I totally hear you on that. I was going to meetings for a long time. Earlier this year, after a series of several crisis, I was in the blackest darkest depression ever. I was having panic attacks, crying all day, unable to function basically (couldn't even watch TV really). I went to a shrink, prompted by my family. They diagnosed me with major depression and ADD, and gave me wellbutrin to start since I weaned off smoking with that and had no side effects, and stratera to start so I could function at work. I was upfront with the shrink about my use history.

During this time, my "best friend" and long time AAer completely stopped talking to me. After 8 years of friendship, me taking a .25 mg Xanax as prescribed by my doctor during a panic attack was enough to not talk to me, and miss my wedding even! Unhappy i was taking medicine as prescribed by a doctor! Another AAer tried to talk me out of taking the wellbutrin. (Mind you, major depression was diagnosed due to my fixation with suicide.) They told me I would just be hooked on wellbutrin for life. I almost stopped taking it, back then I was so terrified it took several people in my life including doctors to remind me it's depression, it's medical, the pills may work.

AA people are dangerous when giving medical advice. They are uneducated by in large, they are not doctors, they are in fact more likely than the average person to not have the right answer. The truth is the medical community and AA don't agree on alcoholism. Don't get me wrong, AA really helped me when I needed it, but there are two things they did really wrong. First, the fourth step should not be worked on abusive family members. I do not, and never will, believe that I need to inventory and find my fault as a child with my abusers. Attempting to do so did not help me. Secondly, they need to not give uneducated advice to people, especially those with serious issues like past abuse and mental depression.