This is Annie Grace and you're listening to this naked mind podcast where without

judgment, pain or rules, we explore the role of alcohol in our lives and culture.

Hi friends, it's Annie Grace, author of this naked mind and I am answering questions

today.

And today's question is from Bax.

Thank you Bax and it's about the label alcoholic.

She wants to know why people use it for themselves.

Why many assume if you stop drinking that you're an alcoholic and basically what's the deal

with the label?

So I can't answer obviously for anybody but myself.

So I've flipped the question, hope you don't mind Bax to be directed at me and am I an

alcoholic?

And my answer is no, no, I don't identify as an alcoholic, especially now that I stop

drinking and I'm no longer a drinker.

But I do identify as a person who had an addiction to alcohol and to be honest, that addiction

was terrifying.

I'm grateful every single day that I overcome that addiction when the physical aspects seem

to be in their infancy.

For example, the physical withdrawals for me when I quit drinking, they were limited to

anxiety, nervousness, night sweats and I know that stopping drinking for some can be

put you in the hospital, hallucinations, delirium, tremors and stuff like that.

So I'm very thankful that I didn't develop that extreme physical dependence.

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