Medical emergency at a meeting
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Preston, Lancashire, UK
Posts: 72
Medical emergency at a meeting
Wow, what a meeting tonight. I go to meetings every Saturday night for the past year but tonight was different. A guy came in who said his mum had died and had been sleeping in a potting shed for the past 11 weeks. He had also been proper hard at it with the drink during this period.
His last drink was 12 hours ago and he was clearly having severe withdrawals - confusion, agitation, disorientated, not making sense.
Yes meetings are important in recovery i.e doing the steps, socialising at meetings. I feel there are times though when specialist medical help is required. People at the meeting were giving him cups of tea, and biscuits and he nearly chocked.
I had to be assertive and say he needs to go to casualty. Luckily it is just over the road where he has now gone. Severe alcohol can be dangerous and he is now getting the medical help he needs.
From this experience tonight yes AA is great but often at times specialist help is needed. Some at the meeting gave me dodgy looks when i told him to seek medical help. There seemed to be a feeling of us at AA v medical intervention.
Anyway i feel i made the right decision and just had to get it off my chest.
His last drink was 12 hours ago and he was clearly having severe withdrawals - confusion, agitation, disorientated, not making sense.
Yes meetings are important in recovery i.e doing the steps, socialising at meetings. I feel there are times though when specialist medical help is required. People at the meeting were giving him cups of tea, and biscuits and he nearly chocked.
I had to be assertive and say he needs to go to casualty. Luckily it is just over the road where he has now gone. Severe alcohol can be dangerous and he is now getting the medical help he needs.
From this experience tonight yes AA is great but often at times specialist help is needed. Some at the meeting gave me dodgy looks when i told him to seek medical help. There seemed to be a feeling of us at AA v medical intervention.
Anyway i feel i made the right decision and just had to get it off my chest.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 73
No doubt a crazy meeting yeah. You did the right thing though, and I applaud you for that.
Whatever anyone in that room said or thought, AA vs medical intervention or whatever - you may very well have saved someone's life tonight.
Whatever anyone in that room said or thought, AA vs medical intervention or whatever - you may very well have saved someone's life tonight.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Preston, Lancashire, UK
Posts: 72
Sorry as i say i just had to get it off my chest. He was not getting anything out the meeting anyway and was clearly not in reality. I just did want him to go into a seizure and die or anything.
I am not a doctor so i was not in a position to give medical intervention. Common sense came to me though that alcohol withdrawal can be lethal hence why i signposted him to casualty. Clearly cups of tea, biscuits and a bit of a chat were not working. Safety comes first so i dont really care that others frowned at me.
Hopefully once he gets the medical help he needs then he can come back to the rooms when he is well.
I am not a doctor so i was not in a position to give medical intervention. Common sense came to me though that alcohol withdrawal can be lethal hence why i signposted him to casualty. Clearly cups of tea, biscuits and a bit of a chat were not working. Safety comes first so i dont really care that others frowned at me.
Hopefully once he gets the medical help he needs then he can come back to the rooms when he is well.
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