AA MINORITY REPORT 2017 (revised)

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Saturday 30 July 2016

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)



Comment: See “Internet Safety”. This concludes our review.

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Monday 25 July 2016

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)



Comment: Since there is no 'standard' way of 'working' the Steps (that is assuming one wishes to work them in the first place. After all they don't represent the sole means by which alcoholics recover – a fact explicitly acknowledged in the book Alcoholics Anonymous) there can be no “standard” guide. The Big Book outlines a possible (and “suggested”) approach but no more than that. Similarly the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (authored by Bill W) offers no more than a commentary on the subject and can by no means be regarded as definitive. Finally recovery remains the responsibility of each individual (in the company of others), and the method adopted, and the manner of its implementation, their choice alone. No “special interpretations” (ie. 'expert' guidance) are required:

As finally expressed and offered, they [The Twelve Steps] are simple in language, plain in meaning. They are also workable by any person having a sincere desire to obtain and keep sobriety. The results are proof. Their simplicity and workability are such that no special interpretations, and certainly no reservations, have ever been necessary.” (Dr. Bob. Dr. Bob and the Good Old Timers page 227)

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Saturday 23 July 2016

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)



Comment: See “freedom of speech”.... and “parts of AA ARE highly dangerous” … and we've got a sneaking suspicion that there'll be another website appearing on the scene fairly soon that's going to cause more than a few eyebrows to raise!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Tuesday 19 July 2016

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016



Comment: ie. no action

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Monday 18 July 2016

Whatever happened to Paul ?


A recent email:

I've been following your useful blog and I would like to make some contribution as I agree with your general aims. The “cult” as you describe it, is spreading throughout AA now and causing division, suffering and acrimony wherever it goes. It reminds me of the story in the Big Book about the alcoholic raging through other people's lives like a tornado wreaking havoc, but being oblivious to the harm done to others in the process. I would like to tell you about my friend “Paul” (for anonymity I will not use his real name), who attended AA meetings a number of years ago. Apart from being an addict and alcoholic, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. To help him control and cope with this condition he needed to take anti-psychotic medication and other treatments. He attended AA meetings in Surrey, I think these were in or near Hampton-Kingston area. He rang me up one day in great distress saying that his AA sponsor had told him he must come off all medication or he could not work the AA 12 step program, and he would be cold-shouldered by people at his home group. I don't know the name of his sponsor, but I do know that he was not a qualified Doctor. I think he was an actor. Anyway, Paul was convinced he needed to come off his medications in order to get sober. I tried to point out to him that this advice was not in accord with AA guidelines and was very dangerous. But the trouble was I was the only voice telling him this. He was attending a meeting where every single person was saying the same thing this sponsor was saying and he was convinced they must be right because of strength of numbers. He was also advised to follow a non AA website which promoted the same message. It seemed to me that he was attending a cult meeting as there was no room for dissent, it was all group speak dictated by this sponsor who's only qualifications were to act, or sell cars, or whatever it was he did for a living. Paul came off his medications and a few days later was sectioned into a mental hospital. Although Paul was a man in his 30's his parents took responsibility for him and gave him a new phone and changed his number, and he was told to avoid AA by his family. His family became very anti-AA. They moved him to stay with relatives in another part of the country to keep him away from that sponsor and the endless phone calls from cult followers telling him not to be “selfish” and do what his sponsor said, and have a life beyond all dreams... a false promise if ever there was given the particulars and circumstances. I lost touch with him after that.. I often wonder what happened to him. I hope he is well. This episode highlights the need for AA members to follow the Traditions and guidelines of AA which state quite clearly that no AA member should be playing Doctor. And even if a person is a Doctor, they should not be practising their profession within AA as AA should be forever non-professional. By the way, I have known AA members who have to take anti-psychotic medication and they can stay sober for many years and lead productive lives. So the cult doctrine about medication is untrue in my experience. And if people with serious mental problems are told they cannot get sober in AA because they have to stop taking their medications then these groups are effectively discriminating against the mentally ill. It brings AA into disrepute and into conflict with medicine, society and basic human rights. I think these cult meetings live in a bubble of their own delusions and self-justifications, and are incapable of seeing themselves as others see them. Just like the tornado alcoholic in the Big Book. It is like a criminal mindset, where the ends justify the means no matter what harm is done to others. Such a tragedy AA is heading in that direction. Regards L.”

Comment: Couldn't agree more!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Our thanks to our correspondent

Thursday 14 July 2016

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016



Comment: The argument that our message is being “watered down” or “diluted” is frequently employed by cult groups (especially the Primary Purpose gang) to justify their own mangling of its meaning (eg. Gresham's Law and AA but see also Gresham's Law and Alcoholics Anonymous - a critique)

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Sunday 10 July 2016

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016



Comment: Absolutely! Don't want any of that troublesome controversy, people criticising how AA is run and so on .…. God forbid! But since the word “Minority” has been mentioned here's one we made earlier:


Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous … itself a minority!)

Friday 8 July 2016

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)



Answer: No. See Tradition Five:

Five—Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” (short form)

5.—Each Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one primary purpose —that of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” (long form) (our emphasis)

Note the use of the word “its” …... and draw ANY consequent conclusions

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Tuesday 5 July 2016

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)



Comment: AA currently has no effective method for dealing with any form of bullying, sexual harassment etc (online or otherwise) within the fellowship. It does propose guidelines (16, 17) and therefore can be said to have a policy in place … but implementation is patchy. In some areas sexual predation (so-called '13 stepping') may be described as virtually endemic, and shockingly blatant in some instances. Some of the accounts that have been relayed to us almost defy belief. Of similar concern, and far more widespread, is the virtual 'institutionalisation' of bullying and coercion practised predominantly by cult groups under the guise of sponsorship. This has been extensively documented on the aacultwatch website. Here the programme is no longer disseminated as “suggested” but rather as compulsory, and the edicts of the 'sponsor' to be taken as absolute. Any recourse for those so abused is effectively non-existent. They either tolerate it (and in some instances become perpetrators themselves), leave AA or find some kind of refuge in the wider fellowship where such perversions are largely absent.

However recently, when looking into the background of a question submitted to conference (and rejected), we stumbled upon this little gem:

The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Ltd is a registered charity. Its objective is “TO HELP CHRONIC ALCOHOLICS TO OVERCOME THEIR ADDICTION TO ALCOHOL AND TO SERVE THE FELLOWSHIP KNOWN AS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IN SUCH OF ITS WORK OF ASSISTING ALCOHOLICS TO ACHIEVE SOBRIETY.” and it acts “AS AN UMBRELLA OR RESOURCE BODY”. Under the terms of its registration the charity ie. the General Service Board, is required to report any serious incidents including “fraud, theft or other significant loss” and “suspicions, allegations or incidents of abuse of vulnerable beneficiaries “ (in this case AA members) to the Charity Commission. Failure to do so may lead to regulatory action for mismanagement.

Following on from above (and in the absence of any formal complaints procedure within AA) we would advise anyone who has been the subject of any kind of abuse (or indeed is a witness to such acts) to make a formal complaint via the General Service Office (whose email address is: gso@alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk - using perhaps the heading “Attn: General Service Board”). The latter are then obliged to report this to the Charity Commission. Although no kind of effective response may be expected from the General Service Office or the Board Itself a sufficient number of complaints forwarded in this fashion may serve to place pressure on the GSB (and on AA) to take these matters far more seriously, and institute some real reforms (ie. effective action) to deal with these widespread abuses.

Additionally there is also provision on the Charity Commission site for members of the public (including, obviously, AA members) to make a complaint directly to the Commission itself. Again this may serve ultimately to focus the fellowship's concentration on the pressing need to carry out substantial reforms. Failure to do so can only lead, in the long run, to the progressive demise of AA in Great Britain, and the loss of a valuable resource for dealing with chronic alcohol addiction.

But most importantly ... for the newcomer .. there is no longer any need to suffer in silence. Make your voice heard! And help create a healthier environment in which members can flourish rather than flounder!

Cheers

The Fellas (
Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Needless to say we shall be using both of the above procedures in future, and (we anticipate) with increasing frequency. Moreover when contacting the General Service Board we will take care to remind them of their obligation to submit an additional report to the Charity Commission in each instance. We will also be carrying out checks to ensure they do so....