sugarbear1

I believe Bill W. needed to work the steps again as our ego likes to rebuild itself.....

The big book suggests that sometimes help/medication from a medical professional is needed.....

We know more today about alcoholism than we knew back in 1935.....

jojoba

I feel for you OP. I preferred the meetings of the '70s and '80s back when I was first introduced to the program. Too many meetings now about repetitive subject topics like "gratitude" or how people's day went, or Hazeldon stuff that's non-program, like your inner child, the healing power of crystals etc. I'm there only to hear about alcohol and how to avoid using it. This used to be the focus of meetings but it became diluted. I'm not a fan of using meetings to describe "how your day went" and how you got a hangnail and someone cut you off in traffic. Just deal.

DayTrader

I do lots of things that help me outside of aa meetings......but I don't discuss them AT AA meetings mostly because they're things I do IN ADDITION to AA.

If you've had a spiritual awakening, if you've been reborn, and if you've tapped into a relationship with a God of your understanding to open a channel to the power that you need to keep you sober......what better IS there to talk about at a meeting? Maybe you haven't gone that far in AA though......many haven't. Truthfully, many don't have to commit FULLY as, once they stop drinking, get some better friends, share some of the problems and make some changes in their life.....their problems end.

I'll share any "outside" stuff with anyone......IF they ask me about it and OUTSIDE of the meeting. I don't forward that stuff at the tables and I don't try to sell my opinions either. AA meetings, for me, are for 12-step recovery.

"...to show you how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book."

luvstruckbaby

I can't believe no one has posted that just as speed is ALWAYS a stimulant, alcohol is ALWAYS a depressant. If you suffer from depression, it is not going to get better by taking a depressant. Also, if you are taking an anti-depressant, it isn't going to help to drink depressant (alcohol).

DayTrader

It may be a depressant......but it's also a half-a$$ fix for alcoholISM. It sure seemed like when untreated alcoholism was reeeeally on the war-path, a handful of drinks sure picked me up. For a lot of years, I can't think of ONE time I was depressed when drinking.....even when I was drinking toward a blackout. The next day though, or even later that week, when the realization would hit me that I'd "done it again," then I'd get depressed.....

Didn't you ever drink to get over the depression from drinking? I know I did.....and it kinda/sorta "worked"......for a while anyway. Also, when I think back to the times in my past when I was "contemplating" suicide.....I can tell ya I don't recall ever doing that during a drunk. Those thoughts only seemed to come at times when I was dry at the time. Get a handful of drinks down my throat though, and I'd start to feel like everything's ok, I'll bounce back, I can fix it this time, etc. For a lot of years, even right up till I stopped, drinking (WHILE I was drinking), always made me feel less depressed..... and empowered.

luvstruckbaby

DayTrader, in the rehab I was in, they showed a video where they proved that a lot of the up feeling was all in our heads, by giving a group of people virgin drinks (placebo's). They all acted just like they were having a great time until someone told them there was no alcohol in their drinks. Misery loves company. Worked in bars for years and know that from both sides of the bar. The mind is a funny thing in what it tells us. Just trying to learn mine a lot more.

DayTrader

Exactly!

I was a typical self-obsessed, self-absorbed alkie. About THE most important thing in the world to me was "how I felt." Feeling down? Aw...poor baby...you shouldn't feel down....let's go get something to fix that. That alcohol treated my alcoholism was about all I cared about (even though I didn't know I was an alcoholic, even though I didn't know I had alcoholism, and even though I didn't know I was treating anything.....). I just wanted and felt I deserved to feel "better" all the time - and sometimes better = feeling NOTHING.

As my mind shut down (either from drinking, pain killers, or other street drugs), I felt at peace. The self-hatred machine would turn off completely and I felt like I could enjoy life again - through my buzz.

Interestingly enough, if I did enough Coke or did some other "uppers".......I'd feel good then too. So for me it could go either way, up or down - both made me feel better......just so long as it's not "here" any longer.

luvstruckbaby

Okay, Daytrader, I'll be quit or be quiet!

luvstruckbaby

i

Flyin2BFree

maybe seeking to understand the meeting, verses expecting them to understand you, could be a refreshing viewpoint.

You may find you have more in common than you think.

Look for the similarities, not the differences.

"It seems to me" that the association with others, in our disease, gives us strength that we can not generate alone.

When you share, temper yourself with openers, "I may be wrong but I find..." or "my experience has been" or "I don't have as much time as many people, but this is how I am feeling now"

--- then stay soft and open minded.

FF

Pigtails

For me, depression and alcoholism/drinking are related in that I was depressed and so I drank, and then I drank and so I was more depressed. It was a never-ending cycle. Not drinking, PLUS working the steps, helps my depression more than anything else (including a variety of different individual and couples' therapists, plus reading all the self-help books I could get my hands on) has ever been able to do. So I do often talk about depression issues in AA because to me they are related, and many other women in my group do as well. However I do understand there is clinical depression that may not be "cured" by not drinking and working the steps, so, professional help or medication is sometimes necessary. But still, people who suffer from grave depression and who also suffer from alcoholism should not be cut off from sharing things that relate to their alcoholism -- and my alcoholism affected every area of my life! As far as non-12-step related methods, well, AA is a 12-step method and I feel that the meetings should stay on track to the main goal of that purpose, so, I guess I'm not sure what you were cut off for or why but I think that if you were talking about how alcoholism affected/affects you and were on track with the main spirit of AA 12-step principles, then, you should be able to talk about your depression or other issues.

Then again I'm fairly new to AA so maybe I know nothing and should keep quiet. This is just my take on things.

sugarbear1

Has this issue been brought up during a Group Conscience?