Originally Posted by
biminiblue 
I would say just don't let someone else's experience in AA be YOUR gospel.
Thank you, biminiblue for another helpful post. This goes along with what you wrote in my other thread about how common projection is in AA.
I think AA can be really damaging to people with trauma issues.
This needs to be shouted from a mountain top. I agree so much. I am so thankful that my therapist said to me the other day that she thinks I'm doing a great job being a sponsor seeing how I separate sponsorship from therapy, and how I always tell my sponsees stuff like "that's not an issue for a sponsor, that's an issue for a therapist", etc. There must be strong clear lines between the two. My only role is taking someone through the steps. I also make clear that step work does not solve mental illness. I had a sponsor who didn't want to continue IOP and only do her step work. I told her I'd stop working with her if she stopped the IOP on her own accord. The steps help with alcoholism, nothing more.
The Steps can open up a lot of wounds, and cannot necessarily repair them when the people doing the "teaching" don't know what they are doing - and like you observed yourself, people who sponsor or who are merely in the rooms are not trained mental health professionals.
I agree. You stated this so well. I struggled a lot with a previous sponsor who disagreed with my therapist regarding amends and if I listened to her and not my therapist, would have caused me a lot of harm. I've had other sponsors poke fun at my going to therapy, calling it immature, etc. I've heard of others who think you're not truly sober if you take meds for anxiety or depression, etc. Sponsors are not trained mental health professionals!!! And sponsors in AA need to stop bad mouthing mental health professionals.
What is the impetus behind your question this time, PTF?
I'm trying to tell what the difference is for myself so I can figure out what needs to be worked on--from a spiritual angle or depression/anxiety outside of alcoholism angle. I don't know how to tell.
-Some people stop drinking and their depression/anxiety goes away, which means the alcohol was causing it directly or both directly and indirectly. These are the types who do very well with "don't drink and go to meetings."
-Some people stop drinking and their depression/anxiety worsen, because they were using alcohol to self medicate. Alcohol was the solution until it became a problem. These are us types who get worse from "don't drink and go to meetings".
-Some people stop drinking and their depression/anxiety goes away when they have a spiritual awakening from doing the step work.
-Some people stop drinking, have a spiritual awakening from the step work, and their depression/anxiety comes back because they're suffering from untreated alcoholism.
-Some people stop drinking, have a spiritual awakening from the step work, but their depression/anxiety comes back because they're suffering from clinical depression/anxiety.
So if it comes back, is it a spiritual issue or a mental health issue? How to tell?