MickeyAnMeisce

I read "How It Works" at a meeting today and was struck by the passage "[t]here are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest". This, by itself, could be grossly misinterpreted to mean that "the capacity to be honest" alone is needed to stay sober. I think that this larger context of the first page of "How It Works" rules that interpretation out, but I can see how, if one was just prooftexting, that quotation could be especially powerful.

That said, I firmly believe that psychpharmaceutical are essential to my recovery, because I quit, started working the Steps, and then became suicidal. The 150 mg of bupropion (Wellbutrin) and 100 mg of sertraline (Zoloft) that I take have helped see that pain and depression might be transitory and that I want to be around to see if they are. Nevertheless, I find the sentiment that "sobriety ruined a perfectly good depression" to be flippant, at best, and callous, at worst. Just sayin'...

GettingStronger2

Quit AA because of one person? Your sponsor is not your doctor, nor should try to be. If you and your doctor believe there are medications you should take, that is between you. Your sponsor either deals with it, or you get a new sponsor.

I cannot imagine quitting the program of AA because of a difference i had with one of my fellow members, sponsor or otherwise. Principles before personalities.

Take your meds as your doctor suggests. Get a new sponsor. Stick with your program of recovery.

sugarbear1

Lots of "advice" is given in aa meetings, by non-aa'ers and in here.

I don't need advice, I do enjoy hearing other people's experiences, what they did to work through it, and the outcome.

Sponsor/spiritual advisor for stepwork
Doctors for medical help
Accountants for financial help
Etc.

This is what I do.

IndaMiricale

Quit AA because of one person? Your sponsor is not your doctor, nor should try to be. If you and your doctor believe there are medications you should take, that is between you. Your sponsor either deals with it, or you get a new sponsor.

I am also a AA er , and would never want you or anyone to stop meds that are set by your doctor.

SoberNVa

As someone with 8 years of sobriety,and who suffers from crippling,life-destroying mood swings and suicidal depression I agree that statement is callous and flippant. I would love to be able to be able to have a good stable satisfying life just by coming to AA and working the steps. Unfortunatly that isnt possible.

Dee74

I think it's best we focus on the OP and his original post.

If someone ticks you off, put them on ignore or send them a PM.

If you have personal experience to share that is relevant, please share it here.
If not - there's a lot of other threads to share on and people to help

D

cairns87

Hi everyone!

Wow thankyou for all the replies and support. I have forgotten how welcoming and honest this forum can be. I do believe I have been 100% honest. The medication have is not a big dose and is paxil. My doctors know about my alcaholism.

I will need to confront my sponser about this and tell him where I stand. I would love 2 be able to be without the pills but I dont think I could go without them.

thank you for the quotes.. I agree with the BB there is a place for outside help as well as AA.

Charon

Where did you get this information? There are many non-addictive anti-depressants & anti-anxiety meds. Are you confusing tranks with meds for depression and anxiety?

Charon

Probably a boatload more than the sponser knows about medicine.

Charon

Most anyone in AA will tell you that not drinking is no where near enough. Deep personal change and learning how to deal with life on an everyday basis is key. Sobriety is just the first SMALL step.

stugotz

Not drinking = Not drinking

Sobriety = Adopting a new set of morals and beliefs and practicing the principals in all your affairs, oh and not drinking.

Threshold

Hmm...This is something important for both potential sponsors and sponsees to think about, a sponsor is NOT someone is supposed to entrust their care to, hell NO. The point of getting clean is to take care of yourself not to transfer responsibility to someone else, yet again. Not at all, no sir! And no decent sponsor encourages or accepts that attitude from a sponsee.

That is not the intention or purpose of the sponsor/sponsee relationship. Many times a person new to recovery attempts to place their sponsor in that position in their life, and then subsequently blame their sponsor for not taking care of them etc.

I know, was guilty of it myself when I first got into the program.

We are responsible for our own recovery. Not our sponsor, not our doctor, not our mom, sister, spouse, dog, person on a forum.

It is our responsibility to ourselves to be honest in all those relationships, to inform and educate ourselves and others about our substance situation, and to evaluate the healthiness of our relationships and address them accordingly. We seek the input and experience of others who have gone before us, but ultimately the responsibility falls on ourselves.

If you stop abusing a substance and then plug a person into your life as a buffer between you and reality and then blame that person for your decisions (my sponsor saiiiiddd) you haven't really addressed addiction at all, you've just switched playing fields.

JJK

and... its PAXIL?????????? thats not EVEN a narcotic! d@mn, some people can be ignorant.. i take paxil too.. and the only reason for that is because my doctor (knowing my situation) perscribed it and ive seen many members take it with great success! run run run run run run run far far away from this person (your sponsor)!!!!

JJK

EVEN IF aa was a fix all for depression and anxiety.. dont you think for a newcomer, coming in with some of the above, it might be a good idea to start off on something like paxil? thats non-narcotic?? i mean.. if the person sincerely needs it? nobobides ever gotten high off of PAXIL!

Mark75

Of course. Absolutely. The sponsors that I have experience with, suggest to their sponsees who are depressed to go see a physician or psychiatrist. It seems that active untreated depression would make early recovery much more difficult.

Sorting all that out, plus throwing in PAWS, along with situational anxiety... seems like a professional opinion would be a good thing.

JJK

yeah, mark.. there are some who come in (not the out-right wet-brained/mental-defect types) who are clearly unbalanced.. and seem to stay that way.. if i were their sponsor id be like, look, you need to go see somebody..

Mark75

My experience with sponsors and this question is very different than the majority of those posting in this thread. I have to remember that my experience is just that, only mine. A real eye opener... Seems intuitive, doesn't it.... depressed? get help, especially if you are trying to get sober.

JJK

doesnt seem like it mark.. everyone seems to pretty much be on the "go to a doc" page here..

Mattcake

My shrink started me on Lexapro *during* my last detox - she determined that I was suffering from depression, and that I needed treatment. It was very helpful, after a while I tapered off with mixed results.

I'm not sure what the AA protocol is, but I doubt it involves messing around with someone's medical treatment?

Mark75

No I suggested that it wasn't a big problem... AA and people being told not to take their meds... Turns out that it is for some, maybe more than I thought.