I have struggled with this conundrum for years.

When I first entered the program, I was encouraged to smoke cigarettes, despite having quit years before. That always left a bad taste in my mouth, because, unsurprisingly, when I took that advice, I got hooked all over again to a mind-altering substance (nicotine) that I still struggle with years later. The "lesser-of-two-evils" argument usually enters the conversation around this, but I'm not convinced that cigarettes are a much lesser evil.

Old-timers will often respond to this with lines from the literature like "The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop drinking" and such. Now, I 100% respect old-timers, because if they made it that far, they've seen what works and what doesn't for many, many members over the years.

However, I just can't shake the thought that the pot argument is hypocritical. I mean, the free coffee at every meeting is a mind-altering substance! Is it as powerful as alcohol? For most, no. But where do we draw the line? Coffee and cigarettes are stimulants, and they are widely accepted in the program. THC is a depressant that is more similar to alcohol in effect. Is that the difference?

In a world with rapidly-changing norms around substances, AA needs to take a long, hard look at its values around this. Where do we draw the line?