[Choice Recovery Coaching]

Should Recovery Coaches label themselves as “addict/alcoholic” or move away from identity-based labels as this can deeply impact self-perception and empowerment?

People should identify as they see fit. The words we use to describe ourselves often shape how we are seen, and just as importantly, how we see ourselves. For some, openly naming a lived experience with substance use feels truthful, grounding and connected to the wellness culture. For others, defining themselves through a past behavior can feel limiting, overshadowing their growth, strengths and evolving identity. How Recovery Coaches choose to identify themselves may influence not only their own sense of empowerment, but also the messages clients receive about possibility, change and what wellness can look like over time. As coaches, we are here to promote wellness and recovery supporting people moving forward. This conversation asks us to consider the following; Does identity-based language support healing or does it sometimes narrow the narrative of who a person is allowed to become?

[Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery]

This is a really thoughtful and important reflection. In recovery spaces, language has always carried weight. For some people, identifying as an “addict” or “alcoholic” is not disempowering, it’s honest, and even freeing. It can foster connection, and a sense of shared experience. That identity can be a source of strength rather than limitation. At the same time, recovery is not static, and neither is identity. For others, continuing to define themselves by a past relationship with substances can feel constraining or misaligned with who they are becoming. Moving toward strengths-based language can open space for growth and possibility.

For Recovery Coaches in particular, this choice carries added influence. The way a coach identifies can subtly shape the recovery narratives that recoverees see as being available to them. Perhaps this doesn’t have to be an either/or conversation, but rather a both/and. Empowerment comes from autonomy: allowing people to choose the language that feels most authentic to them at any given point in their recovery.

[Amanda Consigli]

As I’m reflecting on the question I can see how both can be true, and like everything it should be person-centered. The recovery coach should have the autonomy to identify in a manner that aligns with their lived experience and professional values. I also see value in maintaining flexibility within professional interactions. For example, if a recovery coach is working with someone who they themselves identify as an “addict” or “alcoholic”, and where the recovery coach shares that identity, using similar language may help foster trust and rapport. Conversely, if the recovery coach is working with someone who doesn’t identify that way, maybe the recovery coach could adapt their language to better support the individual. In this way, recovery coaches can uphold their own identity while also practicing a responsive, person-centered approach that prioritizes the preferences, needs, and self-identification of those they support.

[Christian Arthur]

I think important to prioritize the client and job over how coach prefers to self-identify. Ultimately is a job and there’s a large body of research showing the negative outcomes people experience within medical and legal systems when labeled with the more stigmatizing terms. My favorite source of research on stigmatizing language is RRI’s dictionary.

On the other hand, here is some research pointing towards how these labels can foster in-group identity (particularly in 12-Step mutual aid) and be source of recovery capital rather than harmful stigma:

• Recovering Individuals’ Feelings About A.ddict and A.lcoholic as Stigmatized Terms: Implications for Treatment
• Dynamic labeling discernment: Contextual importance of self-identifiers for individuals in recovery

Also a relevant article about how recovery coaches “professionalize stigma” and use their experiences with stigma as an asset to establish rapport with clients: The Professionalization of Stigma: The Novel Case of Recovery Coaching

So taken altogether and in agreement with other commenters, I would skew towards not proactively using the terms as a recovery coach, definitely not publicly. In private settings and narrow circumstances where the client self-identifies as these labels and the benefit to the service relationship is clear, then coach could also self-refer. Even then I think would be beneficial to talk through with clients and empower them regarding the nuances of the labels, how the labels could hurt or help them in different contexts.