I was so proud of one of my fellow rehab attendees. Well, I was proud of ALL of them for their approaches to recovering from their unique struggles.
At every meeting, before each of us speaks, we say our name, and that we are an “addict” or “alcoholic,” or both.
A new guy showed up at rehab and would say, “I am [name_omitted] and I am in “recovery” when introducing himself. RECOVERY!
But saying “recovery” is not enough. He knew this, and by his last day at rehab, he confidently said “I am [name_omitted] and I am an alcoholic!” This was his turning point and we were also proud of him. It was palpable how painful it was for him to admit this, but that is the first step. In his case, he had been saying recovery through multiple relapses and attempts at rehab.
When he left, we felt excited for him because admission of one’s problem is the first important step to facing that life has become unmanageable under the influence.
Congrats, [name_omitted]!