Do I have to have special medical knowledge or experience with a specific medical condition to sponsor a medical abstinence?
Thank you for your concern for the integrity of the CEA-HOW program and your fellows.
No, you do not need special medical knowledge or experience with a specific medical condition to sponsor medical abstinence.
Tool No. 1 in the 7 Tools is the broad outline short form of medical abstinence; the explanation and details of medical abstinence are in the Medical Abstinence section on page 7 in Forever Abstinent. Note specifically on page 7, “…but changes must come from a medical professional who understands the addictive nature of the disease. In addition, all changes must be consistent with the CEA-HOW program including weighing and measuring all food and abstaining from sugar, flour, and quantity.” (Emphasis added)
Note also the Doctor/Health Care Professional’s Modifications section on page 7 which requires the medical professional to list the medical condition and the specific food plan modifications. If the medical condition requires eating between meals the health care professional must state so. The sponsor and sponsee must discuss the medical modifications and agree they fall within the CEA-HOW program, then the sponsee follows the agreed upon food plan and commits it to the sponsor just as we follow and commit our regular food plan.
For modifications to be consistent with the CEA-HOW program, as stated in Forever Abstinent they must follow our sugar, flour and quantity guidelines. Health care professionals typically prescribe something for a medical condition which is their standard suggestion but does not take into consideration the addictive nature of our disease or our sugar, flour and quantity guidelines. It is the responsibility of the sponsee or the sponsor and sponsee to then ask the health care professional for, or suggest for approval, alternatives which do fall within our guidelines.