AA for pill poppers????

[MyHeartIsDrenchedInWine]

I was thinking about going to AA (never been) and was told that people were there for all kinds of addictions. My BFF is addicted to prescription meds and wants to go with me for her own addiction (she has also never been).......she doesn't have a drinking problem though. Would she be welcome there? We are only interested in going to closed women's meetings.

Any Opinions on this?

[CS04]

AA for pill poppers????

Many go to AA for a variety of issues -- alcohol, drugs, and any combination therein. I struggle with the concept of AA, but am trying because I don't know what else to do.

There is a women's meeting in my area, and I am learning about other womens' meetings. Go and get the info. Also get online in your area. I Am NOT advocating AA or anything else, believe me, but I am jist putting my recent 2 cents in. I went out out of desperation, and got a phone #, and really liked the woman I called. (Read my "Alcoholism is.." thread)
Stay in touch and let me know whatI can do to help.

[tlrgs]

AA for pill poppers????

yes everyone is welcome there

[Ripple]

AA for pill poppers????

of course pill poppers are welcomed .... sniffers, pill takers and drug users benefit. it is all the related to use of substance that makes life unmanageable. :l

[A Work in Progress]

AA for pill poppers????

My experience in AA was that the individual meeting groups differ a lot... some welcome non-alcohol addicts, and others (usually the more old-fashioned ones, with a lot of old alkie geezers in them) want the pill-poppers to go to NA... maybe that was more true a few years back... or more so in larger cities where they have lots of both AA and NA groups... and if you are in a large enough town you can always shop around for a friendly group...

wip

[IAD]

AA for pill poppers????

Myheart, been to AA.....thier are all kinds of people thier. ( Drug & Drinking Problems) Get a guide ( AA Booklet, Time & Place of meetings ) Thier are special meeting for different groups with specific wants & needs. LOL. IAD.

[Cinders]

AA for pill poppers????

MyHeart,

I have to agree with AWIP. Some AA meetings have members who want only alcoholics there, others are more than willing to have addicts of all kinds. (It irritates the crap out of me, too.)

You will just have to go and see. Most of the pill poppers at my AA meeting still say "Hi, I'm so and so and I am an alcoholic and addict." That way they "belong."

If your AA group doesn't welcome your friend, you might both want to try NA (Narc Anon) and see if that meeting is welcoming to you.

Love,
Cindi

[Ripple]

AA for pill poppers????

Most of the time people are cross addicted ... i know of none just on pills? butt there may be some out there. all in all, its An ADDICTION to something all are welcomed to do the program and get help!!! Some are really struggling and it is so sad. :l

[A Work in Progress]

AA for pill poppers????

yeah it is sad, early in the AA days there just was no recognition about non-alcohol addiction, and that went on for years, with all kinds of prejudice also coming on board during the 60's when alcohol abuse was considered just perfectly fine, but among some people, "drugs" were a very different matter, and totally immoral... and many of the old-time alkies stick to the false distinction that "drugs" are illegal, but alcohol (and certainly tobacco!!!) are not... I expect they simply cannot wrap their brains around the idea of being addicted to LEGALLY PRESCRIBED pain meds... It's a big world in many ways, but some people prefer to keep theirs small...

wip

[MyHeartIsDrenchedInWine]

AA for pill poppers????

Thanks for your responses. It seems the majority would welcome her but a small minority would be irritated by her presence. I don't think she would fit in as well into NA becasue that's more for illegal "street drug" addicts. She is like June Cleaver with a "Mother's little helper" problem and its pretty bad. The idea is we wanted to go together since we're best friends. She fortunately has some kind of biological intolerance to alcohol, two drinks and she throws up This is a blessing because she is addicted to everything else she touches. I wish AA stood for addicts anonymous

[Cinders]

AA for pill poppers????

MyHeart,

I would just go and see how the group is. If you are in the right group, you will know it.

Love,
Cindi

[A Work in Progress]

AA for pill poppers????

What Cindi said. Shop around. If it's a good group, it can be very, very helpful. Just be careful with all the talk about "character defects" ...

wip

[Seacailin]

AA for pill poppers????

My experience has been that All are welcome at "open" AA meetings, but at closed AA meetings, for alcoholics only, they ask that you limit your discussion to your problems with alcohol. Recently, at those meetings, I have more and more discussion about drug addiction, and no one seems to mind, in my area anyway. Most addicts here go to Narcotics Anonymous. I went to a few of those meetings, but I sort of felt like I didn't fit in because I was there for been hooked on Marijuana, and most were there for heroin and cocaine probs. You can always call the AA hotline. I wish you and your friend well. I hope you find what you are looking for.

[lukalee]

AA for pill poppers????

In my opinion, AA could help your friend. But...being addicted to pills is an entirely different beast. I don't know the kind of pills your friend is taking, but if they are opiates, withdraw from them is exactly like withdrawing from heroin; it's not a pretty site. In addition, you might be surprised how many picture perfect housewives do attend NA. It might help your friend to see that she is not alone; her problem is not rare, and there are others out there just like herself whom she can talk to. Plus, there are many people buying pills off the street. It may be very eye opening to see people whose doctors' prescription writing could not keep up with the addiction's needs, and they found themselves on the street corner paying $20 a pill.

[cowgal]

AA for pill poppers????

try it

Most of the meetings I attend welcome addicts and alcoholics..............."an addiction is an addiction" is what they say at my favorite meeting (tonight!).............give it a chance.

For a while I was so turned off by AA, now I welcome my friends and their concerns to help me...............they really do care, some of the "old timers", though, think that AA is for al only..................but they are becoming more open to it, at least here in Tallahassee............

good luck,

MA