I'm an Alcoholic vs I am a recovering Alcoholic
 

Hi would love some help with this.

In meetings I hear most people say I am an Alcoholic, but some say
I am a recovering Alcoholic.

As a believer you are what you put into your imagination a philosophy of
Wayne Dyer and other spiritual teachers. I am not comfortable stating
I am an Alcoholic over and over.

I am much more comfortable with I am a recovering Alcohlic.

Any insights or adivice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I'm not an AAer but I've seen this topic before....I don't think there's any harm in going with whatever you feel more comfortable with :)

D

This might be a squishy answer, but I think people should self-identify in any way that makes sense to them. I say that I am a recovering alcoholic. I don't think that I am cured, but I know for sure that I am not an active alcoholic.

As my views of myself change, so might my decisions about how I refer to myself.

Just me.

It's quite simple. Say what you feel comfortable with. If you are still drinking it seems to be accurate to say, "I'm an alcoholic." If you're not drinking then "I'm a recovering alcoholic." I would think that the main thing is honesty, not only to others but to yourself. Just because you may be drinking does not mean that you are not welcome at meetings. The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop drinking.

W.

I would say if that's what you feel more comfortable with, the question answers itself!

No exams to pass and no one can take it away from you. If you feel you're in recovery then you are - hang on to that positive mindset.

There was no doubt in my mind when I was drinking that I was an alcoholic. I pretty much knew it from my 2nd week drinking. Because of that I never really gave much thought to referring to myself as one at meetings, and still do. There's lots of debate over whether we're recovered, or recovering. The Big Book often says recovered, so many people go with that. I heard that it says recovered because to the world outside AA, saying recovering sounds as though we still have a problem with drinking. Which we don't. The Big Book also makes it clear that our sobriety is contingient upon our growth, and that we are never "recovered". If we pick up a drink again, we'll find that the alcoholic in us is still very much alive.

Here on the SR forum many people outside of AA state that they will never drink again. Pretty sure they don't consider themselves recovering, though I can't speak for any of them. Myself, being in AA, if asked by someone who is also an alcoholic, consider myself recovering. Outside of AA it's not anyone's business and I'm not sure I've ever been asked if I was recovered, or recovering. If I was I'd probably say recovered. I am one of the believers that if I forget the fact that I'm an alcoholic, stop doing the things I do to remain healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually - that there is the possiblility of me picking up a drink again. I've seen it happen to thousands of people in my life. People with months, years and even decades of sobriety. What I've been doing has been working for almost 29 years for me, so I'm not about to change it.

Want to add that I understand your reasons for not wanting to say you're alcoholic, and I'm also a big Wayne Dyer fan. Read most of his books, and even went to see one of his lectures. I was a member of Codependents Anonymous many years ago, and at the start of the meeting they passed around a list of characteristics of codependents. There were loke 50 of these things, and people would pass the list around and read 3 each... and they were all in the "I". I accept sex for love, I have unclear boundaries, I this, I that.... I absolutely refused to read anything off of that list because 75% of it wasn't even remotely true for me. I realized rather quickly that that particular coda group was bonkers, and stopped going altogether... but yeah, just wanted to share that.

As the cliche goes, be true to yourself. And be as honest as you can be. I think this is a great place to explore questions like you have as you'll get a lot more objectivity than in other places. And you'll hear all 3 sides of the coin. :)

Laast note, just saw the other day that someone here referres to themselves as recoveringed. :) LOL. I like that.

You can refer to yourself however you feel comfortable. You don't even need to add a "tag" after your name. I know one guy who just says, "I'm X, and I didn't have to take a drink today."

"Alcoholic" is just a term or label that we humans made up. To me it doesn't exist any more than any other term or idea we put a label on. I identify with just liking alcohol WAY too much. It works for me and it leaves no room to consider drinking again later on down the road. :)

I've an addiction to alcohol that was ruining my life and was going to kill me.

My addiction is in early remission.

I think we can call it what we want, so long as we're honest about our problem, stop drinking and live a fulfilling life.

It's your call. Everyone has their way of self-identifying. I have heard all sort of different identifying at meetings, but 99% of them will identify with "I'm X and I'm an alcoholic". People dress it up however way they want - doesn't matter to me, and it shouldn't matter to you. You will certainly hear over and over the whole "recovering" vs "recovered" argument (they pop up on SR now and then too), but it's however you feel comfortable.

Call yourself a duck if you want to :) There are no rules.
Personally I follow the suggestion in the Big Book and introduce myself as a recovered alcoholic.

The meeting I attended last night EVERYONE said they were recovered alcoholics.

Can't get much more positive than that!

I came here to say that the first sentence in the Forward to the first edition of the Big Book does state "recovered" rather than "recovering". Recovered is mentioned repeatedly in the Big Book.

However, identify with what you feel comfortable with.

I say I am an alcoholic because I believe that alcoholism is a cronic disease. We are never not an alcoholic in recovery or not. I never ever want to forget what I am because it reminds me that one drink will put me back to the hell of where I was.

I will say that I am a sober alcoholic