to hang it up .

Eddiebuckle

I don't like either but prefer "in recovery." I am no more recovered than a person who has survived a gunfight is bulletproof.

GracieLou

I am in remission.

I have found a way through the AA program, completion of the steps, the fellowship, my sponsor, rigorous honesty and service work to hold on to my remission one day at a time.

If I start to slip or get lazy on any of these, then I threaten my remission. I must continue to do these things because I am an alcoholic. That will never change. My alcoholism is waiting for me to return. I have not recovered from it, I am always recovering.

On most days my serenity is there with me like my right arm is. I use it without giving it a second glance. I don't have to stop and wonder what to do, I know what to do. Like riding a bike.

Then there are days like I had yesterday. Where I had to dig deep to find it and hang on to it. I had to reach out and vent and talk to some people. I had to say the serenity prayer many times over. Yesterday I did not know what to do, I only knew what not to do. Yesterday I was in recovery.

I have to remember to reach for recovery when I need it and not to succumb to anger, resentment and fear. I am always going to feel, I have learned what to do with the feelings. I can't say I am no longer in recovery because I need to be able to admit that at times I need it and not fool myself into thinking I am done and I don't need it anymore.

Has my obsession to drink been removed? Yes

Do I know how to handle every single situation with grace and serenity? No

That is the part that I need to work on daily. If I work on them daily, then I will have my daily reprieve. I can't expect to get something that I am not willing to work at achieving.