Why is no consideration ever given to the idea that the end point of the process of recovery from addiction could be that one is recovered? Not just "in recovery" but "recovered." There's a difference.
Even those of us who achieve that current "gold standard" of substance use recovery—abstinence—are never considered to have achieved remission. How do we feel about that?
I celebrated being in clinical remission from cancer after I had been cancer-free for five years. It was a very big deal for me, as it is for many people who achieve five years free from cancer or another medical condition.
Yet, despite decades having passed since I took a substance to change how I feel, I don't get to claim to be recovered. Even though substance use and mental health disorders are often considered diseases, it is not acceptable for me to say "I am in remission from a substance use disorder." How much further along might we be in eradicating shame and stigma if people could, after five years, declare that they are recovered from their disorder?
Just thinking out loud, here. How we speak about ourselves and our recovery matters.