The Importance of Identification

“I am an alcoholic.” I mumbled those words at my first AA meeting, not fully realizing what they meant or even why I said them. I said simply because everyone else did; I didn’t want to embarrass myself. I didn’t stay sober after that first meeting, as I was there just to get my court card signed for a DWI. I did not have an honest desire to stop drinking.

That was in 2007. Three years later and with some time sober, I understand the importance of identification. Having “fully conceded,” I believe deep down in my heart that I am an alcoholic. For me, that means I will never be able to drink successfully again. No matter how much my mind tells me it will be different, I cannot drink safe...without dire consequences. The difference between now and 2007 is I know how to treat my alcoholism, by building a relationship with a Higher Power.

In most of my meetings, we go around the room at the beginning and introduce ourselves. By hearing someone say their name and “I am an alcoholic,” I am immediately connected to that person. We both share a common ailment. I understand and can appreciate that person’s history, thinking, and behavior. Not until recently did this concept strike me: by identifying in front of my fellows as an alcoholic, I am taking a step one of sorts. No matter how long I am sober, I still have the disease of alcoholism. Simply the fact that I am an alcoholic connects me to anyone, anywhere in the world. Like the Big Book says, “the feeling of having shared in a common peril is one element in the powerful cement which bind us.”