JScatt

Hello All!
Something I think about every now and then is an alcoholic ever considered fully recovered?
I hear alot of folks with years of sobriety (10, 15, 20+ yrs) say they are in recovery from alcoholism then I hear just a few say they are recovered alcoholics.
I see recovering as a process of healing, whether from a broken bone or illness, once a person has recovered they are pretty much back to normal/cured.
Is saying you are in recovery vs recovered the same thing just a different word or do some folks feel they completely cured and will never ever drink again?
Personally I don't think its a disease so I don't use the term recovery, I just don't drink anymore and no, I don't consider myself a dry drunk.
Looking forward to your responses.

dpac414

I can't speak for anyone else here, but I see recovery as an ongoing process that constantly needs work. That work won't stop until I'm in the grave, so in my eyes I'll never be "recovered" and I'll always be working on my recovery. So I prefer to talk about it as an active thing, rather than something I did an then am done with.

I also think it's a good way to remind myself that I cannot ever drink again. As you mentioned, "recovered" sounds like I am cured. I will never be cured of alcoholism, and the moment I take that first drink it will all go downhill. I want to stay out of any mindset that allows room for thoughts of drinking to enter, or that I am a "normal" person like anyone else who is able to drink moderately.

Idk. Just my two cents on the idea. Personally, any chance that I forget my alcoholism or think that I am cured is one step towards a relapse.

Interested to see others' takes on it. I'm sure everyone has their own thoughts. These are just mine.

Just as an edit: I am still early in recovery, less than a year. So these thoughts are coming from that perspective. Not sure how people with years on me feel about it.

RDBplus3

From my understanding and experience with this topic, as it is discussed in the book Alcoholics Anonymous:
We are 'recovered' from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body - I am 'recovered' from the state of mental obsession where I HAVE TO drink. I had lost the power of choice. Then, from the obsession that I have to have 'a drink' to just be OK, when I put alcohol in me, it takes over and I have the craving to have more. At that point, I cannot safely predict how much I'm going to drink, and if I can 'control it' it is like playing russian roulette every time I drink - I cannot always predict when I am going to drink out of control.

For me, and per the book of AA, thru working the Steps, I 'recover' from that state, but I am not 'cured'. Meaning that for me, and the experience of the 100 that were instrumental in writing the book, if I put alcohol in my system, I am not cured, so that process/cycle of obsession and craving will either happen then, or will progress again to the same, or worse, condition of active using.

Many people are just hard drinkers, that have let their drinking get out of control. They may not be 'Alcoholics' ... or maybe their drinking hasn't progressed to the point of becoming true Alcoholics. For them, and people who don't have the condition of being 'Alcoholic' as described in the AA book, this just seems like weak-willed BS. They can have their opinion, which is actually true for them ... But I KNOW I have the condition of being an Alcoholic, as described in the AA book.

So ... I am FREE (thank God) ... but I am not foolish enough to consider myself 'Cured'.

RDBplus3

MLD51

I'm 4 and a half years sober, and I agree with dpac here. I don't ever want to use the word "recovered." To me, it's an incurable disease. By that I mean that were I to drink again, ever, I have no doubts I'd be back to drinking alcoholically at some point. Maybe not right away, but eventually. I know this because I had periods in my life when I didn't drink for various reasons (pregnancies, Army, and other times when drinking wasn't practical) and I went back to drinking heavily when I could.

So no, I'll never be fully recovered. I hear people saying that sometimes, and that's their choice, but I don't believe I can ever claim I'm recovered.

least

I consider myself to be recovered, in the same sense of being recovered from a gunshot wound. I've recovered from it but that does not make me bullet proof. If I drink again, I'll be right back in the mess I was in and I don't want to go there.

MindfulMan

I am no longer a drinker or drugger and am 100% positive that I will never drink again. I don't subscribe to a 12 Step program, have not given myself to a higher power, and believe that I have a choice to never drink again.

I remain active on SR to help those in early sobriety, the friends and family people, and to continue to exchange insight with those in ongoing sobriety. I'm also doing individual psychotherapy, but that's more about life in general than sobriety in particular.

I consider myself recovered.

nez

I am a human being not a human beed. I thing of terms of life being an ongoing process, constantly changing, and evolving (more ing words). For me, overthinking takes time away from experiencing. Words get in my way sometimes and can lead me into overthinking.

JScatt

That is a very good way to look at it, I was shot be lived and recovered but I could get shot again and not be so lucky


I can relate to this in almost every way except saying I'm recovered. Congrats on your two years!

MyLittleHorsie

This is always so interesting to read responses.
I quit smoking, my insurance doesn't use recovering or recovered, I am a non smoker, (and thank freaking goodness, have u seen rates for women) Am I in recovery from smoking, no, I do not smoke. I know that one puff will bring me right back to a pack a day. Aside from mot putting a cigarette in my mouth, I don't do anything to maintain it. I used to snd I never got as far as this quit, so everyone is different.
So for me, drinking isn't really that different. I come on here now and then, but I don't do anything else anymore. Drinking is off the table. I refuse to drink at or over anything. It no longer exists as an option. My addiction is not active and honestly, neither is my recovery, save reading and occasionally responding here.
I smoked weed daily for 12 years, met my husband, he said I can't have it near me. So I gave it up. Was I an addict, did I need recovery, am I in recovery...
Just semantics. The bottom line, I have in the past used chemicals to cope with life, stunting my natural ability to cope, adapt and change, preventing me from learning healthful skills. Now the addictive vices are gone, booze, cigs, drugs, sex, food, money, well except money, I am just less ruthless about making it. I have learned to accept and cope. It doesn't mean I discount those vices ability to come back into my life, but I intend to never allow them.

August252015

I'm a recovering alcoholic, ie yes, I'd say I'm in recovery. Plan to die that way because the whole progress not perfection part of AA means that I can keep getting better for the rest of my life.

lessgravity

Another in the camp of being recovered here. Exact same points as mentioned above. In the end it's just syntax or a way our mind processes pur relationship with alcohol. Personally I find peace and inspiration in knowing I've recovered from the drinking life I led. Not that there isn't lots of work to do.

Ghostlight1

After ten and a half years sober, I call myself an alcoholic.
If someone asks me why I don't drink, I say it's because I'm an alcoholic.
I've told all my friends that I'm an alcoholic.
So, I neither consider myself in recovery or recovering anymore. I'm just an alcoholic.
When I was early in sobriety, I was recovering. I guess after about five years sober I was recovered.
Now I identify as an alcoholic, but that's just me.

JScatt

Yes MLH, the responses are interesting and very helpful in understanding how each of us copes

JScatt

This seems to be the answer I give people. Before the folks at work got to know me and would ask what I drank or If I wanted to get a drink after work I would just say "nope, I'm a burnt out drunk and If I were to join you you probably wouldn't see me again" .

ConfusedGuy

I am very new and I dont goto AA. But maybe everyone has a different meaning of 'recover' ? - I guess when my health is better and I dont crave a drink again, is that 'recovered' ?- or does it mean I need to 'recover' all that I have lost ? - to be in life where I should be ? - If it means different things to people then maybe everyone is correct.

Ghostlight1

Exactly. Everyone who knew me from my drinking days knew I was a drunk, so it's no big deal to them
I think it comes down to a matter, sort of, character.
I just don't care what new people who never knew of my drinking think.
I'm a drunk. A lush. And to quote you, a burnt out drunk.
I'm an alcoholic and always will be. Just one given a daily reprieve from active alcoholism

Abraham

For me recovering means you are still struggling and drinking occasionally or more, or at least thinking about it alot. Recovered means you no longer drink and are comfortably over it. I am a recovered smoker. I dont smoke, dont want a smoke and its been 20 years. I would have called myself recovering the first 6-9 months perhaps. Just how I look at it anyway.

DriGuy

I say that I'm "recovering" because that's the most common usage describing the process in alcoholic circles. But I consider myself "recovered" because I'm done with that previous nightmare in my life. And since free will gives me a choice, I will not go back to the nightmare. I'm recovered.

I have been admonished in AA that I should never say I'm not going to drink again, because an alcoholic can fall off he wagon at any time; Hence you are never recovered. I could go back to the nightmare if I ever take another drink, but I'm not going to do that, so while I don't admit that I'm recovered (to be politically correct), I consider myself "recovered."

Yeah, but what about that slight chance that I lose my mind, or have a bad day, want to self destruct, and things are so bad that I've got nothing more to lose? I suppose that could happen, but I consider it a statistical probability on the order of gravity reversing itself.

So just between you and me in a moment of honest reporting, if not semantically exact, considering myself "recovered" reflects my level of commitment and and loving appreciation of my sobriety, which I refuse to give up. I have no problem with total commitment about this.

But in public, I say I'm "recovering" because I won't have to go through this long winded discussion of semantics if anyone wants to correct me.

tomsteve

i have recovered from the state of body and mind that made me drink.
not cured.
understanding what recovered means to people could be helpful for ya,jscatt.

WeThinkNot

I will be in recovery until the day I die because my definition of sobriety does not pertain to drinking at all.

I've already faced the demons from my past and put them to rest. My compulsions to drink alcohol have been completely lifted. From here on out my job is to be the absolute best version of WeThinkNot that is within my human capacity. That means always being mindful of areas where I can improve upon my character defects. That means setting short term, midterm, and long term goals for myself and revising them as necessary. That means reflecting on what I believe God to be and what God has done for me.

I couldn't care less about booze. Now my obsession is everyday being better than I was before. It's the greatest and absolutely most rewarding work I've ever undertaken in life and because of that I'm an alcoholic in recovery.