Threshold

I wish it was reiterated at the start of every meeting that no med advice is to be asked for or given!

I love the sharing from the pamphlets! Good idea..hard for people to argue with the literature of a program that saved their butt...and most likely their life.

sugarbear1

Have a Group Conscience and bring up the subject if there is an ongoing problem at a meeting.

BethS

Whether you are an alcoholic, or an alcohol abuser; whether you have a true mental health diagnosis that is correct or not, you have already stated what keeps you sober. I suggest you keep on doing it no matter what anyone else says.

I am in AA and I don't do the steps. Go on, lynch me! I don't care. I have worked on myself independently to enable me to change my thinking (which is what the steps essentially do). I go to AA because it's supportive and loving and comforts me.

I only go once a fortnight. Go on, tell me off again! I don't care. I am sober and very, very happy.

You need to do what works for you to keep you sober and happy. There is no 'correct way' - there are elements that you need to pick up on treatments you chose.

I love AA - it got me through the very early stages of sobriety and without it I would not have stayed sober. But blindly subscribing to doing stuff because it's in a book is tantamount to religion, which AA claims not to be. The end goal is to be sober, well-adjusted and happy, not to subscribe to a doctrine.

Do whatever works for you, and leave the rest.

shaun00

I talked alot about stuff i knew nothing about when drinking....expert in everything i was.....Sadly some in AA continue to be self appointed doctors, rather than stick to direct experience and direct qualifications....AA is about alcoholism and how to recover from alcoholism..or it should be.

As for being diagnosed with alcoholism, ....make no difference at all unless you except it .....i was diagnosed chronic alcoholic in my very early 20s.
Dint except that till mid thirty's.

keithj

In the AA context, it is very important to know which I am. If I'm not like 'those people', then I don't need their solution. Fortunately, it's very easy to figure it out, if one is honest about with themselves and willing to examine their own experience.

You mention that you 'must have more and more' once you start drinking. In the AA context, this is the one symptom that distinguishes the alcoholic from the non-alcoholic.

The real alcoholic, in the AA context, has a condition that has progressed past the point where they have the power to choose whether or not to drink. For them, the only hope is tapping into a power greater than themselves. To figure out this 'mental obsession' part, the BB devotes a couple of chapters to the mental state the precedes the first drink. Are you a jaywalker like me, or when you make a decision to stop, can you manage that decision? Do I drink in spite of the negative consequences I keep suffering, in spite of the last time I swore I'd never drink?

As far as meds and bipolar, the BB is pretty clear as well. Even those with 'grave emotional and mental disorders' can recover, and we are encouraged to seek outside help (doctors and such) for outside problems. I was fortunate in receiving the same bipolar insight as you. I was told that it really couldn't be diagnosed well when I was still drinking. For me, all of those symptoms went away when I recovered from alcoholism. That may not be true for you.

Pretty simple, Windblown. Have you been able to quit entirely when you honestly want to, or do you keep going back to the bottle after a short time of not drinking?

sugarbear1

Thanks, keithj.

I go to AA for my alcoholism, not to have my taxes done.

zorah

I've heard a lot on this topic even though I'm new to AA. Someone else here mentioned the publication put out by AA on the subject--making it clear that a number of us need medication and that advising others on psychiatric meds can be irresponsible and potentially fatal. Here is the link:

http://www.aa.org/pdf/products/p-11_...ersMedDrug.pdf

I've printed it out for myself because it's enabled me to avoid any debate or discussion on the subject. This is AA's position; end of story.

What I've learned from SR people here is that both need attention. If we address the BP and ignore the addiction, we don't get better in either area. If we address the addiction and not the BP, we don't get better in either area. Only by addressing both can we find stability.

That's my two cents!


Zorah

AlwaysGrowing

Posting some from the link above. IMO very very very few follow those guidelines of HONESTY. My take is very few docs know what to do about addiction and with that small amount with the small amount of people being honest.... Well.. kind of a tough road to walk.
AG


Introduction
Because this subject involves important medical decisions, a group of physicians who are mem- bers of A.A. and two physicians who are friends of A.A. were asked to review this pamphlet.
Some A.A. members must take prescribed medication for serious medical problems. However, it is generally accepted that the mis- use of prescription medication and other drugs can threaten the achievement and maintenance of sobriety. It may be possible to minimize the threat of relapse if the following suggestions are heeded:
• No A.A. member should “play doctor”; all medical advice and treatment should come from a qualified physician.
• Active participation in the A.A. program of recovery is a major safeguard against alcoholic relapse.
• Be completely honest with your doctor and yourself about the way you take your medicine. Let your doctor know if you skip doses or take more medicine than prescribed.
• Explain to your doctor that you no longer drink alcohol and you are trying a new way of life in recovery.
• Let your doctor know at once if you have a desire to take more medicine or if you have side effects that make you feel worse.
• Be sensitive to warnings about changes in your behavior when you start a new medication or when your dose is changed.
• If you feel that your doctor does not understand your problems, consider making an appointment with a physician who has experience in the treatment of alcoholism.
• Give your doctor copies of this pamphlet.

IMNADDICT

Any person, especially AA guru, that tells people to stop taking meds is being extremely irresponsible. They are NO ONE, and don't know anything except how to not pick it up and poor it down their throats. And that's if they aren't lying.

Quitting drinking is not an action, it's a non action. Support is for you, a person with their own history and experience. Gender, race, age, genes, societal impact are different for everyone.

Tell the AA that spouts his opinion about meds that he/she is out of line. Alcoholism has gone a long way since the BB and that in itself was only a projection of one man's experience onto every alcoholic. Completely irresponsible. The idea of a self help group is to offer another encouragement, not run their lives or be controlling.

I'm appalled at how often this happens and those that cross the line can repeatedly come back and offer life threatening advice. I wish AA would get it together and give some over-site so people will stop getting hurt by a program that is supposed to help.

All, I wish you the best. Have good one!

tomsteve

new here, but not new to recovery of mental illnesses( imagine that, an alcoholic with mental disorders!). yup, diagnosis of bipolar has been really opened up and misdiagnosed by many so called specialists. when first discovered and diagnosed, someone with bipolar would have the highs and lows, but they would last for MONTHS, not days or throughout the day as diagnosed today. there are, however different levels of it and being diagnosed by someone well educated in mental illnesses( and not someone who just types all of the info into a computer and the computer gives the diagnosis and the medication treatment) is very important, at least it was for me. just knowing of my mental diseases/disorders and being diagnosed by a qualified person has helped me out tremendously.
yes, it is sad that people at meetings act the way they do, and i was one of them at one time. i was following in the footsteps of some very sick people and manipulating a lot of the program and traditions. by the grace of God, a very sober man started attending meetings at my homegroup and started questioning me after the meetings. it took a while of this happening, but i eventually saw how sick i was!1 i was quite an arrogant egomaniac.
i have also been jumped on by long timers about what i have said about my mental problems and told to keep that to my sponsor and that isnt meant for a meeting. the sad thing is, i noticed that these people were doin it at meetings where there were signs that said," i am responsible when anyone anywhere reaches out for help i want the hand of AA to be there", the blue card would be read that stats we confine our problems as they relate to alcoholism, and the preamble would be read that states we share our experience, strength and hope with each other that we may solve our common problems and help others to recover, and the traditions would be read with one stating our common welfare comes first and another stating our primary purpose is to help the still suffering alcoholic.
so, what do i do now? welp, i know now that length of sobriety doesnt determine mental, emotional, or spiritual sobriety and i must look at them as sick people. it doesnt keep me from talking about anything going on in my life as everything goin on in my life relates to alcoholism and i could very well hear God through others. and if anyone at a meeting has a problem with it? well, they have a problem and need to look at themselves.
so, for anyone reading this who has encountered the AA nazis/bullies and ya dont have the stregth, courage, or wisdom to know how to handle them with grace and serenity(yet)send em my way! i will gladly stand up for you! it is my responsibilty until you can!


oh, and iffen ya got someone tellin ya you dont need meds, a therapist, or a spiritual, guide? dont be afraid to slide the BB their way and have em show where it says that. they are sick people and really could benefit from one or all of the 3.