Medication and AA members. Why do some members think they can tell others what they can or can not take.
OKAY. New person, oldperson, whatever you are. NO one, may I repeat, no one has the right to tell another member/person how they should take ANY kind of prescription medication. Pysch drugs, pain medication, vitamins and the like.
This is insane and none of your business or right. Ity’s hurtful and harmful, and people drink and kill themselves behind it.
Now Tom Cruise and Scientology have their opinions, but AA is not Tom Cruise and the PACIFIC GROUP is Not TOM CRUISE and its not scientologhy.
SO Like I have said before. RUN LIKE THE WIND……away from these groups and individuals.
There are groups and people out there that don’t treat others this way!
There are groups that don’t, thankfully! I attend one, and when I have time there is also a women’s meeting I attend that is very medication accepting. But in the past I have been around people who were not accepting, especially of any psych meds and I let that influence me for a long time and didn’t get help for depression that I needed. I can’t believe the difference in my life since I did get treatment for depression. I was always afraid to tell people in AA how bad I really felt at times, I was afraid they would say I hadn’t “worked the program right”, so I kept it to myself until it became unbearable and I was just DONE with that bit of denial.
A big problem I see in meetings is the positive reinforcement a person gets when they talk about going through painful medical proceedures and refusing any pain medication. I tend to tell people I took Dr prescribed pain medication after my surgery and I didn’t crave anything at all and it was the right thing to do. We have a treatment program for women in my city that will not permit any kind of pain medication yet they will allow the women there to go through really painful medical and dental proceedures. It is sickening to me, almost like punishing them.
I consider telling people what they can and cannot take, and going against their doctors is a form of abuse (so many times I have heard in the rooms that doctors don’t know how to treat alcoholics).
I agree about the pain medication when getting medical procedures. I see no reason for suffering. The hyped up fear that some project. I am always careful and watch how I am the few times I have taken something when in hospital or in pain. In my early days of sobriety I was a crazy nazi. Forgive me…I was, but thank God I have changed and know better now.
Massive, I’ve said “Heil” one or two times myself. I used to think certain “oldtimers” had to be correct about everything. All humans can be mistaken, especially when repeating “lore” that just gets passed along word of mouth.
so true. I was young and thought they knew. What a fool I was. but not anymore.
I also have to take narcotic pain meds,and attend AA meetings and I have found that there are alot of people who are not judgmental about this ,as long as you are ardently sticking to the prescribed doses and not abusing the meds.Those who do are to be ignored because they are ignorant and dangerous to say the least.
That’s great! GLad to hear you have found a meeting that members respect the fact they have no business playing Dr.!
First off chemical imbalances fir depression and bipolar should be treated appropriately. However I do have a problem with those that take euphoric producing medications such as benzodiapines or marijuana or adderall which is quite common in Aa. First people that due this often excuse themselves as they say it us necessary for there recovery because there nit drinking. Mire ti the point people can’t deal with there emotions so some little mind altering pill is the answer. More times than nit they become heavily addicted to the new medication and to the reasoning for it. They can’t deal with feelings appropriately which is why they drank and theystill can’t which is why they use. In my opinion as an Aa member people who do this take dirty cakes and don’t even have one day clean period
bobby- You are not a dr and cant play Dr. Its dangerous for anyone in AA to act like they know whats best for anyone else .
Especially if they are NOT A DOCTOR. I agree that I would prefer people who are sober/clean in a way I am but that was when I was in AA. I don’t care anymore. I don’t think its my business. It isn’t my business. Even if someone needs to smoke medical m for anxiety rather then take xanex. I still have no opinion.
Being Judgmental is what AA has become all about from my perspective. There very little warmth and love and actually no support. AA is a dinosaur.
I’d rather go to the Museum then go there!
I agree with what Mary stated in this thread. I have heard and seen the same thing. And they will say things like ” Your nor really sober!” I feel like saying ” AND YOUR MEDICAL DEGREE IS FROM WHERE AGAIN? ”
I have that line, lined up for a few people if I bump into them again. 
When I first was preparing to Leave AA I began going to Smart Recovery meetings. A dr who was in the SMART meeting told us how angry he was when he heard AA members giving medical advice.
I spoke with a Board Certified Psychiatrist, double Boarded in Addiction Medicine and she said the other day ” This is a realm these Steppers need to STAY OUT OF, they ARE NOT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS! PERIOD!”. It is pretty clear that they stop their drug of choice and then start rambling lunacy as if they have medical degree’s which they do not, telling people to stop taking their med’s. If ANYONE says this to you in AA / NA whatever just simply ask ” And your medical degree is from where again? ” . Better yet, just keep them out of your medical history, it is none of their business. The fellowship is just that, a support group NOT A DOCTORS OFFICE! People have committed suicide after going off their meds after listening to these dumb asses. Listen to your Dr. and be careful of these fools!
I was at a meeting where a newer woman was saying how she loved AA and felt great and was off her anti-depressants and the whole room clapped and someone said “what a great testimonial!” It was weird. I’m really happy that the woman feels so great that she’s not depressed anymore – that’s great. I think what was weird was the woman who said “what a great testimonial.”
I think there is this attitude that if you really “work the program,” you will be happy. And there is a tendency to think that if someone is not ‘happy, joyous and free,’ they are not working the program. That is not true. And I think the part in “how it works” where it says “some of us have grave mental disorders but can recover if we have the capacity to be honest” almost implies that the program can help the mental disorders. And that passage is read at every single meeting.
And sponsors and old-timers are put in a sort of “guru” position with newcomers. I’ve heard so many times “get a sponsor and do whatever they say.” The sponsor-sponsee relationship is a setup for abuse. It’s almost impossible for a relationship with such a power differential to be healthy. Newcomers also look to ‘the group’ for advice. It’s all a setup for bad advice to be given out and since alcoholism is a medical issue, people are essentially giving out medical advice.
Marie said;
” I think the part in “how it works” where it says “some of us have grave mental disorders but can recover if we have the capacity to be honest” almost implies that the program can help the mental disorders.
I believe your right. I think it also implies, that if you dont follow their distorted “so called program”; you dont have the capacity to be honest. Just one of the many manipulative approaches you will encounter in those rooms to coerce you into conforming.
AA is horrible. I always talked to a psychologist when I was screwed up…not a chain-smoking “Sponsor”. Ha ha, I know they don’t all smoke! Sober conventions and dances are horrible meat markets. When I went to a convention with a friend I said “this sucks and is sooooo boring! I can’t believe you all think this is fun. How do you NOT use drugs here?”
Cynthis,
I never liked AA functions and attended very few over decades. The meetings were all I could handle (o:
They were very boring to me and the worst part was that i would be depressed afterwards.
cynthis- Hi – so true. AND we are trying to get the word out. There is a DOC film being made to do this. Especially the youth, young woman and minors. They need to be stopped. Many adults and parents I talk to have no idea how unregulated AA and NA are.
Co-ed AA functions are very dangerous. They give the wolves (sexual predators) a golden opportunity to find sheep (vulnerable AA members) to prey on.