Key takeaway
Someone called the medicine your prescriber gave you using. Do not stop a prescribed medicine because of a share. Call the prescriber if you are unsure. A meeting is not your doctor. A.A. has no opinion on outside issues. You can still want to stop drinking, and you can still sit and listen.
Last updated: 2026-10-06
Someone called it using. They meant the antidepressant, the medicine your prescriber gave you, the one with your name on the label at home. Maybe they said it during the share. Maybe they caught you by the coffee and said it like a kindness. Your ears heard a verdict anyway. The bottle is still at home, and now you are wondering if taking it tonight makes you a liar in that room.
Do not stop it because of a share. A meeting is not your doctor. If you are unsure, call the prescriber. Stay on the plan they already wrote until they tell you otherwise. Do not change a dose in the car to match a comment.
Leave the medicine on the prescriber's plan
A.A. has no opinion on outside issues. The medicine your prescriber gave you is one of those issues. The people in the meeting can talk about what drinking did and what they did to stop. They do not become the prescriber because they have a chair and a story. NIDA describes these groups as peer-led, and they are not a substitute for treatment.
You do not have to name the medicine, and you do not have to defend it. You can say you are just listening. You can pass. You can just listen for the whole hour if that is what your mouth can manage. There are no dues or fees. Anyone with a desire to stop drinking is welcome. That welcome does not include a quiz about your cabinet.
If a part of you wants to dump the pills to win the room back, pause. Call the prescriber and say what you heard. Ask them. The answer belongs on that call, not in a parking-lot amendment you invent while you are embarrassed.
You can still want to stop drinking
The comment and the desire can be in the same night. You can want to stop drinking and still take the medicine your prescriber gave you. The only requirement for membership is that desire. You do not have to settle the word "using" before you are allowed to sit down again.
If this room will not let the subject drop, you can leave. Meetings are in person, online, or by telephone. You can pass when the share reaches you, including at the next meeting if you try a different door. You do not owe anyone a speech about your diagnosis. You do not owe them the name of the medicine.
If you want a referral for help with the drinking, that is a separate call from the prescriber. Call (800) 653-9376. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral. That line is not an A.A. office, and it does not replace the prescriber who knows the medicine.
If you are sick, shaking hard, confused, or you cannot breathe, call 911. If the shame tips into a crisis, call or text 988.
Tonight
Take the medicine the way the prescriber already told you, unless they have said otherwise. Call them if the comment is making you want to stop on your own. Then you can sit in the meeting and listen. You are allowed to want to stop drinking while the bottle at home stays where they put it.
Additional Resources
Sources cited on this page:
- A.A.: What to Expect at an A.A. Meeting
- A.A.: Need help with a drinking problem?
- A.A.: The Twelve Traditions
- A.A.: Find A.A. Near You
- A.A.: Meeting Guide app
- NIDA: Treatment, including mutual-help groups
- NIAAA Core Resource: Alcohol Use Disorder
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
- SAMHSA National Helpline
- SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov
- SmarterRecovery meetings search
- SmarterRecovery about page
Common Questions
Does their word make my medicine into using?
Their word is a share, or a comment after the coffee. It does not rewrite the bottle your prescriber gave you. You can disagree in silence. You do not have to announce the medicine, the dose, or the reason. A.A. has no opinion on outside issues, and a prescribed medicine is outside the membership test. The test that lets you sit here is a desire to stop drinking.
Should I stop the medicine so I fit the room?
Do not stop a prescribed medicine because someone in a meeting called it using. Stopping on a stranger's opinion can be dangerous, and a meeting is not your doctor. Call the prescriber if you are unsure, including if you are unsure because the comment scared you. Tell them what you heard and ask them what to do. Until they answer, stay on the plan they already gave you.
Who do I ask if I am unsure about the medicine?
Call the prescriber. That is the person who knows what they gave you and why. A chair, a sponsor, or a voice at the table may have strong experience with drinking. If you also want a treatment referral for the drinking itself, call (800) 653-9376. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral. That line is not your prescriber, and it is not an A.A. meeting.
Does A.A. have a rule about this medicine?
The short form of Tradition Ten says A.A. has no opinion on outside issues. A prescribed medicine is that kind of issue. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There is no dues card that asks what is in your cabinet. You may hear people speak from their own experience. You can listen to the part that helps and leave the part that tries to cancel a prescription.
Can I still go and only listen?
Yes. You can sit and listen, or you can share. It is up to you. You do not have to mention the medicine at all. If the talk comes to you, you can pass. If the room keeps returning to your cabinet, you can leave and try another meeting, in person or by phone. The desire to stop drinking is still enough.