Hello all. I sometimes hear folks introduce themselves at meetings, "hi, Im *** and Im a recovered alcoholic". When I ask about this, some tell me that the big book says where hundreds of hopless alcoholics have recovered. They say it gives others hope to hear it is possible to recover. I personally feel that my program teaches me that I am not cured.. simply given a daily reprieve contigint on my spiritual condition. After ten whole years I made the mistake of thinking I was cured and I drank again. So I now believe that although the obsession was drink has been removed, I will never fully recover from the disease of alcoholism. Im not trying to justify my beliefe here, just wondering how others feel on this. Thanks.
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My warranty on tomorrow has run out. My guarantee on the past is void. Nothing is going my way... and I like it like that.
I feel the same as you miller2. I've stopped and after some time sober thought I had the disease controlled....WRONG. One is all it takes. I'm so happy I have learned to love life without it....Tim
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"We posess the eyes through which the universe gazes with wonder upon its own majesty."
I know a lot of people who feel like you do about that. I met most of them in AA. I know more than a handful of people who either went to AA and then stopped going to AA or never went to AA but who dont seem to have any issues whatsoever with drinking at all.
I dont know what people mean by "Recovered". Recovered from acting like a madman? I used to drink and it was absolutely nuts that I continued to do so. I don't drink now and am busy with life. I'm not "recovered"- I know full well that I just can not drink and if I do things go back on crazy and life goes on hold.
I think people like all the catchy words and hip phrases a lot. I'm a drunk but I dont drink.
I completely agree with you. Although I am sober I have not recovered from alcoholism and I never will. I know people in the rooms of AA who have been sober for a great many years and tricked themselves into thinking that they were cured. Then, they picked up again and it took them a long time to get back to AA.
I recently heard about THIQ. Medical researchers have discovered that a chemical, tetrahydroisoquinolone, or THIQ, is present in the brains of alcoholics. It accumulates in the brain and never goes away. That's why I will always be an alcoholic.
Take care,
Carol
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
I much prefer the word "recovering" vs "recovered". The former encompasses recovery as an ongoing process that is never completed. For this alki to consider herself recovered could be the first step toward not fully respecting that first drink for the dangerous thing that it is.
I willingly embrace my recovery as a life-long process as I much prefer to have an actual life.
I agree, and that's something that particularly rubs me the wrong way... especially since the people who I have heard it from most have gone on to relapse after stating that they have recovered... I just kinda wonder. If you're recovered, how could that happen?
Hi there soon-to-be-ex-Canadian Phil! Now I think THAT is a good and valid expression of the day-to-day condition. "Recovered from a hopeless state of mind and body..." not the disease. And it IS something to be thankful for...Tim
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"We posess the eyes through which the universe gazes with wonder upon its own majesty."
Hi, glad you broached the subject. The way I was introduced and taught in the program is that we are always alcoholics and we can arrest the disease but we can never not be an alcoholic. You know, that's fine with me. I am in recovery. I have arrested the disease one day at a time. The memories of my drinking days are like burning coals. I am recovering and I really like it. I could never say I was a recovered alcoholic. It just would not come out of my mouth. If I relinquished my humility to alcoholism, I just know something terrible would happen. I know that I am powerless over alcohol and I would not dare to tempt that evil bastard/bitch/demon in to proving to me that I was not recovered. Love Peace and Humility, Roderick
This is the Foreword as it appeared in the first printing of the first edition in 1939.E, OF Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. For them, we hope these pages will prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary. We think this account of our experiences will help everyone to better understand the alcoholic. Many do not comprehend that the alcoholic is a very sick person. And besides, we are sure that our way of living has its advantages for all.
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"LOVE" devoid of self-gratification, is in essence, the will, to the greatest good...of another.
Yep.. and the word "recovered" is used four or five more times as well in the first few chapters... or the fowards? I was reading some last night and that word kept jumping out at me. But my take on it is this... in the early 40's hopless cases were hospitilized for delerium tremors and there wasnt alot of medical knowledge on the subject. There were some down right untreatable cases before AA came about, and many died or were locked up in sanitariums with wet brain. But when the first 100 or so members began to actually form into a group, many such cases actually were able to be treated through the steps and spiritual program that was comming together. I can see how these men would be considered "recovered" ... able to leave the hospital and carry on a normal way of life again. But I again keep going back to the basics ... "we are not healed"... I just couldnt say I'm a recovered alcoholic if there were new commers in the room. Im a recovering alcoholic, and my obsession to drink has been removed. Thanks for everyones input. :)
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My warranty on tomorrow has run out. My guarantee on the past is void. Nothing is going my way... and I like it like that.
I just introduce myself as an alcoholic, at meetings, without any modifiers. In recovery, recovered, recovering, whatever, most importantly I am sober today.
At least in my part of the world, a substantial majority just say "alcoholic". That's good enough for me, I dont' feel the need to qualify it further - it's true and sufficient.
Outside of meetings, I rarely have the need to introduce myself as an alcoholic of any flavor. I guess if I do, I say I'm a sober alcoholic. Which to many people is an oxymoron, but to me it's real and true.
I've had an number of people tell me over the years that I can't be an alcoholic because I don't drink anymore. It is not relevant what they think or say. Let's see, ever since I said I was an alcoholic, stopped drinking, and started going to these meetings, my life has gotten better and continues to get better. I don't see hairsplitting -ed vs. -ing means anything to my recovery. What other people want to call themselves is their business.
E, OF Alcoholics Anonymous,