My AA Sponsor Committed Suicide | What Now?
When the sponsor in an AA program drinks themselves to death, it might leave the sponsee feeling hopeless and in need of some kind of resolution, although this is rarely discussed.
Daily, people who are sponsored by members in AA commit suicide or lose their lives in alcohol-related accidents.
Because the lifeline was so miserable, someone who relied on a sponsor to stay sober ends up relapsing.
They were mentally out of control.
Because of this, the sponsee also relapses.
The dreadful sense of abandonment and betrayal returns, and they drown their sorrows in alcohol.
Having given up hope for a better future, they return to old habits.
It’s actually rather common.
The mental state of the addicted individual is seen as irrelevant by society, which seems to be doing so on purpose.
“Where are the far more efficient online communities for sobriety & mental health that I know must exist”?
AA has saved millions of lives, and the program’s structure is largely responsible for its effectiveness, yet the organization’s services fall short of what the public really needs.
$3,000,000 people will die from alcohol this year and $76,000,000 people will continue struggling with AUD. (Alcohol Use Disorder)
Getting clean and attending meetings is a good start, but it won’t solve anything unless the underlying problem is dealt with.
The person whose unique experiences and outlook on life have led them to believe that drugs and alcohol are the solution to their problems.
It rules out the possibility that you’d be the same person even if you stopped drinking and explains why somebody who used to drink wouldn’t change just because they removed the substance.
The high mortality rate among AA members is mostly attributable to the fact that they get inadequate mental health care and support.
An overwhelming majority of AA attendees (more than 75 percent) relapsed, according to research conducted on the organization’s members.
Those who participated in a program like Beyond Sober maintained their sobriety for 5 years or longer.
Inpatient treatment facilities can cost up to $90,000 for 90 days, and they provide no educational content related to the brain.
They don’t provide any education on neurological processes, complicated post-traumatic stress disorder, autistic spectrum disorder, or other neurodiverse disorders.
And that’s really all there is to it when talking about addiction.
Individuals whose nervous systems don’t function as they should.
Those on the autism spectrum who suffer from severe sensory difficulties but don’t recognize their condition sometimes turn to alcohol or other drugs to help them function in society.
That’s the nature of addiction.
This abstract essence of the problem being somewhere in the void.
While we should all be thankful for the good that AA has done, we also must be honest about the ways in which it has failed to help people overcome their addictions or addictive behaviors.
The health of a codependent is put at risk when the person they are dependent on is unable to stand on their own two feet.
There is a fundamental problem with this layer of safety.
When something catastrophic occurs, if they haven’t been taught how to control their thoughts, emotions, and nervous system, even the smallest trigger can send them into a downward cycle of self-medicating.
Fix the root cause, not the symptom.
Programs like Beyond Sober are saving thousands of lives every day because they address the many aspects of mental health that AA ignores, specifically alcoholism.
-Kohdi Rayne | Beyond Sober
