Are You Still an Alcoholic or Addict After Years Sober? The Label Question

Do you have to call yourself an addict to stay sober? Here's what the label means to me.

A listener sent me a DM that stuck with me: after years sober, calling herself an addict felt like it was keeping her stuck in a victim mindset. Did the label matter in my healing? Do I still need it?

So this episode is about identity and the words we use — addict, alcoholic, in recovery, person with a substance use disorder, or nothing at all.

I share the first time I said "I'm an addict" out loud (and why I mostly did it to fit in), why a relapse after years of sobriety ended my negotiation with the word, and why "alcoholic" can be true and still be the least interesting thing about you.

In this episode:

• The difference between saying the label out loud and actually accepting it
• "I'm an alcoholic" vs. "I'm alcoholic" — a small word shift that helps some people
• Choosing where the label belongs: a recovery room vs. an HR office or a medical chart
• A name you claim vs. a name that gets thrown at you
• What a national US survey found about people who resolved alcohol and drug problems — and how many never identified as "in recovery"
• The social identity model of recovery: why the people you belong to matter more than the word
• Two things to try this week: the "and" sentence, and mapping your groups

This is my lived experience, not professional advice. I'm not here to tell anyone what to call themselves. The label is a tool, not a verdict — own it where it helps you heal, and don't let anyone else pick it for you.

Research mentioned:

• Kelly, Abry, Milligan, Bergman & Hoeppner (2018). On being "in recovery": A national study of prevalence and correlates of adopting or not adopting a recovery identity among individuals resolving drug and alcohol problems. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
• Best et al. (2016). Overcoming alcohol and other drug addiction as a process of social identity transition: The social identity model of recovery (SIMOR). Addiction Research & Theory, 24(2).
• Buckingham, Frings & Albery (2013). Group membership and social identity in addiction recovery. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(4).

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Recovery is simple, not easy.