Words have power—especially the ones we use to describe ourselves. In addiction treatment and recovery, language shapes identity, influences motivation, and even affects outcomes. Yet, many people in recovery still call themselves “addicts” or “alcoholics,” often as a badge of accountability or humility. However, research shows the words we use may reinforce stigma and self-criticism instead of healing.
How Do Outdated Terms Make Addiction Treatment and Recovery More Complicated?
As people learn more about who they are beyond addiction, it’s easy for an internal critic to take over. Recovery brings vulnerability, which often increases discomfort. Still, experts now ask a crucial question: Is calling yourself an “addict” or “alcoholic” helping—or quietly holding you back?
The term “addict” comes from the Latin addictus, meaning “to surrender” or “to enslave.” The original definition, according to the Century Dictionary, describes “a yielding to impulse, and generally a bad one.” When Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935, it adopted the word “alcoholic” to describe those seeking sobriety, helping millions around the world find a sense of shared understanding. For decades, this self-identification served as a unifying and humbling acknowledgment of one’s struggle.
However, language and medicine evolve. What we once saw as moral weakness is now understood as a chronic, treatable brain disease known as substance use disorder (SUD) or alcohol use disorder (AUD). The National Institute on Drug Abuse updated its language guidelines in 2023, emphasizing that “stigma surrounding addiction stems from outdated beliefs that substance use reflects moral failing or lack of willpower, rather than a medical condition that can be managed and recovered from.”
When someone is labeled as their disease—“an addict,” “a junkie,” or “an alcoholic”—that label overshadows the person’s humanity. This applies to other conditions as well. For example, it’s more helpful to recognize a person as living with diabetes than always referring to them as “a diabetic”.
From Labels to Liberation
Dr. John F. Kelly, founder of the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Psychiatry in Addiction Medicine at Harvard Medical School, has long advocated for person-first language. He explains, “Calling someone an ‘abuser’ or ‘addict’ implies willful misconduct and moral failure, which invites punishment rather than treatment.” His team’s work, including the Addiction-ary, a glossary of non-stigmatizing language, helps clinicians, journalists, and people in recovery communicate in ways that promote dignity rather than shame.
The Addiction-ary identifies common stigmatizing words and phrases, such as:
- Abuser
- Being co-dependent
- Being clean or being dirty
- Drunk or dry drunk
- Former or reformed addict
- Junkie
- Two-stepper
- User
While these terms might seem harmless or familiar, they unconsciously frame addiction as a personal defect rather than a treatable disorder. Replacing labels with person-first language—such as “a person in recovery” or “someone managing SUD”—acknowledges that you’re more than your past behaviors. It shifts the focus from guilt to growth.
Of course, not everyone experiences these words the same way. Some members of the recovery community still use alcoholic or addict as terms of empowerment—reminders of resilience and self-awareness. What matters most is intent and context: Are you using the word to define your worth, or to recognize a condition you’re overcoming?
Dr. Kelly’s research suggests that recovery outcomes improve when people use compassionate, accurate language about themselves and others. “If we want addiction destigmatized,” he says, “we need a language that’s unified, precise, and respectful.”
How Does Language Shape Your Recovery?
Self-perception influences everything from motivation to brain chemistry. Negative language—especially when directed inward—activates the brain’s alarm system and reinforces feelings of inadequacy.
The amygdala, the brain’s emotional processing center, is wired to detect threat and negativity. Psychologists often refer to this as the negativity bias—our brains are naturally more sensitive to negative information.
Research from Michigan State University shows that about 80% of automatic thoughts are negative, which means it’s harder to use positive reinforcement to balance them out. For every negative thought, researchers suggest replacing it with three positive ones to retrain neural pathways toward optimism and resilience.
When someone in recovery constantly says, “I’m an addict,” it reinforces an identity rooted in the past rather than the progress they’re making. Michigan State’s findings on self-talk emphasize that negative thinking:
- Brings personal failings into sharper focus, creating self-doubt.
- Makes situations seem worse than they are, increasing emotional distress.
- Fuels unfair judgments about one’s worth or ability to recover.
- Leads to mental and physical exhaustion, especially when combined with anxiety or depression.
When your inner dialogue centers around failure or shame, it becomes harder to develop a growth mindset and move forward with healing.
Rewriting Your Inner Dialogue
When the inner critic starts to whisper—“You’ll never change,” or “You’re just an addict”—try naming that voice. Psychologists often recommend externalizing negative thoughts to reduce their power. You might say, “Thanks for your input, Ralph, but I don’t believe that anymore.”
It sounds silly, but studies in cognitive behavioral therapy show that this distancing technique helps people recognize that they’re not their thoughts.
Recovery is already challenging enough without adding linguistic weight to the process. Choosing words that reflect your humanity, progress, and potential can make a tangible difference in how you feel and how others see you.
Find More Ways to Heal at Northern Path
Every time you replace “I’m an addict” with “I’m a person healing from AUD or SUD,” you reinforce a story of growth, not guilt. And that story—told through words that honor your resilience—can become one of the most powerful tools in your recovery journey. At Northern Path Recovery Center in Fort Wayne, IN, our board-certified professionals are dedicated to helping people with AUD and SUD overcome their challenges and foster new ways of being. If this is the type of treatment you’re ready for, talk with our admissions team today.
