Words matter in recovery, especially in addiction recovery. For example, the language that we use when we talk about people who experience substance use issues can either build them up or tear them down.
To stay on the "building up" side of things, we use people-first language that focuses on the person, not the substance use. To that end, we refer to a person with a substance use disorder exactly in that way, rather than as an addict or alcoholic.
But how people choose to refer to themselves is completely up to them. People in Twelve Step recovery, for example, are often proud to call themselves addicts or alcoholics.
Those words are powerful for them, and they claim those identities gratefully. We need to respect that.
I choose the language and the labels that work for my recovery, and you can do the same.