Top 5 Words To Stop Using When It Comes To Alcohol Abuse

Letting go of the antiquated labels

Words matter.

Specifically, the words we use to describe ourselves.

Labelling yourself — whether consciously or unconsciously — has a profound impact on how you approach your daily life.

The world of substance abuse, from 12-step meetings to self-help books, is chock-full of labels that we indiscriminately slap on without considering the benefits — or the drawbacks.

Not to mention the validity.

I’ll begin the list with the first label that needs to go, though I know it will ruffle some feathers:

1 & 2. Alcoholic/Alcoholism

It’s time to evolve beyond these two words, as they lack clear meaning and consensus.

There is no specific medical or psychological criteria that determine if someone is an alcoholic or has alcoholism. It is not a black and white issue, or an either/or proposition.

We now know what Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith, and Alcoholics Anonymous didn’t realize in 1939 — that alcohol use and abuse exist on a spectrum, or what the medical community currently refers to as AUD — Alcohol Use Disorder.