Stick to sharing your experience!!

I recently talked to a guy had lost faith in Alcoholics Anonymous. He shared with me that prior to AA he was drinking a minimum of 26 ounces of booze a day. After joining AA and working the Steps he had over two years of continuous sobriety. Quite an accomplishment!!! He told me his life was so much better because of sobriety and AA. I can totally relate because I drank a 26er of rye a day for a few years prior to sobering up in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Where is this gentleman today? He’s drinking and his quality of life has gone way downhill. So what happened? The gentleman suffers from several mental health issues and is under the care of a doctor who prescribes medication, including benzodiazepines. His “sponsor” told him that he wasn’t sober because of the medications and that all he needed was the 12 Steps. So he stopped going to AA.

I’m not a big fan of benzos; I abused them myself, and consider them highly addictive. However, unlike me, this guy did not abuse them. He followed them as per his doctor’s instructions. His sponsor (and I’ve run into many people like him) made him feel unwelcome in the rooms and so he left. His life is far much worse. I’m not blaming his sponsor for the guy’s relapse but one has to wonder if that guy would have stayed in AA, where he was doing well, if his sponsor wasn’t playing doctor and judge.

I’ve had a sponsee taking benzos, and while I shared my experience of abusing them and the highly addictive nature of the drug, I did not tell him he wasn’t sober and was lying to himself and the Fellowship. His life was much better than it had been prior to joining AA. I’m not a doctor and don’t offer medical advice. This type of thing really irks me. It’s like when an AA member tells a newcomer they are not welcome because they use outside issues when they drink. I’ve run into many people who were turned off the Fellowship by these types of nonsense statements. When it comes down to it I’m the one who decides if my sobriety is compatible to the type of spiritual life I am trying to lead. My sponsor is a guide not a judge.

Dave the Dude