'Quick fix' recovery!

“An AA member I've known for many years went through the same organised book study [Primary Purpose/Back to Basics] some years ago but more recently he was feeling very low and had begun distancing himself from the rooms. Knowing he had gone through the 'recovered' process, and having listened for a time I asked if unrealistic expectations could have anything to do with the way he was feeling, to which there was no reply. A few days later he messaged me to tell me that he had been thinking about what I had said and had concluded that he had been carrying unrealistic expectations. He had been expecting Nirvana, he had been set up to fail.

I'm not sure if you are aware but in this region the people who go through this recruitment process which is disguised as a book study do not have a sponsor at the end of it, they are told they will not need one because they will have God in their lives. If you think about it short term sponsorship in this way also makes way for those adept at recruitment to net the next batch of naive newcomers. Those who fall for all the hype will have been primed in meetings where they will hear of the man who showed them the way, and if you want what they have you have to do what they did. Short term quick fix solutions are also very well suited to rehab clinic business model where customers take up accommodation for approximately the same length of time it would take to complete the so called book study.

Some people see that celebrity status can be brought about by going it alone, without sticking closely to the core movement. I think when this snowball was rolled there was an intention of exact replication, you will often hear that 'precise, specific, clear cut directions' are to be followed. I imagine some people can't help but promote themselves rather than the up line that showed them what to do. It seems to be what is happening locally right now with a man causing much controversy who appeared out of nowhere a couple of years ago with the recruitment formula. He incessantly promotes himself as Big book expert and successful sponsor...... Another fairly long term member was recruited recently and he has now begun posting very threatening and abusive comments on Facebook accusing the local guru of revealing his step five.

It is all very interesting and sometimes amusing but there is a serious side of it all which should not to be ignored, one man was found dead at the end of an organised book study. His temporary sponsor announced that he had died because he had not done his 'stuff'. The failures are blamed for their own plight in the same way some Capitalists justify their selfishness by adopting the idea that poor people have booked an appointment to be exactly where they are in life. There is a series of events which leads up to everything. Although AA is not responsible for the actions of its members much can be done to ensure generally agreed upon information such as sponsorship guidance reaches all AA members because right now newcomers are being taken advantage of and AA has done nothing about it that I am aware of, and that is not on.”

(edited to preserve anonymity)

Comment: AA actually does have guidelines on bullying and abuse – the problem is that these are hardly ever enforced – which kind of makes them rather pointless doesn't it!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS We thank this AA member for their contribution