When does a 'recovering alcoholic' become a 'recovered alcoholic'?

Question

How many days/weeks/months/years of sobriety does one need to be classed as a recovered alcoholic as opposed to a recovering alcohlic? Is it putely a 'time' thing, or something else?

Answer 1

You are never recovered. That is one of the fundamental principles of AA, and the reason why the number one rule is to NEVER DRINK.

I am in AA and have not drank for 3 years. I don't even think about drinking and have no desire to take a drink again. However, alcoholism is a thinking disease. I still have a lot of the same thoughts/fears/anxieties/"isms" that led me to drink in the first place. AA helps you recognize these problems, gives you tools to deal with them, but you are never truly recovered.

That is why they always tell you to take it one day at a time.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

It's a matter of personal strength. The person who admits to a drink problem has it within them self to recover. Alcohol, like any drug, is addictive: the hardest part is to recognise the problem and seek help for it. Once that is accomplished life gets easier.
A recovering alcoholic would feel much better both mentally and physically, which would spur them on to continue being booze-free.
There is no point at which a recovering alcoholic becomes "recovered", they will always be susceptible to the bottle, but they can live a full and normal life as long as they have lost the craving and have the strength and desire not to go back to it.

Answer 3

Never, a lot of people tend to think that when an alcoholic person stops drinking then the alcoholism has gone, its not so, Once an Alcoholic always an alcoholic it only takes one drink to set the ball rolling again, the idea is to NOT DRINK at all, its not like an alcoholic can have a lads/girls night out for a few drinks and go home, wake up with a hangover in the morning and carry on as normal.

Answer 4

An alcoholic who stays sober is a recovering alcoholic, they take one day at a time and may refrain from alcohol for months even years then all of a sudden start drinking again.
I believe this is a disease often handed down from generation to generation.
There is no such thing as a recovered alcoholic
An alcoholic should not be mistaken for a drunk.

Answer 5

There are lots of good answers here, but having looked them over one thing occurs, all seem to address 'alcoholism', I suggest that the real problem is 'dependency' or 'addiction' if you prefer.

Most of us, for most of our lives, are bombarded with input from all sides about how we 'need' this and we 'need' that. This tends to set up an environment where 'need', which is another way of saying 'dependency', is an acceptable, even necessary condition of living.

With that as a cultural backdrop what chance do we stand. For the immediate preference to diminish or eliminate dependency the AA approach does seem best, i.e. if you accept that you are an alcoholic, then you will always be an alcoholic ( for alcoholic read alcoholic, drug addict, smoker, nail-biter, wife-beater, compulsive eater, compulsive dieter/bulemic, and so on and so on ).

Whilst I agree that this is a stop-gap provision I would like to suggest that there is always the possibility of really 'changing' one's habit's entirely. This requires much less effort than is commonly thought. It all rests on a simple process that we all partake in every moment of our lives.

It's called taking a decision.

We literally decide to be this or that, usually at a level of our awareness beyond our usual daily operating level, like breathing and heart-beat for example. But the 'rules' are exactly the same.

If we wish to change we really only need to re-program our conditioning, and eliminate the idea that any decision is beyond our control. Some people call this 'living in intent', i.e. making everything we do be construed as part of a complete pattern of deliberately deciding what we wish or prefer to experience in our daily lives. This done would mean the leaving behind of the 'dependency experience'.

Answer 6

You never are recovered, as any time you start drinking you basically start where you left off. Alcoholism is a progressive disease. Some people say they are recovered and they are referring to their obsession to drink. This takes a great deal of work on the part of the drinker with a great deal of support and counseling. An alcholic can NEVER pick up another drink in their life.

Answer 7

I think it is a personal issue. I know of a lovely man, considers himself recovering for over 20 years, drinks occasionally, goes right back to sobriety.

Another friend considers herself recovered no alcohol for 17 years. Has no desire to drink alcohol.

I don't think we need to get overly concerned with the labelling.
The main issue is sobriety whether from alcohol or drugs.

Answer 8

The only time you can use the word recovered alcoholic is when the body is found somewhere you are neber recovered all your life you are in recovery, Day by day year by year for further info try Alcoholics Anonymouse or for a true uplifting tale go to WWW.cupcakebrown.com a remarkable story and a remarkable woman

Answer 9

If a crack addict stopped taking crack when would he no longer be a drug addict? if he only smoked two totes on a pipe and called it a night? Society has made alcohol alright but would you feel the same if it were another mind altering substance that was being administered. If you have been affected by any addiction the only sure way to avoid the insanity that it causes is by complete abstinence or the likely hood of going back in my experience is 100%. If that is with AA or NA or Church then so be it, the fact is if you could do it on your own why hasn't it worked? because it is in your make up there is no cure and you will be in recovery for as long as you are clean or sober.

Answer 10

LOL, people assume because you drank to excess you'll always do it, I know people who have slipped back, and other have never done so, theres no aloholism per se, just either u don start and cant stop, that aloholism, or you can a few drinks and cant stop till you fall over !. There is a habit forming part of the brain whic can be destroyed , that does not allow ciggies/ booze/ drugs etc for you to able to stop. BUT at the end of the day if you have to constantly fight againgst something then your addicted, if it doesnt bother you either way, your not addicted, simple really. ME love getting pissed soemtimes, others drink coke, smoking used to, but just gave up and don't even think about it, others, NO WAY

Answer 11

Never....
Because the temptation is always there and the possibility that one drink could lead to the return of your problems.

My dad has a friend who admitted being an alcoholic 20+ yrs ago...
He hasn't had a drink in those 20+ years.....
He still calls himself an alcoholic because he knows what the risks are..and if he starts believing he can have one drink without any repercussions then he's failed as his problems could re-emerge again.