[Kismet]

I have been a sober member of AA for 7 years. AA was there for me when I wanted desperately to get sober and could NOT. I took it very seriously, listened, took suggestions, worked the steps and sponsored people. I continue to do so.

Now--in addition to being an alcoholic I also suffer from severe major depressive disorder. It did not go away when I got sober--if I am not medicated I continue to have extremely bad, suicidal depressions. Thankfully that is not currently a problem as I am on a cocktail of medications that help very much. I am also blessed to have an excellent p-doc and t-doc.

I believe that one should not bring outside issues into AA. Despite my mental difficulties I have never been one of the “my therapist says” folks. Everyone in the room can relate to alcoholism but not everyone can relate to mental illness. I believe it; I follow it. When some bleeding deacon expresses his opinion that one cannot be sober if one takes psych meds I try to not say anything--sometimes I am even succesfull….;-). I resent the hell out of this however. It pisses me off to an incredible degree. It also makes me feel “less than”.

I would love to hear from anyone who has some some sober time. What are your feelings? How do you deal with this?

[shadowalker164]

Dr Bob struggled with the desire to drink all his life, The obsession although under control, never left him.
Bill Wilson suffered from depression all his life. In his biography he talks about just holing himself up for months on end in a black funk. It was a debilitating disabling disorder that he fought against until the day he died. He didn't have access to the range of medications we are blessed with today. But he did write in the Big Book that we should avail ourselves of what doctors have to offer.
It is also interesting to note that the founder of our fellowship was not afraid to experiment with chemical compounds to relieve him of his depression. In his biography “Pass it on” the story is told of how he took LSD in the hope of recapturing that burning bush moment he describes while a patient in Towns Hospital.
He also involved himself in séances and other forms of unconventional mysticism.
He wasn't afraid to think outside the box, if he had been afraid to, this program may have never have come into existence.
Tell that those bleeding deacons.

But remember Kismet, we are working on our side of the street, not the other guys. Armed with the facts about ourselves, this program, and the people who wrote the Big Book, we are much less likely to become resentful of what another man's opinion might be.

Like I tell the men I work with, If you haven't found someone in an AA meeting that you don't like, you aren't going to enough meetings. And like my grand sponsor used to tell me, when I have extracted the maximum spiritual benefit from a problem, the problem will just go away.

On the road to the good stuff,
Richard S.

[(JD)]

I'm not qualified to respond as a member of this group... but two things came to mind when I read your post:

1) why not copy the facts from the internet and give it to the dude that is so ignorant

2) I hope for you -in the future - that what others think and voice may not affect you so deeply. Perhaps asking the director to ask that person to not voice such a volatile opinion is in order?