The word "recovery"

Ok. I was thinking about this as I was cooking breakfast. Im wondering why we call it “recovery” or you see alot of people say “The road to recovery” which to me seems to suggest that at some point I will have “recovered” and I no longer will have to be vigilant, no longer be an alcoholic, no cravings and will be able to drink and smoke to “sensible” level. I say it to people as well when offered a drink (if i choose to say it) “No thanks im in recovery”

As far as im concerned i will always have to be vigilant now, i will always be an alcoholic and for me I simply cant drink to a sensible level and ive come to admit and accept that.

So what does the word “recovery” mean to anyone reading this? Is it more of a saying for people that have admitted to having an addiction and are recovering from a former life or is it a physical recovery from abuse and then the mental side you dont link to recovery?

Thanks

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I’ve got some serious back issues that i have now recovered from. Recovered in that i am no longer disabled by them.
Recovered and pain free.
Recovered but in continuous maintenance to remain that way. Without stretching, exercise and care with how i move and perform certain activities i will relapse.
But, yes, recovered from the painful and debilitating place i was.

Same with alcoholism for me.
Recovered and in maintenance.

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Recover yourself, what’s been lost or missing. I say finding your way back to your factory setting, lol

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Hmm, interesting question. I think to begin with I thought of recovery as a destination, like one day I could announce “I’ve recovered!!”. Now I see it as an ongoing process of growth and betterment, a process that will continue indefinately.

When I say ‘recovery’ now I don’t really frame it in terms of alcoholism or drug abuse, more so just life I guess.

I’m not sure tho. Thanks for giving something to ponder this morning :+1:

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I don’t know either. There is the actual definition:

to cover again or anew

the act, process, or an instance of recovering

the process of combating a disorder (such as alcoholism) or a real or perceived problem

Maybe it could be thought of as continuing to live without alcohol or whatever each day?

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I see it as a process of gaining back my ability to think from a much shittier state of mind. And of course the physical elements too.

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I’ve never really thought about it like that, that is a very interesting question.

I like the way @AyBee phrased it “recovered and in maintenance.” Before I read his post I was thinking about my own answer and was thinking that the recovery is a journey that is about more than just the battle against alcohol. I’m not sure if I think there is a point where I will be “recovered” or not, although I have made the decision that I will never touch a drop again. I certainly can proudly say that I finally broke through that wall in my mind that was preventing me from being sober for years

Maybe that counts as “recovered”? I certainly don’t feel like it; it feels like I have a lot of self discovery left to do.

I think recovery from alcoholism is also about finding peace with yourself and finding out what caused us to lose control in the first place, then address those issues as well.

Until I joined TS, I had literally no experience with sobriety or any of the ideas around it so these are all just my opinions from my personal experiences, feelings and readings in the last 4-ish months.

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While some will think of themselves as always being a “recovering alcoholic”, personally I think recovery is when I’ve “got it”, cognitively, emotionally, spiritually. It means I do not need to ever drink again.
Personally, it does not matter how I get there. Another “personally” for me is I do not think the affirmation “I am an alcoholic/user” is useful.
For the moment, I am recovering and if I am not vigilant I could have problems related to drink. Personally.

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I consider myself to be recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. That doesn’t mean that I no longer work on my recovery. It means that the symptoms of my disease have been arrested. I no longer feel dead inside. My body has healed from years of chemical abuse. However, like many other diseases, if I were to stop taking my medication my disease would return.

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I don’t think in terms of “recovery”, like “recovering” or “recovered”

I used to drink. Now, I won’t drink, because I don’t drink. I am a non-drinker.

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Great answer! I like this. Everyone has such a great spin on it!

I find myself having the same pessimistic thoughts but I am resolved to convince myself that it is just my anxiety speaking, trying to take away the joy from my new sober life.

I am still finding new and amazing things about sobriety each day so here’s to hoping that feeling (the “pink cloud” as they say) never ends :v:

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Not that many more! But yea, if anything I’m more in love with sobriety now than when I started.

It seems like each day it gives me something more or there’s a “wow that would have been horrible if I wasn’t sober!” moment.

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wow thats an interesting way to look at it! Thanks

Very well put! I like that

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it’s about recovering from yourself and your self centeredness, any fool can stop drinking but can they really be at peace with this. When we recovery from all our own faults we will forget we need alcohol bc we will be too busy living. We are not just alcoholics we are mentally and emotionally sick people and I for one have found I can recover with a program and daily plan. Yes I will do this for the rest of my life bc it’s my medicine, if I pick up a drink in 20 years time it will turn out I was never recovered at all just living life without a drink for a while.

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If I still had to be “in recovery”, then I would be using again.
I am “recovered”.
Think about it this way. You jump off of a 15 foot wall and break your leg. Your leg is put into a cast and you are on crutches for an ungodly amount of time while your leg heals. In the end your leg heals and you get to loose the crutches.
Now the question is, Do you go and jump off of the 15 foot wall again or do you stay away from the wall and thank God that you were healed?
I choose the later and that is why I AM RECOVERED!

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