Labels: Do they help or hinder recovery?

 

We live in a society that thrives on labels.  We label the pretty girl a snob, the buff guy a dumb jock and the harmless flirt as cheap.  We call the old man stumbling down the street a hopeless drunk, disregarding his previous life circumstances or current situation.  The young woman who constantly drinks one too many is looked down upon as loose or trashy.  Are labels a help or a hindrance to recovery?

 

The Oxford dictionary defines “lush” as a slang term to describe an alcoholic or a drunkard.  It is a label that is despised by many and used by most.  Most people who battle  alcohol addiction suffer the fate of being labeled.  But does this label serve a greater purpose to better an addict or drive them down a darker path?

 

Throughout my battles with addiction, I have found that labels serve to dampen the spirits of those who struggle and make them feel more hopeless than they already feel.  Society mindlessly disregards the reasons that a person may have ended up in such a situation and proceed to make them feel worse with words and judgment.  Labels create expectations, whether positive or negative and these expectations have consequences.

 

Labeling an addict can have one of two consequences.  Some addicts may see these labels as fuel to help them escape their addiction.  They use the negativity to help them rise above the ashes.  But in reality, this is not the norm.  Negative reinforcement does not usually have a positive outcome.  Addicts feel hopelessness which fuels their addiction.  The knowledge that society views them as a “lush” or a “drunk” can have devastating consequences.  The feeling of hopelessness increases and the reality of recovery seems further away.  Addicts may feel that they cannot recover if they have no support.  If no one else believes in them, why should they?    

 

Even “positive” labels can have negative consequences.  The young girl who is labeled as beautiful may feel overwhelmed by the expectations placed upon her.  She may strive to meet these high expectations of beauty by comparing herself to media images in magazines and television.  These unattainable goals can have drastic consequences.  Eating disorders and addictions can flourish from such a label.  Positive labels can also have negative consequences.

 

Society needs to see people as just that; human beings in need of help and support.  Labels, whether positive or negative, can be devastating in the long run.  Labels can create expectations that may not be attainable and this is where the problems begin.  Human beings are just that and being human means that we do make mistakes.  It is part of the learning process.  We need to stop judging and start understanding.   

  

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