One thing that has been playing on my mind since I went to my first NA meeting the other night, is a leaflet I picked up titled ‘NA Groups & Medication’, along with some comments made during the meeting.
Personally, I am on 11 different prescription medications, for various mental illnesses and various physical health issues, I always take them as prescribed and the thought has never entered my mind that taking these medications means that I am not sober.
The leaflet has made me feel like I am not welcome at meetings, and that if I do go, I should not share, because I am not sober. This upsets me greatly because I would not be alive without these medications and I’ve never even thought of abusing them or using them otherwise than as prescribed by my doctor and specialists.
Can I consider myself sober and am I a fraud if I go to meetings and not tell anyone about my prescription medications and still share?
Yikes!! I’m hoping that folks with experience respond.
I can’t believe that you would be pressured to stop taking meds prescribed to you by a professional for physical and mental issues. That would be extremely dangerous!!
… and you say you only take as prescribed, by a medical professional, so I think you are on the right track. Sounds like you are going to meetings to help you with the non-prescribed stuff.
Nebido, Propanolol, Venlaxfaxine, Pregabalin, Mirtazapine, Risperidone, Colcalciferol, Ferrous Fumarate, then Co-codamol, Diazapam and Baclofen as required for pain, but some days I don’t even need to take the last 3. When I do, I don’t feel any different or get any ‘high’ from them that would make me want to use them just for kicks so to speak.
Thank you for all that. The majority of it is for my mental health, I have BPD, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD. The Propanolol is for leftover symptoms from a heart condition I had surgery for, the Pregabalin is for Bladder pain syndrome, and also for the anxiety because apparently it helps with that too. I’ve never heard of this drug being used recreationally or abused until now! The Risperidone is to minimise motor tics from Tourettes, Colcalciferol is Vitamin D3 and Ferrous Fumarate is Iron tablet.
I wish I didn’t need any of it. I take the Pregabalin every morning and night, as prescribed, so going by this leaflet, I should never share, which leaves me wondering whether I should try to find an alternative way to stay sober and recover.
Unless you are crushing them up and snorting, using as prescribed and not getting high you need them for your health. I used some of them and I am a pharmacist. I know exactly what you mean. Most of the drugs are misunderstood even by pain specialists. I hope I can find the strenghth to open a thread relating to the subject. It comes up often.
If it is prescribed, and you are taking as directed, then you are sober. If you are no longer using that which you abused, or not using something that wasn’t prescribed, then you are sober.
There’s a church in the way home from my Dojo that hosts NA and AA meetings every weeknight, and there’s always a bunch of folks standing outside, dragging in cigs and downing what I assume to be coffee in white foam cups.
Ironically, a lot of folks use alcohol and drugs to self-medicate for depression and anxiety, when a prescribed pharmaceutical taken under medical supervision would be so much more effective.