Sobriety and Recovery Are Not The Same Thing

I made the mistake of asking a friend (?) what to write about today and this is the topic she suggested. There seems to be a lot of attention payed to semantics by alcoholics. It appears that we love to argue over the meaning of different words. Should you ever want to irritate an alcoholic, simply state that you are recovered (as opposed to recovering) from alcoholism. People have been known to exchange blows over this issue. Seriously. My sponsor insists that slapping someone is not sober behavior (much to my dismay) so I doubt punching someone is, either.

When writing this blog my opinion, formulated by my experience and what others in the recovery program ETA share with me, is all I have to offer. Of course, I'm pretty sure the old HP has a hand in the postings done by all of us who write for this blog After all, He started it.

Sobriety. Recovery. Although many of us use these words interchangeably, most of us believe there is a difference between them. For me, sobriety is a state of being. Recovery is an action word.

Sobriety: This means that there has been no alcohol intake for a period of time. That's pretty much what the dictionary says. For me, it also includes being free from all illegal or illicit drugs. A sober person may, or may not, belong to a recovery program. Some people are what I call "sober enough". They quit boozing and using and have worked at least some of the steps of a recovery program, if not all of them. Things have gotten better in their lives and they are content to stay where they are spiritually. They really feel they need grow no further. They don't stop doing whatever they did to get sober, but they don't feel the need to stretch their souls either. They have addressed some of their defects of character, but living with the remaining defects, and the problems these defects cause, are not too painful. The amount of effort necessary to remove them is greater than the benefits they would reap from the removal.

Recovery: Is working and living the steps and principles of a rec0very program. This includes being sober, but I'm an alcoholic; I always want more. By continually working to improve my defects of character, I continue to get more satisfaction and happiness from my sober life. Recovery is work, make no mistake about that, but the benefits that come with doing the best that I can with what I have to work with are also continual. I got sober when I quit boozing and using and developed a relationship with the old HP, but the relationship I have with my Creator today is beyond what I thought was possible. Trying to bend my will to be in alignment with His will is often a gargantuan task. The reward for that might not be instant but they are wonderful. To recognize the beauty of my world, to treat myself and others with respect, to have trust in myself and others, to be able to see the gifts I've been given; ahh, now that's living. I'm grateful for knowing the joy of these things. I'm glad you taught me the difference between these two words. I don't have to endure life, I learned how to celebrate it.

Have a good and sober day.