soberaccountant

I am not sure if others of you are or have ever been involved with A.A., but I often find myself asking this question as I have been attending their meetings from time to time:

When does one go from being in recovery to recovered?

Whether it be alcoholism, narcotics, emotions, etc. Is one always stuck in recovery, or is there a point when an individual becomes recovered? It troubles me to believe that one cannot ever get past this.

Upward2Enlightenment

In my opinion we are never recovered. Recovered sounds like you could drink, or whatever, like a normal person.
I feel like I will always be in recovery, complacency leads to relapse.

Anna

I have never, ever felt stuck in recovery.

I feel blessed to be in recovery, which to me, is all about living the best life I can. It's about listening to my soul, treating myself with respect, learning new things every day, and generally being the best person I can be.

2ndhandrose

I don't look at it as "stuck in recovery".

For me it is a marvelous journey with no specific destination; the joy is in the journey, not the destination.

Just like life!

Lightning Bug

I was just writing about this on my day 8 post. I am cross-addicted- I have had addictions to work, food, bulimia, anorexia, benzos, opiates, Internet, Sudafed and alcohol. I have clean dates for all of them, some going back more than a dozen years. I don't call myself recovered on any of them. I have an addict's mindset. I am an addict and consider myself recovering as long as I am mindful and working on it. I don't currently have an active status on anything. I have to be careful though.

Bug

resolute50

When does one stop learning?
I'm learning to live without alcohol in my life.
Is that still recovery,I don't know.
All I know is that I've matured in my sobriety.

Don't really know about AA.
Only that's it's helped many,many people.

ICanDoBetter

I'm inclined to think that recovery is everlasting. Most who I hear who have been successful are always taking one day at a time...

Dee74

I don't feel stuck in recovery either. Quite the opposite

Not sure if it makes a difference but for the record I'm not in AA.

I'm happy to use the term recovering because, although the drinking and substance abuse part is over, my recovery continues to lead me on a ever-unfolding journey of self improvement

D

AdelineRose

I'm not in AA and I don't dwell on whether I am "in recovery" or whether I am "recovered".

What I do know is that I do not use drugs and I do not drink. I wake up everyday grateful that I finally love myself and respect myself enough to consistently make decisions that are in the best interest of my physical, mental, and spiritual health. Working to better one's self is never complete, there is always something that can be improved.

In person I don't tell people I am a recovered heroin addict or that I am a recovering heroin addict. Instead I say "Hey my name is Adeline" and if they offer me a drink I say "No thanks".

Don't get hung up on the labels just do what you need to do to stay sober and never stop working on yourself.

FormerWineGirl

Exactly what AdelineRose said.

ALinNS

As mentioned in other posts I believe recovery is a life long journey, I do attend AA in person once a week and online a few times a week however there are teachings that I do not necessarily believe in but I take what helps me from whenever I can get it and leave the rest at the door.

My concern with fully recovered is the person may get the idea that they are healed/fixed and may be able to drink again, I know from my own past when I did this I always picked up where I left off and that is not going to happen again. I have hurt myself, loved ones friends and lost enough because of alcohol.

Today I am very happy, life is back on track however i am always mindful of the AV, I have power over it because I get help from a host of areas including this forum, helping others when I can.

All the best
Andrew

fini

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/5935363-post41.html

soberaccountant, if you start at the post i linked to, you will not hear exactly when we recover, but you can read about that yes, we can and do recover.
and if you read the BB, you will find it mentioned often.

ccam1973

i'm definitely early into my recovery at 22 months and am enjoying every sober minute. After loosing 20 years to being dazed and confused from constant drinking, I am still taking it one day at a time. I am an addict, with an addicts mindset and personality, I will always be in recovery; an proud to be here. I like what Dee said, I will always be on a journey of self improvement.

Berrybean

I believe some folk use the term recovered when the obsession to drink leaves them, or when they have their spiritual enlightenment. They don't mean that they are no longer alcoholics, just that, I suppose, the promises have materialised and they have reached the stage where they are comfortable in their recovery. They are happy, joyous and free as opposed to restless, irritable and discontent.

Personally I steer clear of using anything other than the introductory, tag of 'alcoholic' in meetings to introduce myself, and think I will continue to do so, but that's just personal choice.

NoelleR

Speaking of AA's BB, 'recovered' is even mentioned on the title page, where it says.............: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have RECOVERED from Alcoholism.

(o:

Mountainmanbob

My Sponsor states that

"we have recovered from the wreckage of our past."

At what point in time
does that happen in each case or if it ever happens is hard to say.

Mountainman

stevieg46

We are ''recovered after step 9 '' the obsession has been removed we are restored to sanity'' and we have a daily reprieve from alcohol , and after Step 9 , we maintain our sobriety by practicing Steps 10 11 and 12 on a daily basis which keeps us in a fit spiritual condition .

Regards Stevie recovered 12 03 2006

MythOfSisyphus

That's a complicated question, SA, or maybe a simple one. It's hard to say! I guess on one level it's a little bit like being diabetic- you're totally fine as long as you watch your blood sugar and take your meds. When viewed that way I guess you're "recovered" so long as you don't drink. But if you ever do start again you'll eventually wind up worse that you started with.

To me "recovered" isn't a state where you could go back to being a "normal drinker". That type of recovered is not viable. To me recovered is when you reach the point where you understand your relationship with alcohol and don't want to ever go back. It's like wanting to hit yourself in the head with a hammer but only in moderation!

blossom123

If the particular definition of "alcoholism" (and other addictions) involves the claim that an addiction is inherent and forever, then there can be no recovery. One can "recover" only something that one once had.

Perhaps some people view addictions as similar to an incurable infection: one may have not always had it, but once one gets it, it's forever.

It really comes down to the particular model of addiction that one works with and believes in. There are many such models.


What I find more troubling is that there is the idea that there is such a thing as "moderate drinking" or "normal drinking."

Nobody says there is such a thing as "moderate intake of arsenic" or "normal intake of arsenic." But how can there be "moderate drinking" or "normal drinking"?

Poison is poison; different kinds of poisons indeed have different kinds of effects and different disease and death rates; but the bottomline is that poison is poison.

least

I will always be in recovery, but now that I no longer have the desire to drink, I consider myself recovered.