TheSubtleKnife

Very well put onlythetruth.

I was wondering especially if you look at recovery as like getting over a cold. do any of you actual feeled recovered? As while I'm newish to all of this if I had an illness I'd expect if the treatment was sufficient that after awhile id be recovered. If not I'd be looking for more effective treatment.

Just my views and they are very limited so I am happy to hear from people who have more experience.

sugarbear1

Recovery is action.

I was an online lurker while I drank, often coming to this site and to others, but I never had anything to say.

When I finally knew I had to stay stopped, I went to a local meeting, found a sponsor and worked with that sponsor to work on the steps. After I was sober over a month, that is when I came in to SR.

Recovery is IN PERSON support followed by tools and other support one can find. It is ACTION in MOTION.

Start by doing something, in person, for you..... then supplement that.....

SoberAtheist

"Recovery" as a noun means nothing to me.

The act of recovering FROM SOMETHING, i.e. as a verb, is the act of returning to a normal state of health. So, in my case, it meant no longer suffering from an addiction.

freshstart57

Recovery for me meant coming to the realization that 'fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son'. Alcohol was making me sick in heart, mind, and body. Drinking was a choice. I decided to stop.

I stopped.

onlythetruth

I just saw this post.

I do feel recovered, yes. Healed. It took some time for me to feel that way, but I have felt that way for a long time now.

Of course I still have problems. My life is not perfect nor am I. But I'm not creating problems for myself by drinking or any compulsive behavior.

David 1

OTT, I am curious to know that since you are healed, then does that mean you are now able to drink in a normal fashion? I know you said drinking does not cause problems for you anymore but if you are truly healed, then do I infer that you are no longer an alcoholic? (if you ever considered yourself an alcoholic)

I have been sober for almost nine years and I truly feel that I can never drink again. If you can drink, I would really like to know more how you accomplished this feat. Was it sheer willpower?

Another poster said this earlier, but recovery for me has meant that I no longer live life in an altered state. The smell of a rose, noticing a child having fun, enjoying my family, being more productive as a person and at work and having the ability to handle life's problems as they come along are just a few examples.


Dave

freshstart57

I was an alcoholic, I looked up what an alcoholic was, and that was me. I was dependent on alcohol in many ways, drank more that I wanted to and it was messing me up in the way that only 20 drinks a day, every day can do. An alcohol addict.

I am not an alcoholic now. I don't drink at all, can't and won't. I am no longer addicted to alcohol.

onlythetruth

I've chosen to abstain from alcohol, because it became clear to me that I cannot drink safely. If I do, I'll get sick again. But I am not sick now, nor have I been sick in many years, and I find no value in viewing myself as someone who is permanently diseased.

I don't label myself as an alcoholic. I am not even sure what an "alcoholic" is. The definition seems to vary depending on the context, so I don't think the term is particularly useful. I certainly suffered from alcohol dependence for many years, although I no longer do.

As far as willpower? I don't know what I would call it, but it certainly was my own power, not the power of God or any outside force. I made a decision and stuck with that decision. In some cases, outside help has been a part of that, but the power, and the responsibility, has always been my own.

That's the way I look at it. You may perceive things differently, and that's fine.

David 1

Thank you OTT for the explanation, makes perfect sense to me!

Take care,

Dave