3 Words That Give Alcohol Too Much Power: Recovery, Sober, Alcoholic

If you’re alcohol-free, they no longer describe you

I hate labels.

Not the kind that come on food packages; the kind that you carelessly slap on others — and yourself.

Those are the labels that I don’t bother reading.

When human labels are necessary — which is rare — I’m conscientious about what label I use on myself and, more importantly, how I label others.

Here are some labels I use for myself that I’m fine with:

Father, singer/songwriter, writer, trainer, and health coach.

These are positive things that I like about myself and will not change.

Since we can change what we want to change, why put a negative label on yourself and walk around with it? It may be an invisible label, but people can still see it.

Let’s start with the label recovery, or as people who once struggled with alcohol but no longer drink might say, “I’m in recovery.”

re·cov·er·y

/rəˈkəv(ə)rē/

noun

1. a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength