Are you bipolar or an addict looking for insight from a like-minded soul? Have a loved one suffering from bipolar or addiction and want some inside advice? While I’m not a doctor or medical expert, I can tell you about my experiences with this dual diagnosis and look to support others with replies. Note that your submission may be used in an upcoming blog post, although names will be changed.
This week Anita M. writes:
Why do alcoholics always refer to themselves as “recovering”? If they haven’t had a drink for a period of time, aren’t they “recovered”?
There is no cure for alcoholism. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. It’s a chronic disease. But it can be confusing to some why us alcoholics always refer to ourselves as recovering even if we’ve been sober a long time. Even if you haven’t had a sip of alcohol in 20 years, you are still in recovery.
We alcoholics have dark pasts. Some of us have attempted suicide. Stolen. Ostracized people. Acted out sexually. Even exhibited violent behaviors. These acts can never be undone. So an addict or alcoholic is constantly in need of setting things straight. There is more to being in recovery than just refraining from drinking. This is what the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are all about: repairing relationships.
For those of us who participate in Alcoholics Anonymous, we create moral inventories of our missteps and do everything to make amends wherever possible, except when to do so would injure someone.
A recovering alcoholic is someone who is constantly working to be a better person. in my book The Eccentrics, Jason used to steal from cab drivers. Now, to pay it forward, he always tips very generously.
In 2014, the Alcohol Research Group at the Public Health Institute defined recovery in this way: “Recovery is a goal of alcohol treatment, and recovery-oriented systems of care are being developed to support that goal. Alcoholics who no longer drink, and are trying to pursue an improved way of living/being, say that they are ‘in recovery.'”
The Betty Ford Institute created a definition of its own in 2007: “Recovery from substance dependence is a voluntarily maintained lifestyle characterized by sobriety, personal health, and citizenship.”
I’m a recovering alcoholic. I have not nor will I ever be cured of my alcoholism. If I were to take a drink today, it would lead to many, many more. Many more, all in one sitting, many times.
The term “recovering alcoholic” reinforces the idea that you can never drink again.
My sober date is February 6, 2012. I haven’t had a drink since. But I am not a “recovered” alcoholic. The truth is, I could relapse at any time. Any of us could relapse at any time. It’s a scary thought, but it’s true.
However, living the sober life is a beautiful thing. We feel better. More like ourselves. We don’t stay up all night wasting our time drinking. We don’t sleep ‘til noon or 2. We wake up every day without a hangover. Personally, my mornings are super productive. I write my book and this blog every day in the AM. I get to play with my 6-year-old nephew, which I wouldn’t be allowed to do if I was not sober. I have great relationships with my family and friends. And nothing could be more fulfilling. I owe it all to being sober.
