The Word Recovery vs Sobriety in the Big Book, Are We Striving for Recovery or Sobriety according to Bill W

Embark on a transformative journey with us as we navigate beyond the surface of sobriety and into the depths of true recovery. Sobriety marks the absence of substance use, but recovery? It encompasses a profound rebirth of emotional well-being. As we pour over the foundational text of Alcoholics Anonymous, it becomes clear that the path to wellness is more than just putting down the bottle or walking away from the casino—it's a commitment to a life well-lived, enriched by laughter, hard work, and the warmth of unconditional love. Our dialogue this week reveals how the careful choice of words can not only reflect but also shape the trajectory of healing.

Join me, a fellow traveler on the road to recovery from alcohol and gambling addiction, as I share insights from my own experiences that shine a light on the complex tapestry of regaining control. True recovery is holistic—mental clarity, emotional balance, spiritual serenity, financial footing, and supportive relationships are the building blocks of a life reimagined. Hear the stories and strategies that inspire a shift from mere abstinence to a vibrant, fulfilling existence. Together, we'll explore how embracing this all-encompassing view of recovery can liberate us from the chains of addiction and lead us into a world brimming with potential and wonder.

The Stats:
Recovery     62      vs     Sobriety      23
Recovery   23
Recover     20
Recovered   15
Recoveries     4

Sober        15
Sobriety    6
Sobered     2

Chapters

• 0:02 Recovery Versus Sobriety in Addiction
• 9:28 The Essence of Recovery

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

What is the end goal when we stop addictions? Is it recovery? Is it sobriety? Well, let's put those two words head to head Recovery versus sobriety. In the big book, the first 164 pages plus the preface.

Speaker 1: 0:21

Welcome again to another episode of the 1% in Recovery Podcast where we say recovery is beautiful, your EQ is your IQ and you cannot outthink an emotional issue. You need to do three things every day you need to be laughing every day and enjoying life. You need to be working hard, and working hard means working hard in recovery, working hard in your jobs or the businesses that you run, and working hard in your relationships. And you also got to love Love unconditionally. Now out the recovery growth scorecard, using metrics to detox, to heal, to get people moving in the right direction, right when they don't know what to do, how to fill the void. This is a way to increase natural dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins and get you moving in the right direction. So after you start moving in the right direction, your brain starts to rewire and starts getting out of that fog. Then you can also book a free call with me, 15 minutes to talk about the steps recovery, addictions, relationships both the recovery growth scorecard and the free coaching call that you are on the website wwwlifeiswonderfullove, or you can email me at hugoviatlifeiswonderfullove.

Speaker 1: 1:58

Now let's get into this week's episode. We are talking about what is always said in rooms. You hear a lot of people say recovery, recovered. You also hear a lot of people say I am sober for so many days. I have sobriety.

Speaker 1: 2:19

I am a firm believer in words. I love to read and I believe that words are powerful, especially the words we tell ourselves. The words we tell ourselves go into our subconscious, and there we need to understand is how those words will not only change our thoughts, will impact our feelings and will improve our behaviors. Now, to me, recovery is a much more powerful word. Recovered means is that I had an illness, a disease. I believe all addiction is an emotional disease. I believe in the American Medical Association, I believe in the American Psychiatric Association. I believe in the World Health Organizations that have all labeled, whether it's a substance addiction, whether it's a behavioral addiction, as an emotional disease, an emotional illness. I personally have felt it. I know what it is, but I also know that the body, the brain and the body are such miraculous instruments of health as well as instruments of ill health. We can do so much to our bodies. One thing that our bodies can do is that we can heal, we can recover from almost every type of disease illness, virus, bacteria. We're talking about addictions. I believe that all addictions can be recovered.

Speaker 1: 4:03

So I pose this question to myself. I go what is truly in those first 100, really the 194 pages? It's 30 pages of the preface, as well as 164 pages the pages that Bill Wilson wrote back in 1938 after having some initial experience about not drinking and then, to kind of put it, as a guide to help people, alcoholics. But we're dealing in 1938 mainly with alcohol, not dealing with anything else. So it was really a guide about how to help alcoholics stop drinking and to become the wonderful members of society that he believed and that I believe that most people in addictions can get to. I believe that almost every addict is intelligent, has a lot of dreams and goals and they've achieved a lot. Yet somehow during this spiral down addiction they lost themselves. They're in a totally, almost different personality. So Bill Wilson wrote these words to really help people to learn about alcoholism, how the 12 steps of recovery work. And notice how he said the 12 steps of recovery. He didn't say the 12 steps of sobriety. He said the 12 steps of recovery.

Speaker 1: 5:38

So me also being OCD, I reread the preface and the 164 pages and I counted every word. Yes, I sat there and counted how many times any variation of the word recover, recovery was used compared to sobriety, and you will know that the word recover, and all his variations, is used 62 times. The word sobriety is used 23 times. I'm not going to put this all in the show notes, I'm going to put all the different statistics so people can read them. It shows you that recovery is used almost three times as much as sobriety. Now which variation of the word is used the most is the word recovery. Recovery is used 23 times. The word recover is used 20 times. They use recovered past tense, meaning that you have overcome addiction, 15. And then you also had recoveries. For If you look on the flip side, where it talks about sobriety, we talk about sober being used 15 times. We talk about sobriety being used six times and the word sobered two.

Speaker 1: 7:19

So it shows you on where Bill was trying to help people understand on how to overcome addictions, alcoholism, because he even says there in the very beginning in the preface we want total freedom, and to me, total freedom means is that you have overcome something, that you are no longer bound, the obsession has been lifted. The obsession has been lifted and I believe a lot of that really is the work we do with our subconscious. What are the words we do? Yes, it also depends on spirituality, foods you eat, your physical health, your mental health, your emotional health All that is helpful. But I believe, when you keep almost hammering, hammering down that point, that we can recover, we are miracles. It says we are miracles of recovery.

Speaker 1: 8:23

I love those different phrases in the first 164 pages Because it gives me some type of finish line that I can get to. Now. When I get to the finish line, it is no different. Now I've been working out for over 40 years, even though that my body has been in peak physical condition, has been in relatively just average condition right now and back into peak physical condition. It doesn't mean that you stop. And the same thing If anything that you do, you don't just stop and say, okay, now I graduated. People always like to say that in meetings oh, you never graduate, you never graduate from life. There's always some type of challenge, some type of dream, some type of obstacle that we have to deal with and it can come in any variation.

Speaker 1: 9:28

So I really want people to understand just because you've recovered doesn't mean you stop working. Recovered means is that you no longer think about alcohol, dream about alcohol. In my case it was about alcohol and gambling. I'm a compulsive gambler and I'm alcoholic. And zero desire to play sabbat to drink that first pint of beer. There is no desire. I rather just have water. I rather just go work out than watch a sporting event. That is what gets me going. So I want people to truly understand that the goal here in stopping addictions is to recover.

Speaker 1: 10:18

Yes, there is not one absolute method or definition of recovery, but to me the essence of recovery means is that you are in a clear mental state, that mentally you have recovered, that you are in your best physical condition or you are in excellent physical condition, and that your physical condition is recovered and is where you want it to be.

Speaker 1: 10:48

It also to me talks about your spirituality, that spiritually, that you are connected to a higher power, to a God, to a great mystery, to something outside of yourself, and also that you have recovered emotionally.

Speaker 1: 11:04

You're no longer a child or a slave to your emotions, where you just constantly act out and you need some type of drug pill, sex gamble, to make yourself feel less anxious or to feel less hurt, or to change try to change how you're feeling and all you're doing is pausing it.

Speaker 1: 11:28

So we want to be emotionally recovered. We also want to be in a financial position where we feel that we are living the lifestyle that we want, that financially we have recovered and, lastly, our social connections, that socially, that we have the network to move forward, to be around the people we want to be, to be around when you want to be alone, when you want to be with people, we want to be with animals. And that is the true essence of recovery, the true essence of health, the true essence of freedom. We have to look at all six categories mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, financial and social. And then you get to live your best life. And that's what this is all about just letting you live your best life and enjoy it and be able to say life is wonderful. With that we are going to conclude this episode of the 1% in recovery podcast.