Am I a True Recovered Alcoholic?
Question by Rachel: Am I a true recovered alcoholic?
I don’t want to use he word “alcoholic” anymore as I have been there and done that. I used to binge drink till I blacked out on anything I could get my hands on for many years. Once things got bad and I got out of my denial, i placed myself into an outpatient center and sobered up for 15 months without a single drop of alcohol. I was proud of myself and had no urges. But I started again, only at social settings and maybe once in awhile I will have one or two beers with my boyfriend during dinner. The thought of getting drunk makes my stomache churn and after drinking in moderation for almost a year now. I honestly do not see my casual drinking to ever go out of control like it did years ago. I strictly drink only beer, as wine and liquor seem to remind me of the old days…I feel I am truley a recovered alcoholc, but the guilt still lingers everytime I take a drink. Should I feel this way?
Best answer:
Answer by Grey Haven
I don’t think you should worry about feeling guilty. All that guilt is, is basically your conscience reminding you of your old ways and not to go back there again. It’s acting like a safeguard to make sure you don’t drink too much. Everyone drinks more than they should every now and then – unfortunately, it happens. At least this guilt prevents that to some extent.
Answer by Helen W.
Although it is not politically correct to say so, research does show that a certain proportion of people who were once addicted to alcohol (about 17%) do achieve “nonabstinent recovery” meaning that they are able to drink moderately and safely. Here is a link to the study and some other information you might find interesting and useful:
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh29-2/131-142.pdf
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200405/the-surprising-truth-about-addiction
http://health.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-alcoholism-expert.html?scp=210&sq=Alcoholics%20Anonymous&st=cse
My former husband is a good example of a person who was addicted to alcohol and then became a social drinker. After many years of incredible binge-drinking, including arrests, he pulled back and has been a moderate drinker ever since (over 25 years). I am not like this: I need to be abstinent; moderation just doesn’t work for me.
Moral of story: yes, you can be recovered. (Even I, who am abstinent, do not feel a need to refer to myself as an “alcoholic” anymore!)
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