Prescription Drugs & AA
 

I have been in and out of recovery 15 months now.

The first 6 months were easy...I have no idea why.

Since then I have had more slips than a girl's school wardrobe, the last one lasted 3 days after 6 weeks of sobriety after coming out of Detox.
I am sober now but my Doctor said the reason I slipped was because the advice I received from aa members and my sponser was to get off the drugs, "you are not clean and sober" so I came off and within 3 days was drinking, 3 days later back in hospital, I thought I had had it.
My Doctor although a great beliver in aa says that for now I should trust his judgement to get me through this crisis until I am well enough to come off the diaxipan, the xanex and another tablet for depression, like prozac

I am so weak, dazed and confused, (sleep 14 hours a day) I have parted ways with my sponser , he believes that I have zero sobriety until I am free of all mind altering drugs, as do many others in the rooms.....so I have stopped going to aa until I am clean and can hold my head up and say so. Luckily I have some good freinds in the fellowship who understand and have been through the process, so I am not totally alone...just desperatley unhappy, and totaly confused.

Has anyone any advice or experience concerning my predicament

Yours

Womble

I'm not an AAer but here is the link to the pamplet
'The AA member, medications and other drugs' - I believe this is the official position

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ml#post1798633

Basically: listen to your doctor first.

D

I agree. Listen to your doctor. S/he must think you need to be on these meds for your sanity and peace of mind. And if taking prescription meds as directed makes you 'dirty' then I'm 'dirty' too, and I don't care what anyone says about that. If the meds help you keep from drinking, go for it. I wouldn't listen to anyone telling you that you weren't sober because you were on prescription meds. That's awfully harsh and narrow minded, in my opinion...

Please listen to your dr. and follow his advice.

I am not in AA, but I use antidepressants. Without that medication, I would be far too depressed to care whether I was sober or not.

Getting sober ruined a perfectly good case of depression. :rotfxko

Yea, that's it, unless you have good reason not to.

I would recommend that you continue to go to AA. Treat your alcoholism with the program and get support from the fellowship. Treat your medical issues with the advice of your physician... There may, in fact, be some overlap, but I don't think you should be in the position of defending your medications to anyone... as long as you are using them as directed for the reasons they are prescribed...

If the xanax is making you sleep all the time (?)... talk with your physician.

Mark

people in aa telling you what to do concerning your prescription meds need to butt out. work with your physician on the medication part. aa itself has no opinion on outside issues, so you're really dealing with individuals opinions. trust your doctor and yourself.

Hey I am in AA and the people that are being negative about meds that are prescribed are just wrong. That said, your doctor prescribing you addictive pills for your problems is a dangerous area as an addict you can very easily fall into dangerous territory. After being refused further Valium I bought it illegally and took over 10X my medicated dose. It's just what addicts do, so be careful.

I am clean and sober now nearly 2 months but am still taking anti-depressants as prescribed by my doctor for Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Without these I would certainly relapse. They are not addictive or habit forming and so are safer for addicts to take. My 1st sponsor wouldn't take me through the steps while I was on them but my new one will as giving up drink is enough without having to worry about all of that too. Obviously everyone in the world including AA would say it is best to come off of everything eventually but 1st things 1st. Just keep taking the meds exactly as prescribed, taking them outside of the parameters of what your doctor has said is abusing your sobriety. Be very careful with Benzos, they are more addictive than alcohol.

The people in your AA group shouldn't be judging you, but some will. Just like in life, everyone is different. Stick with people who are supportive but who try to help guide you in a positive direction, and that doesn't include making you feel guilty or like an outsider for following doctor's orders.

Good luck with it

Not many "Drunks" can handle the responsibility of prescription meds. Especially the good ones. Just sayin....

Exactly my problem.

"If one is gonna help me, think what 2 will do".

Damn my alcoholic brain...

Brian

Hi Womble,
no AA sponsor should "play Doctor", parting ways with this person was a smart move. AA is about abstinence from alcohol, the fact that you are using prescription medication to reduce anxiety or any other health issues is non relevant. Every substance we take into our body could be described as having "mind altering qualities" be it nicotine, caffeine, chocolate or even the oxygen in the air we breathe in to survive! Please take your doctors advice about medication, try a different AA group and hopefully a new sponsor and just concentrate on your sobriety at the moment, reduction of other medication may then become possible without a return to alcoholism.

What prescriptions I take and why I use them
is not any of anyones business...AA'ers or not.

That is between me and my doctors....:yup:

Almost everyone I know in AA takes some type
of meds....includeing me.

Abuseing prescritions is a different issue.

Hey Womble,

I'm sorry to hear that your struggles continue. It sounds like you're in a pretty dark and unforgiving place. I wish your sponsor was not so harsh on the line about no outside meds, but each of us interprets the program differently. I know my sponsor here would not allow me to get away with that either. On the other hand, your doctor is telling you you need to take your meds. Buddy, I'd say keep the alcohol with AA, and keep the meds with your doc. I wouldn't talk to AA about the meds at all. Just make sure that your doc knows you have a high probability of abusing the meds, keep her in the light, and let her help you with them. All I ever did with meds was abuse them, they never worked for me. Would you get more acceptance by the group if you were drunk, but off the meds, perhaps that's worth a try. I hope you feel better, I'll keep you in my prayers.

-Lith

The pamphlet that Dee linked really says all that needs to be said. Please note that while the official AA stance is that medication decisions need to be between doctor and patient, there are some serious and problematic warnings contained in that official stance.

I think it is foolish to take the close minded opinion that this is none of anyone's business in AA.

When I invite a sponsor to become part of my life, to guide me spiritually, and to give me honest feedback based on their experience, I am opening the door for their opinions.

The reason I do that is because I want their help to grow spiritually. I want them to show me what I can not see for myself. As an alcoholic, I have a great capacity for justification, rationalization, and mistrust. It is very easy for me to fall into a 'screw everybody, I'll just do what I think is best' attitude when I feel criticism.

The fact is, that benzos, opiates, and other narcotics have proved very problematic for most alcoholics. That pamphlet makes this point clearly. I've known many alkies that have unintentionally back-doored their way right back into active, full blown addiction through the doctor-directed, well-intentioned, proper use of those medications.

Likewise, I know many alcoholics that couldn't get sober until they were willing to give up the sleep aids and anti-anxiety meds.

The reverse is true as well. Many alcoholics have other issues that need treatment and counseling. My point is that an experienced sponsor (not a rigid one that claims universally NO MEDS) can help sort out where somebody is spiritually.

If the intent is to help someone grow into a contented sobriety, there is no threat from medications. Whether they are taken or not. Another thing on the table just like relationships, careers, etc. Let's look at where we are spiritually and see what that indicates, instead of the 'none of your business' approach.

There is nothing to be scared of.

Well put keith...

Very well put keith

I wrote a big ol paragraph........then deleted it.

I was on Effexor prior to AA. I suspected that I'd be on them the rest of my life - made me feel great and that was cool and it's not hard to take a pill. I heard over and over (over time) that I might want to investigate the "spiritual malady" and actually TRY to do something about that. If that didn't work, then go back on the drugs.

Needless to say, my delusional perception of needing anti-depressants was wrong. I needed a connection with a God of my understanding - even though I didn't think that's what I needed. It wasn't until some time later that I was able to see I had been completely wrong in the past.


--Well said Keith.

I'd add to it: "We're only as sick as our secrets."

What the hell? Are you going to a AA meating in a amish community or something? I have met several people in AA that are dual diagnosed. They take meds for a mental health issues, and would not be normal without them.

I think that you need to follow your doctors orders and take whatever he tells you in the amount that you should. If you have a back injury and your getting back spasms, your doctor will probably give you muscle relaxers for it, which is very mind altering. What then? Will your AA group and sponsor tell you that your not sober anymore, and that you should not take your prescription? What whould they really know about recovering from a back injury?

Dune

I'm glad for the members who've feel they can live without meds, but I would not recommend anybody stop taking their medication without first discussing it with their doctor....I played 'Doctor Dee' enough when I was drinking :)

Everyones entitled to a decent quality of life. Some need meds to maintain that, myself included.

As long as we're honest with our doctors about our history, and honest with ourselves about our motives, in my opinion, it's all good.

D

My meds are my business. Honesty with yourself is the most important.

Prescription Drugs & AA
 

I was diagnosed this last time for Clinical Depression & Alcoholism & was admitted to the local hospital for a medical detox. This was in 1988. I spent my full first year of sobriety going to AA, working the program with a Sponsor, going to a Mental Health Counselor for my Depression, working & raising my youngest daughter still at home. :a108:

The psychiatrist that diagnosed me was very glad I was attending AA & had a counselor for my Depression + put me on an antidepressant. He asked me if the members in AA ever talked about prescription meds & that a person shouldn't be taking them if they wanted to be clean & sober. :rotfxko

I told him they do but I don't volunteer anything about my needed meds. I do discuss it with my Sponsor though. He then asked about my history of Depression & when I told him I had first been dx as a teen he wasn't that surprised.

He predicted that I may need a maintenance dose of antidepressant the rest of my life & this has proven so. I have had problems that come with too much stress but through the years have learned how to work through them.

kelsh :day6

I'm a big proponent of AA. Last I checked the only requirement for membership in AA was a desire to start drinking. I don't see anything about prescription drugs in the 12 Steps or 12 Traditions.

People have differing views of AA. I believe the Steps can be applied to other areas of your life, such as if you were battling with an addiction to prescription drugs, I think you could use the Steps to help with that. But when it comes down to people saying you can't take prescription drugs, or someone has to reset their sobriety date if they smoke some pot (But what if the person doesn't have a 'problem' with pot? What if they only have a 'problem' with alcohol?), telling people they can't take painkillers even with a debilitating injury...I'm not down with all that. I started going to AA because my drinking is out of control and I need help with that.

Besides, if we start saying people aren't 'sober' if they're using other (even prescription) drugs, where does it end? I see some people at meetings so jacked up on caffeine their heads are about to spend around. Nicotine? Forget it; hard-core, multiple-pack-a-day smokers. Is sugar a drug? It can change the way the mind works and it has an affect on the body.

Sorry for that little rant, but as others have said, definitely follow your doctor's advice. And see if perhaps there are other meetings at which you may fel more comfortable. Good luck to you!

But do you acknowledge the possibility that a drug a person doesn't have a problem with could lead them back to alcohol? I nearly completely agree with you... well, except about the pot.

I like keith's post, because it is not dogmatic... it is very important what's happening with a person... the whole person. Life, work, relationships, whatever... all important in a person's journey of recovery from alcoholism.

I don't think a sponsor should play doctor and get in the middle of that relationship between patient and doctor.... BUT... I think the sponsor would have the responsibility to say... hey, um, you know those xanax pills your taking? Way addictive... Think about that... but neither should a sponsor get all apoplectic and say one isn't sober if they are using a medication as directed.... well that's MY opinion.

As Alcoholics we MUST, absolutely must, bring a higher level of caution to the table when we are considering the use of anxiolytics, narcotic analgesics, muscle relaxers, stimulants for ADHD, etc.... and for many... antihistamines, decongestants.... It is what it is :)

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies.

I have a job interview tomorrow, I think I had better stay away from the meds till it's over....frightening, its my first one in 25 years !!! 3pm is normally the time I fall asleep till 6pm so I can't be flaking out in front of the boss at 3.30pm, can you imagine that, she's interviwing me and I'm nodding off...if it was not so serious it would be funny, could make a comedy sketch out of it. I really need this job, I have not worked for 6 years and many people ave said that my addictions increased out of boredom, so if I get it I will have some focus in my life...wish me luck

Good Luck Womble!! Prayers comin your way!

I think any "addict" CAN have troubles with medication. If you already have that mind set of liking to get "high", the chances of not taking advantage of that are slim.

If this is the case, I may as well not go to AA. I take a handfull of meds. 3 times a day including narcotics as needed. All prescribed by my doctor. If I were to give up all my meds. I would certainly be drinking again. I am bipolar II wit mixed episodes and have fibromyalgia as well. So I say to heck with that!

Good luck

You are an exception toomuch. ;) But alot of us, who have an addiction problem, would find it difficult to be completely responsible with narcotics if we were giving a script for them.

I understand that snowman. I'm not comparing myself to anyone else, just my experience! Hugs!