People can be persistent when it comes to demanding a reason for why someone doesn’t take a drink or participate in drinking. When we’re offered a drink and we say, in some form, “No,” we might be met with disbelief, argument, or even an attempt at persuading us to take a drink even though we don’t want to. After great persistent effort on someone else’s behalf and after using every answer or response we have to kindly, politely, or even sternly refuse a drink, we might contemplate just saying “I’m an alcoholic, I don’t want a drink.”
Choosing to explain our sobriety can be helpful to us in warding off relentless invitations to use, and it can help other people. Every time we choose to talk about the disease of alcoholism, we choose to carry the message of recovery. We educate people on how dangerous alcohol can be, that for alcoholics there is no such thing as “just one” and that abstinence is a matter of life or death.
We also have to keep in mind that we are free to remain anonymous if we so choose. There is no rule or tradition about breaking our anonymity, in any way, shape, or form. However, we do live under a guiding principle that when a hand that suffers reaches out, we willingly reach out our recovered hand to them. Meaning, a moment may arise when disclosing our anonymity and telling another person, “I’m an alcoholic and I’ve recovered” could be a life-changing moment for someone else who desperately needs our support.
Our illness of addiction or alcoholism never owns us. We don’t keep our anonymity to ourselves out of shame or embarrassment, because if we do, we essentially protect and encourage the power of our illness as if it has ownership over us. Disclosing our anonymity with a humbled, grateful pride, is a practice in taking ownership over our illness. Every time we take ownership of our addiction, we help shatter the stigmas, the stereotypes, the same, and the power it can hold over ourselves, as well as others.
Origins Behavioral Healthcare is a well-known care provider offering a range of treatment programs targeting the recovery from substance abuse, mental health issues, and beyond. Our primary mission is to provide a clear path to a life of healing and restoration. We offer renowned clinical care for addiction and have the compassion and professional expertise to guide you toward lasting sobriety.
For information on our programs,
call us today: 561-841-1296