I don’t know, but it seems like the kind of thing that you should talk to them about. I mean, you’d be going to AA and/or NA due to trying to overcome addiction. If you’re coping with your addiction using weed, maybe they’d have an opinion about it.
Within the broad context of AA and NA, I believe these organizations don’t permit the use of marijuana for members. That said, they’re decentralized support networks that vary from chapter to chapter so what may be ok for one group may not fly in another. I think if someone has made the decision to try a 12 step program, it is in their best interest to attempt the version of sobriety and recovery that is offered by it. It doesn’t work for everyone though and if pot is necessary to ensure the long term avoidance of other harmful substances, by all means. Do your thing.
When I was a kid, I went to NA meetings with my dad sometimes and almost almost all of the members smoked and drank coffee. Social stigma is a big part of what makes addiction life destroying and as time has gone on, pot has come to be viewed more like beer or tobacco instead of meth and heroin. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that weed has become more integrated into people’s lives as they move away from harder substances during recovery.
One last caveat: weed can just as easily hamper someone’s recovery as it can help it. I’ve had friends and family relapse after smoking because they thought it would be ok. All it did was make them crave their substance of choice more. Weed isn’t some miracle cure for recovery from hard substances, it seems like more of a coin flip whether it will help you or harm you in the long run
I assume you’re asking the question on the basis of hypocrisy, I.e. “Is it hypocritical to smoke weed while you’re an AA member?”
My take is that no, it wouldn’t be.
People who are in AA are there because they struggle with alcohol addiction and they need community and support around that. And that’s why you’d also be there too. There’s nothing hypocritical about having other vices in your life aside from alcohol if those vices are not the source of your troubles. You can still attend in good faith for the right reasons.
Ideologically, I can follow your argument. I just don’t think this fits with the AA philosophy. But that being said, AA is not the one and only or the gold standard for self help groups. It’s not a one size fits all. For me, AA is almost too religious and also didn’t fit into my life back then.
Ah, awesome. I just read through your comment and that makes a lot of sense.
I stand by my ideology, but your comment helps me appreciate the reality of that situation, and that if you are smoking or doing other non-alcohol things, you should probably keep that very much to yourself.
From the perspective of an attendee who is going completely ‘cold turkey’ on everything, I can see how even the idea of someone else using different substances could be offensive, because it could feel like it undermines the effort they are putting in, and is confrontational that you get to have this other vice, while they are doing it ‘the hard way’
I dont really agree with that perspective, and in some ways it seems toxic in its own right, but I can understand why people would feel that way.
In my early 20s I actually went to AA meetings over the course of probably a year. I kept it very secret, as I did with my very problematic consumption.
It was a group of probably 15-20 people, most aged 40-70. I was by far the youngest there. And let me tell you they would not have appreciated someone coming in who is under any kind of influence, including marijuana (even if it had been legal back then). Some people smoked cigarettes but even that was kind of frowned upon. At some point I mentioned that I have been getting into non-alcoholic beer, and even this was controversial, because I allegedly was masking the behavior and a slip back to alcoholic beer is easy. With that same logic, any kind of coping by using alternative drugs is just redirecting your addiction. In the group there was a strong belief that you are an addict for life and that you have an addictive personality type. And at least to me it’s kind of true. As a side note: Nowadays I am drinking sugary lemonade as a treat (something I would have never done in my 20s) and a fuckton of specialty coffee. For me, this is ok, and it works. But I understand if in their philosophy this is not a good way to go about your problems.
Anyway, at another point someone else asked about benzodiazepines to ease the first transition. This has also been controversial, and while you can get this prescribed when you are becoming sober, everyone recommended not to do it. There seemed to be a strong belief that the best (or only) way to go about your addiction is to rawdog sobriety - don’t mask, don’t cope, face your feelings and pains and reasons for your consuption. Only then can you move on, forgive yourself, ask others for forgiveness, and all of these famous steps.
There is also a clear rule that you come sober. Although this is specifically in regards to alcohol, I am really sure any other mind altering substance that numbs or excites you would have led to you being excluded from this week’s session.
Now, this is my experience with one group outside of the US. Also, I was a very shitty member and should not have been there to begin with. I made a joke, a competition out of it, I’m not even sure why I kept going there. I went there drunk, but no one ever suspected anything. The paramedics hardly suspected anything when I had 3.5%o blood alcohol, they assumed I had a slight migraine. I went to AA with literal booze in my handbag just for the thrill. I did so in university and relationships and with my family, and I was always so successful, I think I just wanted to see how far I can push my behavior before someone notices, before someone stops me, before I fuck up.
I stopped going to AA because I went abroad, but it was just a great excuse to stop going. The truth is I wasn’t ready to stop drinking quite yet. Committing to never having alcohol again when you are missing the one thing in life that you have actually wanted and you’re just 22 is just really hard.
Tl;dr: I would not recommend marijuana use in AA groups, to be honest neither during/before, nor in between meetings. It might not be the community you are looking for if you want to cope with your addiction by using an alternative drug. Whether or not it is a smart or sensible thing to do might be up for debate, but from my very limited experience with AA this would neither be ok for the group, nor go with their philosophy.
Out of respect for fellow attendees you should refrain from being under the influence of drugs or alcohol while attending self help groups. You don’t know what other people are going through and giving off the impression that you don’t care about anyone else’s struggles is not only a bad look, but can be counter productive to the meeting.
It’s not a good idea. Mostly because you need to be changing your mind about things and doing something like what you’re trying to change in your life is not helpful.
Everybody’s unique, everybody’s got a reason, but if you’re actually trying to get straight (as opposed to, say, the court/your parents made you go to $20,000 camp for 30 days) then don’t.
If you do, it’s not the end of the world, it’s just not a great plan. Hang around the barbershop long enough, you’re gonna get a haircut.
Its a personal question you need to ask and answer for yourself.
This is what I would ask myself -
Are you using cannabis to mask your alcoholism?
Are you able to manage your consumption?
“Admitted we were powerless over ______ and our lives have become unmanageable”. If you can fill that blank with cannabis, then its probably not a good idea.
I still smoke weed and now just drink beers. And NA and the 12 step did nothing for me. Usually because it is something to treat and addiction and in meetings they would give us a cigarette break. Some would go outside to smoke others would go out to their car and hit a pipe a both parties would come in reaking of it.
Depends on the person, why they’re using it, how often they use it, whether they’re addicted to it or not etc. Probably more acceptable within AA than NA, but idk.
Agreed. Keep the smelly stuff in your own house or outside. Also, you are at a meeting specifically about people trying to get over a drug addiction. Don’t do drugs there.