We quote:
“Fellas
Thought I
would draw your attention to the below article on the RTR website
In case
that link doesn’t work, it is the article entitled ‘we don’t
swallow spiders: the myth of aa cults’ to be found in the service
articles section of the site.
Take a
read of this article. It is actually quite offensive, and plays down
the role of the cult in AA.
A few
sections below really caught my eye:
A
similar thing has happened in the last decade or so in Alcoholics
Anonymous. The idea has begun circulating that AA contains groups
that are actually harmful cults. This idea has spread rapidly for
similar reasons to the spider-swallowing myth. It has a number of
elements that appear to have some truth, and it is a highly dramatic
claim. However, like the spider-swallowing meme, it is entirely
erroneous and comes from a misunderstanding of what makes dangerous
cults so dangerous
I wouldn’t call these claims erroneous. As the topic
gets openly discussed more and more people are surfacing with the
same negative, mostly horrible experiences that these ‘cult’
groups within AA inflict on people trying to understand about AA.
However
- as an aid to identifying cults, lists of common elements are often
put together. This can be helpful. But it is not these common
elements that are the danger. The main danger is that such cults
isolate members from mainstream society and from their family, or
cause physical damage. It is a fallacy to say that because a group
has some of the elements helpful in identification, that it is a
dangerous cult. It’s like saying that because somebody is hot and
coughs after a jog that they must have bird flu.
There are
several examples that I know of where people do become separated from
their family on some level and indeed physical (and mental and
emotional) damage is caused as a result of this, and the unlucky
persons involvement with cult-like dogma. The last part of this
paragraph is nothing more than pseudo-intellectual tripe that has no
relevance whatsoever. A common theme from start to finish with the
article.
There is
repeated reference to these groups not being cults as they don’t
inflict ‘physical damage’ which is a tad misleading, as most of
the damage they cause is on a spiritual, emotional and mental level,
which for me is where the epicentre of our illness resides.
The author
even throws down the gauntlet in the final paragraphs challenging
readers to attend a cult group and find someone who has ‘recovered’
and not much closer to their family than before, as well as reading
their stories, listening to their shares. OR you could just attend
mainstream AA, get on the programme and get a well-balanced
experience of the 12 step programme of AA and peoples experience
strength and hope!”
Cheers
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
PS Our thanks to this member for their contribution to the debate
PPS
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