My most recent piece of writing is up on the Debunking Addiction blog. I wrote it last week while reflecting on the 11th anniversary of my first DUI. When I first tried to quit drinking 11 years ago, the only path to recovery was the Twelve Steps. My only option was to call myself an alcoholic and surrender to the “disease” of alcoholism.
Recently, a few brilliant women have changed the conversation. This piece explains why I do not identify as an alcoholic.
Read it here: Debunking the Words ‘Alcoholic’ and ‘Alcoholism’
"But the term alcoholic and the “disease” of alcoholism create fear—fear that you will always crave alcohol, forever have to use willpower to resist it, spend the rest of your life just trying not to drink. Because our idea of an alcoholic is someone who attends Alcoholics Anonymous for the rest of their life, assumes a lifetime label, and is stuck in perpetual craving— one drink away from being a drunk, one day at a time. Because our concept is that alcoholics are different, they’re outcasts and social pariahs and weak-willed and a whole host of other things no one wants to be. I can’t begin to tell you the number of times someone who struggles with alcohol has said to me, “I’m not one of them,” or “I’d rather keep drinking than suffer that fate.” A label with a heavy stigma does nothing but keep us in a fear state about our own drinking, preventing us from being able to observe our own drinking as it shows up in our lives." -Holly Whitaker
Here are some of my favorite resources further explaining this topic.
This Naked Mind Podcast - Annie Grace
Why I Stopped Calling Myself an Alcoholic - Holly Whitaker
Nine Reasons There is no Such Thing as Alcoholism - Holly Whitaker
Also, if you identify as an alcoholic and it works for you, then great! I’m not here to belittle anyone’s path. I’m just here to share the most recent studies and language updates. After a decade of searching, I finally found what works for me.
Progress.
One of my favorite readers suggested I set up a ko-fi page. This creates the option to tip me for my writing. Here’s a link: Kelsi's Ko-fi Account
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