Very early in my recovery, a therapist asked me to tell her about myself, and I responded, "I'm an addict." I still remember the slight smile on her face as she responded, "Is that all you are?" Turns out, it wasn't. I was just used to underselling myself.
There's no denying that I was addicted to substances and that addiction shaped my being. But I was and am so much more than my addiction, or addictions.
Over time, as a woman in long-term recovery, I have had the privilege and opportunity to develop a very full and complex notion of self. I am a mother and grandmother, a thought leader, a mentor, a friend, a partner, a writer, a consultant, an innovator.
I can overidentify with any of those aspects of myself at times too, but I try not to. Today, I have closed the door on my identity as an addict, and I only use the term to introduce myself in Twelve Step meetings.
I wish my therapist could see me now. We can outgrow labels and shed identities, and we should.