sponser and meds issues
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: auckland
Posts: 99
sponser and meds issues
I am having a tough time in AA at the moment. My sponser it totally against anti anxiety meds. Does not believe doctors and doesnt reckon I need them.
Things have been going pretty crap since tapering down on meds.
Have not enjoyed the last month. anxiety and depression has comeback 10 fold.. Maybe I do not have the things in place to deal with it.. I thought I did but have had a lot of tough things to deal with lately. I have overeat every day, not exercised.. I believe Overeating is just the same as self medicating with alcahol really.
My doctor reckons It could be a good idea to get back on them because depression not getting any better. I have been sober for nearly 5 months.. Things were really good on the pills.
I have decided to stay on the pills for now.. I will get systems in place to help combat my anxiety/depression.
I am wondering how I should approach my sponser? Should i quit AA.. My sponser is a great guy and genuinly means well.
Things have been going pretty crap since tapering down on meds.
Have not enjoyed the last month. anxiety and depression has comeback 10 fold.. Maybe I do not have the things in place to deal with it.. I thought I did but have had a lot of tough things to deal with lately. I have overeat every day, not exercised.. I believe Overeating is just the same as self medicating with alcahol really.
My doctor reckons It could be a good idea to get back on them because depression not getting any better. I have been sober for nearly 5 months.. Things were really good on the pills.
I have decided to stay on the pills for now.. I will get systems in place to help combat my anxiety/depression.
I am wondering how I should approach my sponser? Should i quit AA.. My sponser is a great guy and genuinly means well.
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,780
Your sponsor may be a 'great guy' but he has no place telling you anything about your meds. That's between you and your doctor. I'd get a different sponsor, one who doesn't play doctor.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,439
I'm not an AA member Cairns, but I believe this is the official AA statement on prescribed meds:
Alcoholics Anonymous : the A.A. member-Medications & other Drugs (pdf)
Linked with the permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc
If AA's working for you, stay where you are
you might have some thinking to do about your relationship with your sponsor tho?
D
Alcoholics Anonymous : the A.A. member-Medications & other Drugs (pdf)
Linked with the permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc
If AA's working for you, stay where you are
you might have some thinking to do about your relationship with your sponsor tho?
D
Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,410
I heard this all the time. I don't use AA but if going to meetings help then go to them. The OFFICIAL AA view on meds is that it is an outside issue. Which means they don't have an official good/bad position.
If the medication is work then stay on it. If your sponsor does not understand that it helps with your anxiety and depression then it may be time to move on to a new one. Your sponsor maybe great guy and genuinly means well but he is not a doctor and should not be telling you to stop taking medication.
If the medication is work then stay on it. If your sponsor does not understand that it helps with your anxiety and depression then it may be time to move on to a new one. Your sponsor maybe great guy and genuinly means well but he is not a doctor and should not be telling you to stop taking medication.
Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,597
I've been on a mood stabilizer since Jan 2009. It changed my life and I wouldn't let anyone in AA tell me I shouldn't take it. Your sponsor is there to take you through the steps, not tell you what medication you should or shouldn't be taking. His job is not to run your life or tell you what to do. His opinion isn't your gospel.
If you need the medication, you need it. Some times our brains just aren't wired the way they should be and we need some help to get them functioning properly.
If you need the medication, you need it. Some times our brains just aren't wired the way they should be and we need some help to get them functioning properly.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,410
Originally Posted by Dee74 
If you read the link I posted you'll see that's not exactly the case, act10n
D
D
I can understand why they take that stand because anti anxiety pills are very addicted and has become a problem in the USA today but still the sponsor is not a doctor and should not be giving cairns87 advice on prescriptive drugs by his doctor. Also it's illegal for this sponsor to tell him to stop using the drugs in the first place.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 6,947
Your medication issues are between you and your physician. End of discussion. If you need to, find another sponsor... This is a sponsor problem, not an program of AA problem.
Is your prescribing physician aware of your alcoholism? It is crucial that he or she know about that. Some anxiety medications are way addicting and should be used carefully, especially with people with addictive personalities.
Is your prescribing physician aware of your alcoholism? It is crucial that he or she know about that. Some anxiety medications are way addicting and should be used carefully, especially with people with addictive personalities.
Member of SMART Recovery
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,722
Originally Posted by cairns87
I am having a tough time in AA at the moment. My sponser it totally against anti anxiety meds. Does not believe doctors and doesnt reckon I need them.
Things have been going pretty crap since tapering down on meds.
Have not enjoyed the last month. anxiety and depression has comeback 10 fold.. Maybe I do not have the things in place to deal with it.. I thought I did but have had a lot of tough things to deal with lately. I have overeat every day, not exercised.. I believe Overeating is just the same as self medicating with alcahol really.
My doctor reckons It could be a good idea to get back on them because depression not getting any better. I have been sober for nearly 5 months.. Things were really good on the pills.
I have decided to stay on the pills for now.. I will get systems in place to help combat my anxiety/depression.
I am wondering how I should approach my sponser? Should i quit AA.. My sponser is a great guy and genuinly means well.
Things have been going pretty crap since tapering down on meds.
Have not enjoyed the last month. anxiety and depression has comeback 10 fold.. Maybe I do not have the things in place to deal with it.. I thought I did but have had a lot of tough things to deal with lately. I have overeat every day, not exercised.. I believe Overeating is just the same as self medicating with alcahol really.
My doctor reckons It could be a good idea to get back on them because depression not getting any better. I have been sober for nearly 5 months.. Things were really good on the pills.
I have decided to stay on the pills for now.. I will get systems in place to help combat my anxiety/depression.
I am wondering how I should approach my sponser? Should i quit AA.. My sponser is a great guy and genuinly means well.
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ounter-aa.html
Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Corinth, TX
Posts: 490
I, too, need anxiety/depression meds. I make sure to stay honest with myself and with my Doctor about my alcoholism. I love AA, but do not hold to the "old timers" views of absolutely no medication whatsoever. For some people, like me, living without the meds would be almost as dangerous as returning to drinking. This issue is between you and your Doctor. Your sponsor has no business encouraging you not to take prescribed medication. For me though, I need to be careful to take it ONLY as prescribed.
~sb
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: MD
Posts: 15,967
It's funny how this comes up in SR,yet for 25 years, I've sat through dozens of in person meetings which we discuss and accept peoples' diagnosis. As related to that day. No one should place a single person's opinion over a doctor's opinion.
AA says some people may need more support than just aa.
AA says some people may need more support than just aa.
Grateful to be free
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,680
There are non narc anti anxiety meds, my dr prescribes those to me because she knows I am an addict and fully supports my recovery. Honesty is key to recovery, being honest about who I am and the real abilities and limitations I currently have.
Sponsors are there to lead us through the steps, not to lead us through our lives. We certainly can go to them asking for their experience on various life situations we find ourselves in, but ultimately we go to our HP and our own self knowledge and honesty to make our decisions for ourselves.
the steps help us be honest and help us develop a relationship with our HP so we are better equipped to make purposeful decisions in our lives. That is where are sponsor comes in, to help us with those steps, which help us in our lives. Remember that sponsors are recovering addicts as well, and addicts tend to have control issues. It is not uncommon for sponsors, who are in the process themselves, to sometimes want to stir our pots rather than focus on their own lives. We can gently say, I appreciate your input, but this is the decision I've come to for my life. If they truly cannot accept that, then it may be time to step back and find another sponsor.
Sponsors are there to lead us through the steps, not to lead us through our lives. We certainly can go to them asking for their experience on various life situations we find ourselves in, but ultimately we go to our HP and our own self knowledge and honesty to make our decisions for ourselves.
the steps help us be honest and help us develop a relationship with our HP so we are better equipped to make purposeful decisions in our lives. That is where are sponsor comes in, to help us with those steps, which help us in our lives. Remember that sponsors are recovering addicts as well, and addicts tend to have control issues. It is not uncommon for sponsors, who are in the process themselves, to sometimes want to stir our pots rather than focus on their own lives. We can gently say, I appreciate your input, but this is the decision I've come to for my life. If they truly cannot accept that, then it may be time to step back and find another sponsor.
Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxnard (The Nard), CA, USA.
Posts: 13,949
I found keeping my psychiatric medication a secret from other AA members works best. As I have been given some potentially dangerous advice from certain AA members regarding issues that really only concern me and my doctor.
Belgian Sheepdog Adictee
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: In Today
Posts: 6,101
It is NONE of your sponsor's business what meds your doctor has prescribed for you.
I talk with my doctor about my medical issues and I talked with my sponsor about my sobriety issues.
NO 'die hard AA members' are not against drugs of any kind. Just like life, AA has some folks with 'quirks'.
Either tell your sponsor that your medications are off limits, or keep sponsor as a possible 'friend' and find another sponsor. Your sponsor is there to guide you through the steps not give you medical advice.
Love and hugs,
I talk with my doctor about my medical issues and I talked with my sponsor about my sobriety issues.
but the die hard AA members are against all type of drugs which I believe cairns87 sponsor is part of that group.
Either tell your sponsor that your medications are off limits, or keep sponsor as a possible 'friend' and find another sponsor. Your sponsor is there to guide you through the steps not give you medical advice.
Love and hugs,
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