Does Recovery "Brainwash" People??

Most of us in long term recovery have heard some kind of misconception. Some of the stigmas include

• that guy has no will power.
• he/she must be some kind of religious zealot.
• people in recovery are brainwashed
• that guy used to be so much fun, now he doesn't drink and he thinks hes better than me.

We usually stay away from controversial topics. However, it is a mission of Sober Nation to educate the public about what recovery is. We have said over and over again that the drugs and alcohol are not the issue. Obviously this country has an unhealthy obsession with drugs and alcohol, but for the most part it is the addict that has the issue. We try to focus on the individual, and of course keep people up to date with current events. Recently we posted an article about Dr. Gupta and his stance on legalizing marijuana. When we sent the article out on twitter, we got a response. The tweet is seen below.

@The420RadioShow @Sober_Nation I say sober nation equals some fanatical group of brainwashed idiots, who wont notice Washington is Corrupt — ColoradoWeed™ (@mountainpot) June 19, 2014

  First off, this man is entitled to his opinion. By no means did he hurt my feelings, and we are not writing this in response to his claim. We are writing this simply because we feel it is important for the world to understand what recovery is. We are not brainwashed, some of us are religious but we are not zealots or preachers or weak. When the day comes that people understand what addiction does to a person, hopefully the public will understand. There is nothing wrong with drinking. I can only speak for myself, but the majority of us believe that marijuana should be legalized. I will be the first one to tell you that many of the experiences I had with drugs and alcohol were great experiences, and I don't regret it. The difference is, I am an addict. My body and mind react differently to gratification. If men and women enjoy smoking pot, or enjoy a beer after work, why would that offend me? I find it interesting that people are more offended by my sobriety than I am by they're choice not to be. The job of Sober Nation is to help those afflicted with addiction. For those of us who have been through it, we know the difference between partying and addiction. We know the difference between smoking a few joints, and being crippled by highly addictive drugs. We know the difference between being hungover after a fun night out, and shaking uncontrollably from alcohol withdrawal. This is why we speak up. Until we speak up, until we can educate people like my friend 'Colorado Weed' - then addiction will continue to be our nations most deadly and most expensive health issue. We know enough to know that we don't know everything. We know that we speak for all of those in recovery who are too embarrassed or ashamed to be themselves. So we want to know what your thoughts are. We want to know how you feel about this man calling us "a fanatical group of brainwashed idiots." Most importantly, what are you going to do to change it?