“Is
A.A. beginning to turn on to the same triumphant road as the
Washingtonians?
Washington
movement mass public events:
“Lets
cast our eyes over the Grapevine piece about the Washingtonians and
excerpt a few sentences: ‘Mass meeting in 1841, at City Hall Park,
New York City, attracted 4,000 listeners. Speakers stood on upturned
rum kegs,’ ‘Triumphant parades in Boston. Historic Faneuil Hall
jammed.’ (Overdone self-advertising – exhibitionalism? Anyhow it
all sounds very alcoholic doesn’t it?) … … … The original
strong and simple group purpose was thus dissipated in fruitless
controversy and divergent aims.) And again, ‘Some [of the
Washingtonian local groups] dipped into their treasuries to finance
their own publications. There was no overall editorial policy”.
(Bill
W. AA Grapevine August 1945. Language of the Heart page 5)
Alcoholics
Anonymous 2010 mass public event:
“FOUNDERS'
Day comes once a year in the city of Akron, in the state of Ohio... …
… the best part was on Sunday, when a procession of motorcycles
went to Dr. Bob's gravesite. Here there was such harmony, emotions,
spiritual awareness and respect shown for Dr. Bob, People come from
all over the world to take part in this celebration. Last year, at
7:30 A.M., the roaring of motorcycles was all I could hear. Thousands
of bikes—all different styles, models and colors--were lined up
into four single file lines that took up the radius of one city
block, near the University of Akron. The police blocked off the
streets to provide safety for the motorcade and to prevent the bike
procession from being broken up. As the bikes proceeded to the
cemetery, people on the sidewalks cheered for us. Some waved, some
gave peace signs, and others held up signs with slogans on them. The
best sign I saw was on a fluorescent orange posterboard. In large,
bold, black marker lettering, it said, "Ain't it great to be
sober?" … … As we approached the graveyard, the cemetery
fence was lined with fellow alcoholics who cheered us on… … …
At Dr. Bob's gravesite, bagpipers played "Amazing Grace."…
… Next, everyone put a coin of recovery on the gravestone…”
(Bikes and Bagpipes A rider in the annual Founders' Day motorcade
finds new
spirituality in Akron; A.A. Grapevine July 2010)
(Overdone
self-advertising – exhibitionism? Anyhow it all sounds very
alcoholic doesn’t it?) (Bill W. AA Grapevine August 1945. Language
of the Heart page 5)
Dear
AAs: Dr. Bob and I have a problem. In actuality, AA has a score of
‘founders,’ men and women without whose special contributions AA
might never have been. But somehow the title ‘founder seems to have
attached itself almost solely to Dr. Bob and me – a phenomenon due
perhaps to the general lack of information about our early days… …
… But we are beginning to ask ourselves if this overemphasis will
be good for AA in the long run. Is so much sentiment for the
‘founders’, entirely wise? (AA Grapevine October 1947. Language
of the Heart page 108)
“While
I thank God that I was privileged to be an early member of A.A., I
honestly wish that the word ‘founder’ could be eliminated from
A.A. vocabulary”. (Bill W, letter 1945, As Bill Sees It page 67)
“For
this reason Dr. Bob and I have often deplored being called co-
founders because such titles may create the impression that we pretty
much invented, structured and spread AA all by ourselves. Nothing
could, in fact be further from the truth.” (Bill W. AA Grapevine
March 1960. Language of the Heart page 297)
Are
A.A. member organised alcohol free dances, social events, “spiritual”
retreats, sustaining the newcomer’s withdrawal from society and
promoting an unhealthy emotional and social dependence on the A.A.
members who organise and attend these events?
“So
our rule is not to avoid a place where there is drinking, if we have
a legitimate reason for being there. That includes bars, nightclubs,
dances, receptions, weddings, even plain ordinary whoopee parties…
… … … If you are a person who wants to eat in a bar, by all
means go along. Let your friends know they are not to change their
habits on your account. At a proper time and place explain to all
your friends why alcohol disagrees with you. If you do this
thoroughly, few people will ask you to drink. While you were drinking
you were withdrawing from life little by little. Now you are getting
back into the social life of this world. Don’t start to withdraw
again just because your friends drink liquor.” (Alcoholics
Anonymous “Big Book” page 101-102).
Road
to Recovery AA group (Plymouth, UK) Website Diary dates page
(September 2010):
Friends
of Scotland AA introduce Step N ahead into “emotional sobriety”
with Wayne B from St Petersburg Florida USA & Sean D from
Washington DC USA.
Panmure
St, Dundee, Scotland.
On
Fri 30th Sept & Sat/Sun Oct 1/2nd 2011.
Cost
£20 PRE registration & £25 on the day.
Welcome
to AA reunion in Bristol God willing the honourable member for the
Pacific Group, Los Angeles, is coming to Bristol to be the principle
guest speaker at the AA reunion 14,15,16, October 2011 at the council
House, Bristol
Stateline
Retreat the ‘original’ Woodstock of A.A.
Welcome
to the official home of Stateline Retreat
December
8, 9, 10&11 2011
Stateline
Retreat, Las Vegas USA, Dec 2011
We
question how much power and influence A.A. related business people
have now got in A.A? Tradition tells us it is time to reverse the
trend of business being done in A.A. before too many more people and
A.A. as a whole suffers the consequences of it. There needs to be a
simple and uncompromising message of A.A. Tradition, coming from all
who serve in the A.A. service structure and at all levels. The A.A.
name needs protection. It may be suggested that A.A. members boycott
any merchandise produced by outside enterprises which operate under
A.A. name and to discourage any individual A.A. members who misuse
the A.A. name for their personal gain. It may be suggested members
boycott public exhibitionist A.A. Events; and discourage those who
organise them.
“Public
ill will could stunt our growth; even bring it to a standstill.”
(Bill
W. AA Grapevine, June 1955. Language of the Heart page 150)
“We
cannot lend the AA name, even indirectly, to other activities,
however worthy. If we do so we shall become hopelessly compromised
and divided. We think that AA should offer its experience to the
whole world for whatever use can be made of it. But not its name.
Nothing can be more certain." (Bill W. Tradition Three, AA
Grapevine 1948, Language of the Heart page 79-80)
We
question whether content of A.A. literature is now beginning to be
influenced from by A.A. related business. Whether the book “The
Home Group Heartbeat of A.A.” is not contributing to organised A.A.
groups with a hierarchical pyramid power structure, by highlighting
the 'traditions deviant' Little Rock Plan as a lesson from experience, but without mentioning it
was Traditions deviant. We question whether this book should be
reviewed and edited.
Lessons
from experience, Tradition Nine and meetings led by the A.A.
co-founders:
Tradition
Nine (Long form):
“Each
A.A. group needs the least possible organization. Rotating leadership
is the best. The small group may elect its secretary, the large group
its rotating committee and the groups of a large metropolitan area
their central or
intergroup
committee”
Bill
W, New York 1939: “They were structured to the extent that there
was always one speaker and Bill- maybe half an hour each - and then a
long coffee session, a real get together. We were often there till 12
o’clock, started at eight.….. At this time there were no 90-days
requirements. No birthdays – no recognition was made if you were
sober a week or a year, If you felt you would like to speak in a year
or in a month or two weeks they let you get up and speak, and they
didn’t throw you out if you were drunk, either. They felt it was
encouraging, hoping some word would stick.” (Ruth Hock, the first
secretary of the New York General Service Office. Pass it on page
219)
Dr.
Bob, Akron: “Oldtimers remember early meetings as being pretty much
the same as they are now, with a few exceptions. There was no
chairperson or secretary to introduce the speaker. Through the mid -
1940’s, it was felt that grand titles and flowery introductions
might go to an alcoholic’s head…. … … … We had our sense of
humour, but for us, recovery was a life - or- death matter. Nor was
there any clapping. At that kind of meeting, applause
would have seemed out of place” (Dr. Bob and the Good Old Timers
page 220-221)
It
can be noted that a successful numerical growth rate for A.A is not a
goal in itself; means do not justify the ends. Spiritual growth has
to be maintained as well. The cult of Synanon was numerically very
successful until it collapsed, as was the Washingtonian movement.
“Our
whole gang had taken over the Saturday night meeting of the Santa
Monica A.A. group … … and built it up from its attendance of ten
people to an attendance of about forty five or fifty… … … We
were building something new and different”. (Chuck D. Synanon cult
leader,) (From the Desk of Juan Lesende: How Drug Abuse Treatment Turns into Mistreatment By Juan E. Lesende - September 18th 2009)
“We
had a well defined purpose; to focus on the content of our Basic Text
and improve the effectiveness of our Fellowship… … …Only a
couple of “old timers” expressed their concern … …. …. I
wish I could dig those old suckers up and let them see what happens
at our meetings and what the members of our Group do between
meetings… …. … Those who make up our Group are very active in
taking the message of the Big Book into those places where suffering
alcoholics wind up seeking shelter and help. We try to get to them
before they become ‘discussionized.’… … … So what we have
in Dallas is a group of alcoholics who try to emulate the man who was
our inspiration. A spark that was thrown off that spiritual bonfire,
Joe McQ., landed in Dallas, Texas and ignited another spiritual
bonfire which throws of many sparks and has ignited and is igniting
other spiritual bonfires around the world. It seems to me this Group
of Big Book oriented alcoholics was destined to be exactly what it
has become… …” Cliff B. Primary Purpose Group of A.A. (Dallas)
“We
have no doctrine that has to be maintained. We have no membership
that has to be enlarged. We have no authority that has to be
supported. We have no prestige, power or pride that has to be
satisfied.” Bill W. (Concept 12, warranty Five)
There
appears to be a misconception by some in A.A. that service committees
ought neither endorse nor oppose private enterprise elsewhere in
A.A., because it is an outside issue. This ignores Tradition one,
each is part of the whole. Private enterprise inside A.A. and the
misuse of the A.A. name outside A.A. are not outside issues. They
violate Tradition. A.A. sponsorship is not an outside issue it is
part of the A.A. program.
“We
are apt to warp the traditional idea of ‘principles before
personalities’ around to such a point that there would be no
‘personality’ in leadership at all. This would imply rather
faceless automatons trying to please everybody regardless.”
(Concept IX)
Such
warping of the traditional idea of ‘principles before
personalities’ appears to lead to a misconception that Traditions
violators should not be named in internal discussions on such
matters. Skirting around such issues merely leads to politics outside
committee meetings, unaccountability and ineffective action. Clearly
Tradition Twelve is not there to provide a convenient anonymity cloak
for those who violate Traditions, but to protect the fellowship. It
can be seen from warranty five that Tradition violators need to be
identified in order to effectively apply the principles of warranties
five and six.
“Privately,
however we can inform Traditions violators that they are out of
order. When they persist, we can follow up by using such other
resources of persuasion as we may have, and these are often
considerable… … … This combination of counter forces can be
very discouraging to violators or would be violators. Under these
conditions they soon find their deviations to be unprofitable or
unwise… … …Some deviators have suffered rather severe personal
criticism from individual A.A. members, and this is to be deplored.
However, this is no reason for us to stop reminding all concerned of
the undesirability of breaking A.A. Traditions before the entire
public. It can be said that the difficulties of those who contravene
the Traditions are chiefly troubles of their own making."
(Concept
12, warranty five).
Additional
extracts from A.A. literature:
“Through
the mid - 1940’s, it was felt that grand titles and flowery
introductions might go to an alcoholic’s head.”
(Dr.
Bob and the Good old Timers page 221)
“Don’t
applaud me. Don’t applaud any alcoholic”
(Dr.
Bob and the Good old Timers page 221)
“It
is traditional in Alcoholics Anonymous that we do not make speeches.”
(Bill
W. A.A. Comes of Age page 52)
“AA
Is Not Big Business” by Bill W. AA Grapevine November 1950:
“Our
Traditions are set down on paper. But they were written first in our
hearts. For each of us knows, instinctively, I think, that AA is not
ours to do with as we please. We are but caretakers to preserve the
spiritual quality of our Fellowship; keep it whole for those who will
come after us and have need of what has been so generously been given
to us… … … So the hour has come when you must take these things
into your own keeping. We ask that you guard them well, for the
future of Alcoholics Anonymous may much depend on how you maintain
and support these life - giving arms of service.” (Language of the
Heart page 124)
“They
forget that, during their drinking days, prestige and the achievement
of worldly ambition were their principle aims. They do not realize
that, by breaking their anonymity, they are unconsciously pursuing
those old and perilous illusions once more. They forget that the
keeping of one’s anonymity often means the sacrifice of one’s
desire for power, prestige, and money. They do not see that if these
strivings became general in A.A., the course of our whole history
would be changed; that we would be sowing the seeds of our own
destruction”. (Bill W., As Bill Sees It, page 198)(our emphasis)
“They
tell us that we alcoholics are the biggest rationalisers in the
world; that fortified with the excuse we are doing great things for
AA we can, through broken anonymity, resume our old and disastrous
pursuit of personal power and prestige, public honours, and money –
the same implacable urges that when frustrated once caused us to
drink; the same forces that are today ripping the globe apart at its
seams. Moreover, they make clear that enough spectacular anonymity
breakers could someday carry our whole society down into that ruinous
dead end with them.” (Bill W. AA Grapevine January 1955. Language
of the Heart page 216)
“If,
through enough anonymity lapses, we finally caused the press, the
public, and our alcoholic prospects themselves to wonder about our
motives, we’d surely lose this priceless asset; and along with it,
countless prospective members. Alcoholics Anonymous would not then be
getting more good publicity; it would be getting less and worse.
Therefore the handwriting on the wall is clear. Because most of us
can already see it, and because the rest of us soon will, I’m fully
confident that no such dark day will ever fall upon our society”
(Bill W. AA Grapevine January 1955. Language of the Heart page 217)
“We
envisaged the writing of a uniform A.A. literature, the development
of a sound public relations policy.”
Bill
W. 1962 (Concept I)
“Our
literature is a principle means by which A.A. recovery, unity, and
service are facilitated”
Bill
W. 1962 (Concept XI).(our emphasis)
“Suppose,
for instance, that during the last twenty five years, AA had never
published any standard literature – no books, no pamphlets. We need
little imagination to see that by now our message would be hopelessly
garbled. Our relations with medicine and religion would have become a
shambles. To alcoholics generally we would today be a joke and the
public would have thought us a riddle. Without its literature, AA
would certainly have bogged down in a welter of controversy and
disunity” Bill W. (AA Grapevine May 1964; Language of the Heart
page 348)(our emphasis)
“..Together
with numbers of friends, I decide to take a brief detour. We pick our
path and happily plunge along it. Elatedly, somebody soon says,
‘Maybe we’ll soon find gold on top of that mountain.’ Then to
our amazement we do strike gold – not nuggets in the streams, but
fully minted coins. The heads of these coins each declare, ‘This is
pure gold – twenty-four carats.’ Surely, we think, this is the
reward for our patient plodding back there in the everlasting
brightness of the Highway. Soon, though, we begin to notice the words
on the tails of the coins, and we have strange forebodings: Some
pieces carry rather attractive inscriptions. ‘I am Power,’ ‘I
am Acclaim’ ‘I am Wealth’ ‘I am Righteousness’ they say,
but others seem very strange. for example: ‘I am the Master Race’
‘I am the Benefactor’ ‘I am Good Causes’ ‘ I am God’ This
is very puzzling. Nevertheless we pocket them. But next come
the real shockers. They read: ‘I’m Pride’ ‘I’m Revenge’ ‘
I’m Disunity’ I’m Chaos’ Then we turn up a single coin- just
one – which declares: ‘This is the devil himself.’ Some of us
are horrified and we cry, ‘This is fool’s gold, and this is a
fool’s paradise… … …
…
… Here were the same
old goals - power, fame, applause. Besides I had the best alibi known
– the spiritual alibi. The fact that I really did have a spiritual
objective always made this utter nonsense seem perfectly right. I
couldn’t tell a good coin from a bad one; it was spiritual gold -
bricking at its worst. I shall forever regret the damage I did to the
people around me. Indeed, I still tremble when I realize what I might
have done to AA and to its
future.” (Bill W. AA Grapevine June 1961; Language of the Heart
Page 256)
“But
AA unity cannot automatically preserve itself. Like personal
recovery, we shall always have to work to maintain it. Here, too, we
surely need honesty, humility, open-mindedness, unselfishness and,
above all--- vigilance. So we who
are older in A.A. beg you who are newer to ponder carefully the
experience we have already had of trying to live and work together.
We would like each A.A. to become just as much aware of those
disturbing tendencies which endanger us as a whole as he is conscious
of those personal defects which threaten his own sobriety and peace
of mind. For whole movements have,
before now, gone on benders, too!”
(Bill
W. A.A. Tradition, How it developed Page 4.)(our emphasis)”
Comment:
Personalities before principles (anonymity isn't just about omitting
your surname!), “emotional froth” before substance, greed before
integrity – just what the cult is all about! As for the Little Rock
Plan surely it would have been simpler for members to have joined the
Marine Corps? And anyone can get a high success rate if you 'cherry
pick' your “prospects” ! We wonder what happened to all the
discards? Dead probably. Hey ho! As long as the 'stats' look good
what matter a few more casualties! Who's counting those anyway? But
the warning signs are all there – anyone watching? WE ARE!
Cheerio
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
