Recovered Alcoholics Using Ayahuasca Face Rejection At AA Meetings

Recovered alcoholics who use ayahuasca for healing are encountering unexpected hostility at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. The Amazonian psychedelic, increasingly popular among celebrities, is creating a rift within the recovery community.

Personal Stories Of Rejection And Ostracism

As reported by New York Post, Jennifer Bruce, a recovering alcoholic, faced harsh criticism at a mainstream 12-step meeting after sharing her experience with ayahuasca, a traditional psychoactive brew often used to deal with trauma. “When I picked up a chip denoting my length of sobriety, attendees shouted that I needed to turn my chip back in and start over because I had relapsed,” Bruce said. “It was very difficult to be there.”

She also shared an incident where she was berated after discussing her experience with ibogaine, another psychoactive compound. “I got attacked so bad that I was sobbing in tears at the end,” Bruce said. This kind of backlash has led some members to leave AA before they could be ostracized.

Historical Context And Ongoing Debate

Ayahuasca use is controversial within AA, despite the organization having no official stance on the matter. AA co-founder Bill Wilson has experimented with LSD, highlighting a historical openness to psychedelics. “I am certain that the LSD experiment has helped me very much. I find myself with a heightened color perception and an appreciation of beauty almost destroyed by my years of depressions,” Wilson wrote in a letter in 1957.

However, current AA members who use substances like ayahuasca or cannabis are often viewed as violating the group’s premise of total abstinence.

Healing Potential Of Psychedelics

Proponents argue that psychedelics like ayahuasca are non-addictive and used for medicinal or spiritual purposes, not for escapism. “This is not about using a mind-altering substance for anything. This is about healing at a cellular level. And once you heal at a cellular level, really heal, then that addiction is gone — not that it can't come back,” Michele Medal, in recovery for 20 years and owner of several psychedelic businesses, told the NY Post.

Regulatory Landscape and Ongoing Research

Despite its potential benefits, ayahuasca remains heavily regulated in the U.S., with only Oregon and Colorado legalizing some uses. Research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests that psychedelics do not typically lead to addiction and ongoing studies are investigating their potential in treating substance use disorders.

Voices From The Recovery Community

Vanessa Crites, in long-term recovery and a user of psychedelic medicines, highlighted the plight of these individuals in a LinkedIn post. “Members are being punished and expelled from their recovery groups and fellowships due to ignorance, judgment, and misinformation in direct violation of our traditions.”

Official Stance Of AA

While AA officially states that it does not expel members, the autonomous nature of its groups can lead to varied experiences. Erin V., who attended a shaman-led ayahuasca retreat in Peru, ultimately left AA due to fear of being criticized.

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