Sometimes, well-meaning people in AA suggest that we should not discuss our brains, minds, or bodies or perhaps even think about those things, because there are professionals in such areas, and such domains should be turned over to such professionals for their sole adjudication, with no input from us. The assertion is that we’re not doctors so we can have no view on our bodies; we’re not psychiatrists so we can have no view on our brains; we’re not psychologists so we can have no view on our minds. By the same logic, one should let the estate agent choose where one lives, the butcher choose what one eats, the priest choose our religion, the recruitment agent choose our job, the matchmaker choose our spouse. After all, they’re professionals, too, so who are we to have a thought in our silly heads? One thing I know from my professional life—which straddles the areas of medicine and pharmaceuticals—is that professionals in these areas want us to be properly informed and take an active role in our decision-making and active responsibility for the health of our bodies, brains, and minds. They’re there to offer, not govern. So, good for the Big Book (and actually Living Sober, too) for suggesting that we think about these areas, take responsibility for them, and involve professionals, where necessary and where they are good, but without losing our agency in the process. Living Sober expresses very well this balance:
"Naturally, not all medical, psychological, or other scientific experts see exactly eye-to-eye with us on everything in this booklet. That’s perfectly okay. How could they? They have not had the personal, firsthand experience we have had with alcoholism, and very few of them see as many problem drinkers for as long as we do. Nor have we had the professional education and discipline which prepared them for their duties." (Living Sober)