84 Years Ago Today; Dr Bob takes his last drink; Bob and BillW form Alcoholics Anonymous

[ismnotwasm]

31. I work in transplant

I’ve also been sober many years because of AA, and you’ll have to take my word for this—I was bad.

That being said, AA “works” for a lot of people. There are very few other workable, affordable options, as it’s basically a form of free therapy. I have taken care of any number of liver transplant patients who stopped drinking and using on their own, and did not need “community recovery” as it’s called. In our transplant program, If your liver disease is due to alcohol or drug abuse, it’s a requirement that you attend community recovery programs and prove that you did so.

I hate the AA works/AA doesn’t work/AA is a cult-religion/no it isn’t/ back and forth arguments and I usually don’t involve myself, but I do want to say this. I don’t give a shit HOW someone gets sober, on their own, through AA, through therapy, through religion, through sheer will power. I just care that they do.

There are drugs for addiction coming down the pike, other therapies, but the abstinence based approach, so that one’s addiction isn’t “triggered” seems to be the best way thus far.

As I type this, I’m working, I’m a dialysis nurse today. My patients are very ill, and I value the ones who put themselves into that illness through their own behavior no less than others. Addiction is ugly. It ruins lives, it costs billions, there is no current cure.

Liver failure is one of the ugliest ways to die there is.