Seriously, they should have this up at every meeting. I love 12 step groups. I am a grateful member of two fellowships. But about three and a half - almost four now - years back, at three years sober, I had a devastating resurgence of mental illness symptoms that absolutely robbed me of life as I knew it. I ended up, after a couple of months of struggling, leaving the rooms entirely because I was tired of people telling me not to take meds, of telling me that things would get better if I prayed and meditated more, and that doing a new set of steps would help me. I did all of these things. NOTHING helped me.

I ended up having to find my own way through, which meant not only finding a way to get continued support for my recovery/sobriety, but also struggling through the seriously lacking mental health system here where I live. I'm mostly okay now. I know what to do to take care of myself. But there's been so much pain and loneliness in it all, and for a while some serious resentments. I felt like the fellowship that I'd given so much service to had abandoned me in my time of need. It took me years (really, until just two months ago) to even consider coming back to the rooms.

Thank you so much for this post. I wish I'd seen this four years ago but I'll take what I can get.