"Due to the downturn in the economy, Alcoholics Anonymous will NO LONGER be dues and membership "Free" as has been the case for almost 75 years. Like many businesses, AA will now be charging for some things that used to be free, such as:
1--Being Rocketed into the 4th Dimension---$49.99 per trip, fuel surcharge applies, extra baggage NOT included. 5th dimension trips optional. See your sponsor for details.
2--Sponsorship--was free, NOW $9.99 per month, with 4 visits/20 phone calls per month free, after that, $2.00 each.
3--Membership Dues now $29.99/month, 10% discount for a 1-year plan.
4--Seating charges--Each seat now $1.00 per meeting, with a 20% discount for the 90-in-90 plan.
5--Pink Cloud was free, NOW $14.99 per cloud, with a $5.00 per event environmental cleanup fee. These are the NEW ozone-free Pink Clouds that do NOT add to global warming.
6--Coffee to be $1.50 per cup, with a 10% discount for 5 or more cups.
7--Hugs now will be $2.50 each.
8--Conscious Contact with GOD now $9.99/month, with the first 450 minutes free, then 0.10 cents/minute fee over. New Double your minutes for life plan is a low $49.99 one time charge. Holidays and weekends extra, see rate schedule, as GOD is VERY busy.
9--Accidental cell phone going off charge now set at $25.00 per episode.
10--"I've been Thinking" fees to now be $3.00 each, with a relapse reentry fee of only $99.99 each, if you're lucky enough to make it back into the rooms.
11-Publication of A.A. Birthdays in Lifeline fees will be $5.00 per 5 years of sobriety. $5.00 for 1 - 5 years, $10 for 5 -10 years, etc.
Please, void where prohibited by law. AA reserves the right to change none, all, or some of these rates at anytime, with no notice to you. If you need a notice of change of rates, a written request may be sent to headquarters in New York, but a $10.00 fee applies.
NOTE: The editor does not accept responsibility for your reaction to this article."
(our thanks to the AA member who sent this in)
But on a more serious note - why not? If you're going to charge for workshops, if you're going to pay for imported US speakers why not extend this to every other service provided by AA. Remember - behind every joke .....
Cheers
The Fellas
Wednesday 16 December 2009
Tuesday 8 December 2009
For people new to AA
A little while ago someone suggested to us that we produce a synopsis of what this site is all about. So here goes....
First we refer you to the "About Us" page of the site - that pretty well sums up what our aim is. But since our efforts are increasingly directed towards helping to ensure newcomers to AA are not misled about either the Fellowship or the programme, it makes sense that they be as well informed as possible. And so to that end...
Firstly - the reliable sources of information:
The first online resource available to anyone new to AA is the official website (Great Britain):
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/
Note: there is NO other official website for the Fellowship in Great Britain.
Apart from all the useful (and non-controversial) information made available here (eg. listing of conference approved literature including the AA booklet on sponsorship – also available as a download from the Links section of this site - meetings, general stats etc) there is an online version of the book Alcoholic Anonymous (4th ed). We draw your attention to this book specifically because it is described as the "basic text of our Society". It contains a detailed description of the 12 Step Recovery Programme together with a listing (in both short and long forms) of the guiding principles of our Fellowship - the 12 Traditions. In our view anyone with a thorough grasp of its contents will gain a good understanding of how to stay sober, and, furthermore, how to relate to other members of AA. This publication (together with other conference approved works) forms the basis upon which ANYONE may recover if they wish to use the method described.
And now the unreliable sources of information:
Unfortunately there has developed within AA a movement which we describe as a "cult" those members represent an extremist and dogmatic tendency, and who advocate both a programme of recovery and a form of fellowship, which bear little resemblance to anything contained either in the above text, or the principles contained within the Traditions.
These extremist groups and members have sought through a variety of means to propagate a message which cannot be reconciled with these guidelines. Their methods include the introduction of literature (pamphlets, books, worksheets, websites etc) which purport to represent the AA programme but which diverge widely from its principles. These misrepresentations vary from - shall we say - an 'over-creative' interpretation of AA literature to downright lies. This warped perspective had led, amongst other abuses, to discrimination against dual diagnosis members (see below), those who are prescribed medication as a means of managing their co-existing psychological problems (however these may manifest), on the ground that such people will be “unable to recover” whilst they are still using these prescribed drugs. There is evidence, too, that newcomers are being put under pressure to discontinue other therapies such as counselling, this also being regarded as some kind of “obstacle” to recovery. One of the main mechanisms by which these “suggestions” are conveyed is via sponsorship, a function which has become devalued in the hands of cult members, shifting from a form of service determined purely by the principle of “enlightened altruism” to that of a manipulative and abusive power relationship (or even its mildest manifestation - co-dependency). We refer you to the chapter “Working with Others” in the book Alcoholics Anonymous as a guide to how AA members should relate to someone new to the Fellowship, and how they might introduce them to the recovery programme
The rationale for this authoritarian perspective is founded upon assertions (usually unsubstantiated) that AA has "lost its way", the AA message has become "diluted", and that this is reflected in falling recovery rates, and a retardation in the growth of AA membership. A number of "explanations" are advanced in support of these views. These are variously:
1) that AA has strayed from its fundamental principles (here reference is frequently made to the Oxford Group (previously known as "a First Century Christian Fellowship") - a movement set up in 1921 and attended by some of those who later came to form AA. The 12 Step programme is, in part, derived from some of the principles proposed by this Christian movement. Note: according to AA traditions we are not allied with any outside organisations, which would include such religious institutions, past and present.
2) that recovery rates have fallen since the early days of the Fellowship, and this is a direct consequence of a “diluted” AA message. Here reference is usually made to that section (misquoted) of the Foreword to the Second Edition of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous":
"50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement."
From this it would appear that a 75% recovery rate was the norm at the time, and the cult then goes on to contrast this with the alleged extant low recovery rates (again usually misquoted or misinterpreted) as a support for their argument. However, they usually omit (and we believe quite deliberately) a small but key qualification to these figures, a short phrase which precedes the above quote viz. "Of alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried,.....". From this it is quite clear that the above percentages refer only to those who "really tried...", and not to every single person who ever came to AA. And so, for the sake of argument, if one were to estimate that only 20 per cent of those who attended AA fell into the "really tried" category (however one might define "really tried" - a problematic area in itself) then this would mean that the 75% rate would apply only to this subset of 20% ie. 15% of the total population. (We refer you here for a more detailed analysis of recovery rates). From this study we can discern no evidence that recovery rates have fallen over time and therefore their argument fails.
3) that the AA message has become "diluted" because more AA members come into the Fellowship via treatment centres and therefore AA meetings have turned into "group therapy" sessions rather than occasions where the AA message is communicated. We refer you to the AA preamble which is generally read out at the beginning of any AA meeting (if something else is read out at the commencement of the meeting then perhaps you're not in an AA meeting). This starts as follows:
"ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism."
This would seem to be a fairly unambiguous statement as to the purpose of AA, and, therefore, the goal of any meeting which uses this preamble. It does not, however, dictate how this message should be carried ie. style, content, format, with or without artistic licence etc - this is left to the discretion of those who attend the meeting. It is, however, the responsibility of those who have found a solution to present this to those who have not as yet found it, but again the fashion in which this takes place is very much up to the individual. Some guidance on this is given in the book 'Alcoholics Anonymous', in the chapter "Working with Others". We leave it to you to read this section if you wish, and draw whatever conclusions you will. None of these suggestions, however, includes a dogmatic approach, or assigns to any member of AA the right to direct, control, threaten, manipulate, or otherwise abuse any other member of AA - “no lectures to be endured” etc.
4) that attendees at AA meetings might not be “alcoholic” but rather "problem drinkers", "alcohol abusers", "alcohol misusers" etc. and therefore they do not need to apply the principles of recovery so rigorously because they do not face the same consequences as "real alcoholics", and therefore their message of recovery does not carry the same weight. This may well be the case but since one of the more significant factors which stands in the way of recovery is that of denial it is probably better that AA is open to anyone who thinks they might have a drink problem rather than seek to pre-screen those who do not neatly fit the "profile". There are, moreover, problems consequent upon such a policy ie. who decides who is an alcoholic? We prefer the current approach - self diagnosis.
5) that the AA message has become "garbled" because there are more people joining AA nowadays who are dual addicted - in other words, they may introduce matters relating to addictions other than alcoholism to the content of the meeting. However, if they have a “desire to stop drinking" they are eligible for membership, and this solely upon the basis of a self diagnosis. Again we refer you to the preamble, which clearly states the purpose of AA, and which we repeat, is read out at the beginning of every AA meeting.
6) that the message is becoming "distorted" by those members who attend the meetings who are "dual diagnosis" ie. dual diagnosis refers to the situation where an individual has two conditions to deal with: an addiction and a co-existing psychological (serious) disorder. Again we refer you to the Preamble. Furthermore this matter is dealt with directly in Chapter Five: How it Works. We leave it to you to discover the relevant section.
All of the above alibis are variously employed to justify the dogma propagated by advocates of the cult programme, and their members' controlling sponsorship styles. This intrusive approach is further rationalised under Step Twelve: “.....and to practice these principles in all our affairs”. This statement indicates that recovery extends far beyond merely observing physical abstinence from alcohol but includes an entire transformation of one's life style. However, there is nothing to suggest in any of the AA literature that this requires the services of an overseer (human power) to manage the process. Indeed, the cult, through its elevation of the sponsorship role to a form of what can only be described as 'idolatry”, subverts that most important principle of AA – a reliance upon “a Power greater than ourselves”, and, furthermore, as it is made abundantly clear in the second of the three pertinent ideas listed in Chapter Five: “b): That probably NO HUMAN POWER could have relieved our alcoholism” (our emphases).
We mentioned that the official AA website includes a meeting search engine. There are no vetting procedures (quite rightly) to determine which meetings should be included in these searches. However, a number of those included in the list are what we describe as cult meetings run by cult groups, those who advocate the approach indicated above. The aacultwatch site carries some details of identified cult meetings so that AA members may have some kind of forewarning of what to expect should they choose to attend one.
We would remind all AA members that there is only ONE membership requirement – a desire to stop drinking, and that is determined by the individual concerned, and NO ONE ELSE.
Finally:
1) Using prescribed medication is NOT an obstacle to recovery. Dual diagnosis members are just as capable as anyone else of recovering.
2) Receiving counselling is NOT an obstacle to recovery.
3) How you arrive in AA is not important (whether it be via prison, hospital, detox, treatment centre, off the street, your mansion in Mayfair etc – it's WHY YOU STAY that counts!
4) Sponsorship is neither necessary nor essential for recovery – see the Appendix 'Spiritual Experience' for the “essentials” - we would go so far as to say that in cult hands 'sponsorship' is a major hindrance to finding a solution to the alcohol problem.
5) No one is OBLIGED to do ANYTHING by ANYONE in AA.
6) If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself lumbered with a sponsor who thinks otherwise then say “bye bye” and find someone sane!
Cheerio
The Fellas
First we refer you to the "About Us" page of the site - that pretty well sums up what our aim is. But since our efforts are increasingly directed towards helping to ensure newcomers to AA are not misled about either the Fellowship or the programme, it makes sense that they be as well informed as possible. And so to that end...
Firstly - the reliable sources of information:
The first online resource available to anyone new to AA is the official website (Great Britain):
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/
Note: there is NO other official website for the Fellowship in Great Britain.
Apart from all the useful (and non-controversial) information made available here (eg. listing of conference approved literature including the AA booklet on sponsorship – also available as a download from the Links section of this site - meetings, general stats etc) there is an online version of the book Alcoholic Anonymous (4th ed). We draw your attention to this book specifically because it is described as the "basic text of our Society". It contains a detailed description of the 12 Step Recovery Programme together with a listing (in both short and long forms) of the guiding principles of our Fellowship - the 12 Traditions. In our view anyone with a thorough grasp of its contents will gain a good understanding of how to stay sober, and, furthermore, how to relate to other members of AA. This publication (together with other conference approved works) forms the basis upon which ANYONE may recover if they wish to use the method described.
And now the unreliable sources of information:
Unfortunately there has developed within AA a movement which we describe as a "cult" those members represent an extremist and dogmatic tendency, and who advocate both a programme of recovery and a form of fellowship, which bear little resemblance to anything contained either in the above text, or the principles contained within the Traditions.
These extremist groups and members have sought through a variety of means to propagate a message which cannot be reconciled with these guidelines. Their methods include the introduction of literature (pamphlets, books, worksheets, websites etc) which purport to represent the AA programme but which diverge widely from its principles. These misrepresentations vary from - shall we say - an 'over-creative' interpretation of AA literature to downright lies. This warped perspective had led, amongst other abuses, to discrimination against dual diagnosis members (see below), those who are prescribed medication as a means of managing their co-existing psychological problems (however these may manifest), on the ground that such people will be “unable to recover” whilst they are still using these prescribed drugs. There is evidence, too, that newcomers are being put under pressure to discontinue other therapies such as counselling, this also being regarded as some kind of “obstacle” to recovery. One of the main mechanisms by which these “suggestions” are conveyed is via sponsorship, a function which has become devalued in the hands of cult members, shifting from a form of service determined purely by the principle of “enlightened altruism” to that of a manipulative and abusive power relationship (or even its mildest manifestation - co-dependency). We refer you to the chapter “Working with Others” in the book Alcoholics Anonymous as a guide to how AA members should relate to someone new to the Fellowship, and how they might introduce them to the recovery programme
The rationale for this authoritarian perspective is founded upon assertions (usually unsubstantiated) that AA has "lost its way", the AA message has become "diluted", and that this is reflected in falling recovery rates, and a retardation in the growth of AA membership. A number of "explanations" are advanced in support of these views. These are variously:
1) that AA has strayed from its fundamental principles (here reference is frequently made to the Oxford Group (previously known as "a First Century Christian Fellowship") - a movement set up in 1921 and attended by some of those who later came to form AA. The 12 Step programme is, in part, derived from some of the principles proposed by this Christian movement. Note: according to AA traditions we are not allied with any outside organisations, which would include such religious institutions, past and present.
2) that recovery rates have fallen since the early days of the Fellowship, and this is a direct consequence of a “diluted” AA message. Here reference is usually made to that section (misquoted) of the Foreword to the Second Edition of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous":
"50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement."
From this it would appear that a 75% recovery rate was the norm at the time, and the cult then goes on to contrast this with the alleged extant low recovery rates (again usually misquoted or misinterpreted) as a support for their argument. However, they usually omit (and we believe quite deliberately) a small but key qualification to these figures, a short phrase which precedes the above quote viz. "Of alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried,.....". From this it is quite clear that the above percentages refer only to those who "really tried...", and not to every single person who ever came to AA. And so, for the sake of argument, if one were to estimate that only 20 per cent of those who attended AA fell into the "really tried" category (however one might define "really tried" - a problematic area in itself) then this would mean that the 75% rate would apply only to this subset of 20% ie. 15% of the total population. (We refer you here for a more detailed analysis of recovery rates). From this study we can discern no evidence that recovery rates have fallen over time and therefore their argument fails.
3) that the AA message has become "diluted" because more AA members come into the Fellowship via treatment centres and therefore AA meetings have turned into "group therapy" sessions rather than occasions where the AA message is communicated. We refer you to the AA preamble which is generally read out at the beginning of any AA meeting (if something else is read out at the commencement of the meeting then perhaps you're not in an AA meeting). This starts as follows:
"ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism."
This would seem to be a fairly unambiguous statement as to the purpose of AA, and, therefore, the goal of any meeting which uses this preamble. It does not, however, dictate how this message should be carried ie. style, content, format, with or without artistic licence etc - this is left to the discretion of those who attend the meeting. It is, however, the responsibility of those who have found a solution to present this to those who have not as yet found it, but again the fashion in which this takes place is very much up to the individual. Some guidance on this is given in the book 'Alcoholics Anonymous', in the chapter "Working with Others". We leave it to you to read this section if you wish, and draw whatever conclusions you will. None of these suggestions, however, includes a dogmatic approach, or assigns to any member of AA the right to direct, control, threaten, manipulate, or otherwise abuse any other member of AA - “no lectures to be endured” etc.
4) that attendees at AA meetings might not be “alcoholic” but rather "problem drinkers", "alcohol abusers", "alcohol misusers" etc. and therefore they do not need to apply the principles of recovery so rigorously because they do not face the same consequences as "real alcoholics", and therefore their message of recovery does not carry the same weight. This may well be the case but since one of the more significant factors which stands in the way of recovery is that of denial it is probably better that AA is open to anyone who thinks they might have a drink problem rather than seek to pre-screen those who do not neatly fit the "profile". There are, moreover, problems consequent upon such a policy ie. who decides who is an alcoholic? We prefer the current approach - self diagnosis.
5) that the AA message has become "garbled" because there are more people joining AA nowadays who are dual addicted - in other words, they may introduce matters relating to addictions other than alcoholism to the content of the meeting. However, if they have a “desire to stop drinking" they are eligible for membership, and this solely upon the basis of a self diagnosis. Again we refer you to the preamble, which clearly states the purpose of AA, and which we repeat, is read out at the beginning of every AA meeting.
6) that the message is becoming "distorted" by those members who attend the meetings who are "dual diagnosis" ie. dual diagnosis refers to the situation where an individual has two conditions to deal with: an addiction and a co-existing psychological (serious) disorder. Again we refer you to the Preamble. Furthermore this matter is dealt with directly in Chapter Five: How it Works. We leave it to you to discover the relevant section.
All of the above alibis are variously employed to justify the dogma propagated by advocates of the cult programme, and their members' controlling sponsorship styles. This intrusive approach is further rationalised under Step Twelve: “.....and to practice these principles in all our affairs”. This statement indicates that recovery extends far beyond merely observing physical abstinence from alcohol but includes an entire transformation of one's life style. However, there is nothing to suggest in any of the AA literature that this requires the services of an overseer (human power) to manage the process. Indeed, the cult, through its elevation of the sponsorship role to a form of what can only be described as 'idolatry”, subverts that most important principle of AA – a reliance upon “a Power greater than ourselves”, and, furthermore, as it is made abundantly clear in the second of the three pertinent ideas listed in Chapter Five: “b): That probably NO HUMAN POWER could have relieved our alcoholism” (our emphases).
We mentioned that the official AA website includes a meeting search engine. There are no vetting procedures (quite rightly) to determine which meetings should be included in these searches. However, a number of those included in the list are what we describe as cult meetings run by cult groups, those who advocate the approach indicated above. The aacultwatch site carries some details of identified cult meetings so that AA members may have some kind of forewarning of what to expect should they choose to attend one.
We would remind all AA members that there is only ONE membership requirement – a desire to stop drinking, and that is determined by the individual concerned, and NO ONE ELSE.
Finally:
1) Using prescribed medication is NOT an obstacle to recovery. Dual diagnosis members are just as capable as anyone else of recovering.
2) Receiving counselling is NOT an obstacle to recovery.
3) How you arrive in AA is not important (whether it be via prison, hospital, detox, treatment centre, off the street, your mansion in Mayfair etc – it's WHY YOU STAY that counts!
4) Sponsorship is neither necessary nor essential for recovery – see the Appendix 'Spiritual Experience' for the “essentials” - we would go so far as to say that in cult hands 'sponsorship' is a major hindrance to finding a solution to the alcohol problem.
5) No one is OBLIGED to do ANYTHING by ANYONE in AA.
6) If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself lumbered with a sponsor who thinks otherwise then say “bye bye” and find someone sane!
Cheerio
The Fellas
Sunday 29 November 2009
Some observations on the "Recovery Business"
"While your current plague of 'AA' dog and pony shows does involve money as a motive, many such groups don't. Prestige, authority, a sincere belief that the 'right kind' of AA needs to be carried to the heathen; these may be more common, and even more insidious.
'Joe and Charlie' acolytes and Pacific Group clones are recruited face to face more often than at 'shows.' Our local Big Book Comes Alive folks make a great to-do about not being paid (they sell and raffle CDs of AA swamis instead).
Whether they go into the biz or not, attendees at these events are lead to believe that there is a 'secret sauce' version of AA which is somehow more real or 'better than' the real article. The AA they advocate is always one that involves charismatic leadership, abusive styles of sponsorship, overt religiosity and requirements for conformity and obedience from the newcomer. This is the AA of pre-Tradition power-drivers like Clarence S. of Cleveland, not the post-Tradition AA formed to avoid the tragic errors of such groups."
(as usual our thanks to this AA member (US) for their contribution)
'Joe and Charlie' acolytes and Pacific Group clones are recruited face to face more often than at 'shows.' Our local Big Book Comes Alive folks make a great to-do about not being paid (they sell and raffle CDs of AA swamis instead).
Whether they go into the biz or not, attendees at these events are lead to believe that there is a 'secret sauce' version of AA which is somehow more real or 'better than' the real article. The AA they advocate is always one that involves charismatic leadership, abusive styles of sponsorship, overt religiosity and requirements for conformity and obedience from the newcomer. This is the AA of pre-Tradition power-drivers like Clarence S. of Cleveland, not the post-Tradition AA formed to avoid the tragic errors of such groups."
(as usual our thanks to this AA member (US) for their contribution)
Wednesday 25 November 2009
Link to an article on dual diagnosis
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=9527
In particular it is interesting to note the prioritisation protocols applied by this clinical practice with regard to dual diagnosis:
"Our partial hospital program dealt with addiction issues and mental health issues simultaneously, but always prioritized the addictions, on the theory that you cannot benefit much from psychiatric or psychological attention when you are intoxicated".
This approach represents a 180 degree reversal of the cult's response to the dual diagnosis issue. These (unqualified) individuals insist that recovery is not possible whilst someone is still undergoing treatment (either through the use of prescribed medication and/or other therapeutic interventions). The author of the article, Dr Mark Dombeck, a health professional and a proponent of both the 12 Step approach as well as the Fellowships which employ it, seems to indicate that the primary issue to be tackled is that of the addiction (including alcoholism), which then allows the other part of the diagnosis to be addressed accordingly. It would seem, therefore, that dual diagnosis individuals (according to this perspective) should indeed have access to the fullest possible assistance within AA (and other fellowships) rather than have unnecessary obstacles placed in their way by those uninformed, unqualified and prejudiced dogmatists who are currently causing so much harm, firstly to those new to the Fellowship, and thereafter to the reputation of Alcoholics Anonymous itself.
(our thanks to the member who drew our attention to this article)
The Fellas
In particular it is interesting to note the prioritisation protocols applied by this clinical practice with regard to dual diagnosis:
"Our partial hospital program dealt with addiction issues and mental health issues simultaneously, but always prioritized the addictions, on the theory that you cannot benefit much from psychiatric or psychological attention when you are intoxicated".
This approach represents a 180 degree reversal of the cult's response to the dual diagnosis issue. These (unqualified) individuals insist that recovery is not possible whilst someone is still undergoing treatment (either through the use of prescribed medication and/or other therapeutic interventions). The author of the article, Dr Mark Dombeck, a health professional and a proponent of both the 12 Step approach as well as the Fellowships which employ it, seems to indicate that the primary issue to be tackled is that of the addiction (including alcoholism), which then allows the other part of the diagnosis to be addressed accordingly. It would seem, therefore, that dual diagnosis individuals (according to this perspective) should indeed have access to the fullest possible assistance within AA (and other fellowships) rather than have unnecessary obstacles placed in their way by those uninformed, unqualified and prejudiced dogmatists who are currently causing so much harm, firstly to those new to the Fellowship, and thereafter to the reputation of Alcoholics Anonymous itself.
(our thanks to the member who drew our attention to this article)
The Fellas
Sunday 22 November 2009
Bexleyheath Friday - still an AA group!
First - the good news!
It seems that reports of the Bexleyheath Friday meeting's takeover by the local cult were exaggerated - a member of the cultwatch team has made further enquiries to establish a more accurate picture of the situation. Certainly there has been some interference in the running of the group by an "opinionated" member from the Sidcup gang, and a certain amount of disruption due to the relapse of one of the group's members. However it remains an AA group ....
...now the bad news!
....but one in need of support. Currently the group is being kept afloat by people who are only recently arrived in the Fellowship, and who are appealing for longer term members to join in their efforts to keep the meeting viable. So if you live in the Bexley Heath area, don't have a home group, and being mindful of the AA pledge - then get on down to:
BEXLEYHEATH
FRIDAY
20.00
United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, The Broadway
Cheers
The Fellas
It seems that reports of the Bexleyheath Friday meeting's takeover by the local cult were exaggerated - a member of the cultwatch team has made further enquiries to establish a more accurate picture of the situation. Certainly there has been some interference in the running of the group by an "opinionated" member from the Sidcup gang, and a certain amount of disruption due to the relapse of one of the group's members. However it remains an AA group ....
...now the bad news!
....but one in need of support. Currently the group is being kept afloat by people who are only recently arrived in the Fellowship, and who are appealing for longer term members to join in their efforts to keep the meeting viable. So if you live in the Bexley Heath area, don't have a home group, and being mindful of the AA pledge - then get on down to:
BEXLEYHEATH
FRIDAY
20.00
United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, The Broadway
Cheers
The Fellas
Saturday 21 November 2009
Bournemouth Road to Recovery
It would seem that this cult group continues in its attempts to gain access to an AA Intergroup - any AA Intergroup! At a recent Bournemouth Intergroup meeting the group requested probationary membership lasting one year. They were asked if they had any connection with the notorious Plymouth Road to Recovery cult group to which the reply was "No". As our correspondent puts it: "First thing out of the mouth was a lie" - so no change there then! No decision has been made, and of course the choice lies with the AA members in that area - but if the West Kent experience is anything to go by, once the cult have got a foothold they won't be satisfied until they control your Intergroup - something to think about perhaps!!
Cheers
The Fellas
Cheers
The Fellas
Saturday 7 November 2009
Road to Recovery Plymouth Cult group – not so happy, joyous and free these days?
The word is that all is not well in Happy Land. Apparently there has been something of a breakout amongst “Satan's Rejects” (and before you all get into a sweat about this choice of phrase these are not our words but those of the inestimable Little Wayne, in his latest (recycled) article on the R2R website). Here he extols the virtues of sponsorship and even an admission of his own imperfection: “ I have never claimed to be humble nor perfect and I often fail in living up to the ideals that others seem to practice so well”. This might be a most encouraging sign if voiced by another but we're not at all sure that this particular article is directed towards any other end than a bid to hang on to control of the group by plugging sponsorship (for those of you who are not in the know this cult group practices the “cascade style” of control – Wayne sponsors those who then sponsor those who then sponsor those etc. So if the dictum “Do exactly what your sponsor tells you” is followed, essentially this amounts to Wayne “running the whole show”). Unfortunately - or maybe fortunately - we shall have to see how things develop - it would seem that a significant number of the gang have decided they no longer want to follow Little Wayne's direction. From what we can gather some twenty odd members of this little fraternity have decided to split off and form their own group. The schism seems to have been prompted by a “unity” meeting held recently at the R2R venue. Here it was put to the assembled ranks that it was a case of 'fall into line and back the leader' or go for the 'high road' option – as already indicated a score or so decided upon the latter course, and so this “unity” meeting concluded with the resultant split (more of a “disunity” meeting by the sound of it. It's worth remembering that this is a group whose members regularly lecture the rest of us on the value of AA solidarity??) It is not in itself an unusual event for a cult group to split – usually the fracture occurs around a clash between “personalities” (for personalities read “egos”) and the disgruntled ones head off to start their own brand of madness (usually more extreme – hence our caution in defining this event as fortunate or otherwise). On this occasion, however, it would seem that the issue may revolve around what might be called a disparity between what is said, and what is practised – or as it is more simply put in AA “Someone who talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk”. The danger of placing anyone on a pedestal is that sooner or later they topple off – and the higher the pedestal the bigger the drop, which, of course, illustrates the whole point of Tradition Twelve – the central importance of placing principles before personalities. But unfortunately the cult have not learnt this lesson, and through their advocacy of sponsorship idolatry fall easily and frequently into this trap.
Still – the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak ….. Man can but propose, only God may dispose.... To err is human, to forgive Divine....and finally … There but for the grace of God …..
And so, on that uncharacteristically spiritual and compassionate note (for us at least), we shall conclude
Cheers
The Fellas
Still – the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak ….. Man can but propose, only God may dispose.... To err is human, to forgive Divine....and finally … There but for the grace of God …..
And so, on that uncharacteristically spiritual and compassionate note (for us at least), we shall conclude
Cheers
The Fellas
Thursday 5 November 2009
All the signs of desperation! But more publicity for us ...
They just don't get it! After the rather sad attempts of the anti-aacultwatch Twitterer - he's still Tweeting away like a good'un – last time we looked we'd been accused of homophobia, women abuse, charging for sponsorship, doing pills, etc etc - it's amazing we'd have any time to run the website with all that going on. Still, now the cats-out-of-the-bag, we'd like to 'fess up - to causing: the credit crunch, the MP expenses scandal, global warming, the success of John and Edward on the X-Factor, swine flu ….fill in the blanks ….. anyway we digress .... it would seem that a Google sponsored link has been set up advertising an anti-aacultwatch blog by “A lady member from Battersea”. The blog hit the ether yesterday with the opening shot in what we're quite sure will be a cogently argued counter-campaign to the aacultwatch site – NOT! If the first entry is anything to go by we've simply got ourselves a slightly longer version of the Twitterer. The banner declaims: “Who do you think you are?” Now we have to assume that the question is intended to be rhetorical rather than literal because if it were the latter then it is self-evident that we do, in fact, not only know who we think we are but simultaneously know who we are also; it is not even a matter of opinion but of direct experience (although it does imply some interesting epistemological questions – but we'll save that for another time – even now we can hear the huge sigh of relief heaving round the land!). Therefore it must be that the device is intended to be ironical – but surely not! One thing that can always be discerned within the character of your average cult member is that they've undergone 'wit bypass' surgery – but perhaps this is a clone mark II – an evolved hybrid version of the bog standard assembly line creation. Anyway we digress yet again …. the “lady member from Battersea” asserts the following:
“ I am a sober, grateful member of the amazing fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. I would like all AA's who surf the world wide web to know and understand that the majority of AA members here in the UK think aacultwatch is a farcical nonsense and injurious to AA.
Wow you can hear the clash of egos across the oceans... they are no more than self appointed internet police whose sobriety has clearly not advanced beyond the insanity of a failed step 2.
Let all sound AA members do as we are bidden and pray for our misguided friends and in particular that their ISP connection fails permanently..”
Well, all we can say is that we're mightily impressed by all this - only one day in operation and already she has gauged the pulse of the “majority of AA members”. Not only this but she's a mind reader as well – she knows what we “think” - this would be truly terrifying if it were not so awesome. Still at least AA has a spokesperson now – one who knows what the majority thinks – perhaps even before they do. Moreover she knows exactly what Step we're on (although she doesn't seem to understand what it refers to ie. alcoholic insanity). Anyway - we put our heads together and decided that we ALL, the entire aacultwatch team, want to be sponsored by this spiritual giant. And as for the “clash of egos across the oceans...” – we can hear that as well. Still it is quite heartening to learn that yet more people are being exhorted to pray for us – at this rate sainthood can only be a short step away, though we do think that bit about our “ISP connection failing permanently” might not be quite in accordance with the spirit of the programme – but then who are we to question such spiritual insight?
And now for the killer blow – the cartoon depicted on the blog. If anything sums up the cult's stance on sponsorship this production does it perfectly:
'Nuff said.
Cheerio
The Fellas
PS. No – we don't think we'll be wasting a lot of our time on this blog in the future
“ I am a sober, grateful member of the amazing fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. I would like all AA's who surf the world wide web to know and understand that the majority of AA members here in the UK think aacultwatch is a farcical nonsense and injurious to AA.
Wow you can hear the clash of egos across the oceans... they are no more than self appointed internet police whose sobriety has clearly not advanced beyond the insanity of a failed step 2.
Let all sound AA members do as we are bidden and pray for our misguided friends and in particular that their ISP connection fails permanently..”
Well, all we can say is that we're mightily impressed by all this - only one day in operation and already she has gauged the pulse of the “majority of AA members”. Not only this but she's a mind reader as well – she knows what we “think” - this would be truly terrifying if it were not so awesome. Still at least AA has a spokesperson now – one who knows what the majority thinks – perhaps even before they do. Moreover she knows exactly what Step we're on (although she doesn't seem to understand what it refers to ie. alcoholic insanity). Anyway - we put our heads together and decided that we ALL, the entire aacultwatch team, want to be sponsored by this spiritual giant. And as for the “clash of egos across the oceans...” – we can hear that as well. Still it is quite heartening to learn that yet more people are being exhorted to pray for us – at this rate sainthood can only be a short step away, though we do think that bit about our “ISP connection failing permanently” might not be quite in accordance with the spirit of the programme – but then who are we to question such spiritual insight?
And now for the killer blow – the cartoon depicted on the blog. If anything sums up the cult's stance on sponsorship this production does it perfectly:
'Nuff said.
Cheerio
The Fellas
PS. No – we don't think we'll be wasting a lot of our time on this blog in the future
Tuesday 3 November 2009
Latest from Eastbourne
Re: Eastbourne: There is a Solution
Friday 19.30 Elim Church, Hartfield Rd
“The "new" Thursday and Friday meetings in Eastbourne failed to get the required 2/3 majority to be voted out. The Hastings one was voted out. I have a feeling that this is not the end of the story - members of the Friday group in particular were not seen in "mainstream" meetings for a while, but have started popping up here and there, always in pairs.....”
This, by the way, is not an unusual tactic for the cult - when the going gets tough this lot go underground thinking that if they hide and keep very, very, very still we won't notice them any more. Then when the heat's off they get up to their little tricks again. Well - we've got news for you – that isn't going to work any more – the going's going to get tougher and tougher and ….
Finally it would seem that the aacultwatch Cult 'Where to Find' is not being greeted with universal approbation – hardly a surprise – but even so you'd think that the cult would be grateful to us for giving them all that free publicity – but it seems not – rather the reverse. So (and as usual in the spirit of seeking to be helpful) we can save all those outraged cult members the time and trouble of sending us emails containing those apparently standardised (and transparently emotionally manipulative) comments and questions flying our way.
Q: How can we sleep at night?
A: Like babies. We'd find it a lot harder to do so if we did just stand by and do nothing while newcomers suffer (and in some cases die)
Q: Shouldn't we hang our heads in shame?
A: No. Rather the reverse in fact (see above answer)
Q: It's all just speculation and hearsay. You don't know what you're talking about?
A: Yes we do. It's all based on evidence supplied directly by aacultwatch members
Q: You're damaging AA unity and breaking the Traditions aren't you?
A: This is always an entertaining line of attack especially coming from the cult who are, after all, expert practitioners in both areas. AA unity is not going to be served by pretending that nothing is wrong with the Fellowship. The whole purpose of AA is to help the still suffering alcoholic. If we act in such a fashion that we not only fail to carry out this objective but indeed heap yet more suffering upon the new man or woman then what real function does AA have? Is there any point to its continued existence? Nor do we support the view that AA unity must be preserved at “any cost” - a ludicrous concept in itself and dangerous in its implications – we, as citizens, and as moral human beings, have a duty of care to our fellows which supersedes any adherence to a set of rules or guidelines. We operate within a wider community and are bound by its laws and by its socially and culturally defined principles. Any organisation that chooses to ignore the context within which it exists and fails to govern itself responsibly will finally come into conflict with those principles, and this to the detriment of all. Consequently the organisation degenerates to such a point that it exists only to perpetuate its own existence without regard to the welfare of its members, or those it is supposedly serving, and is thus rendered both irreversibly corrupt and essentially redundant.
To conclude we would remind you of the AA pledge:
I am Responsible.
When Anyone, Anywhere
Reaches Out For Help,
I Want The Hand Of A.A.
To Always Be There.
And For That,
I Am Responsible !
The final question is: Do you want the hand of AA to be extended, or that of the cult? We've made our choice – it's up to you to make yours!
(As usual our thanks to the AA member for the info)
Cheers
The Fellas
Friday 19.30 Elim Church, Hartfield Rd
“The "new" Thursday and Friday meetings in Eastbourne failed to get the required 2/3 majority to be voted out. The Hastings one was voted out. I have a feeling that this is not the end of the story - members of the Friday group in particular were not seen in "mainstream" meetings for a while, but have started popping up here and there, always in pairs.....”
This, by the way, is not an unusual tactic for the cult - when the going gets tough this lot go underground thinking that if they hide and keep very, very, very still we won't notice them any more. Then when the heat's off they get up to their little tricks again. Well - we've got news for you – that isn't going to work any more – the going's going to get tougher and tougher and ….
Finally it would seem that the aacultwatch Cult 'Where to Find' is not being greeted with universal approbation – hardly a surprise – but even so you'd think that the cult would be grateful to us for giving them all that free publicity – but it seems not – rather the reverse. So (and as usual in the spirit of seeking to be helpful) we can save all those outraged cult members the time and trouble of sending us emails containing those apparently standardised (and transparently emotionally manipulative) comments and questions flying our way.
Q: How can we sleep at night?
A: Like babies. We'd find it a lot harder to do so if we did just stand by and do nothing while newcomers suffer (and in some cases die)
Q: Shouldn't we hang our heads in shame?
A: No. Rather the reverse in fact (see above answer)
Q: It's all just speculation and hearsay. You don't know what you're talking about?
A: Yes we do. It's all based on evidence supplied directly by aacultwatch members
Q: You're damaging AA unity and breaking the Traditions aren't you?
A: This is always an entertaining line of attack especially coming from the cult who are, after all, expert practitioners in both areas. AA unity is not going to be served by pretending that nothing is wrong with the Fellowship. The whole purpose of AA is to help the still suffering alcoholic. If we act in such a fashion that we not only fail to carry out this objective but indeed heap yet more suffering upon the new man or woman then what real function does AA have? Is there any point to its continued existence? Nor do we support the view that AA unity must be preserved at “any cost” - a ludicrous concept in itself and dangerous in its implications – we, as citizens, and as moral human beings, have a duty of care to our fellows which supersedes any adherence to a set of rules or guidelines. We operate within a wider community and are bound by its laws and by its socially and culturally defined principles. Any organisation that chooses to ignore the context within which it exists and fails to govern itself responsibly will finally come into conflict with those principles, and this to the detriment of all. Consequently the organisation degenerates to such a point that it exists only to perpetuate its own existence without regard to the welfare of its members, or those it is supposedly serving, and is thus rendered both irreversibly corrupt and essentially redundant.
To conclude we would remind you of the AA pledge:
I am Responsible.
When Anyone, Anywhere
Reaches Out For Help,
I Want The Hand Of A.A.
To Always Be There.
And For That,
I Am Responsible !
The final question is: Do you want the hand of AA to be extended, or that of the cult? We've made our choice – it's up to you to make yours!
(As usual our thanks to the AA member for the info)
Cheers
The Fellas
Sunday 1 November 2009
A light interlude
A helpful AA member has suggested a formatted template for all those aspiring motivational speakers out there - here is the promo:
Thursday 22 October 2009
'Shenanigans' in the South West
Quote:
"In my mind there is a bit of shenanigans going on in AA as to how to get certain conventions accepted into the Share magazine listed events and this is one of them. Let me try to explain without getting too tied up.
If a convention wants to be official AA it needs to be sponsored by an Intergroup or Region ( see the AA guideline 15 on Conventions). Some time ago the annual Bristol reunion folk ( now tied in very closely with RTR and assorted types) realised that they could not get the convention into Share as they were not Intergroup sponsored. The way to get around this has become that the people involved within Bristol ( Avon north and south Intergroups) get some of their members serving on Intergroup and lean on the Intergroup to accept a second Convention to be sponsored by Intergroup within the year's business of the area. Thus nowadays in the Bristol Area there are the old established Avon north and south mini conventions - plus the Bristol Reunion advertised in Share. As you are probably aware, the Bristol reunion is put on by the newcomers group and has been going for more than 20 years, always inviting Americans and charging a healthy fee – money always to the same address at Sally's flat in Bristol. The last time I looked the RTR and 1 other group were down on paper as sponsoring events in the area along with the Newcomers group. So you see the Intergroups have had their integrity compromised by these 3 groups.
Now K.... from Ringwood [AA] group used to live in Winchester, he still attends a lunchtime meeting on Tuesdays I think as he works in the town. He and others started this Winchester convention, which has American speaker worship as its guiding principle and £20 a go to get in. He has been cute enough to follow the Bristol lead. This year, for instance, the Northdown Intergroup sponsored (sic) the Winchester convention, a 3 day event, whilst also sponsoring the traditional mini in Basingstoke 3 months later. I noticed that the Winchester convention was highly publicised and tickets were being flogged at south coast meetings - alas the real Northdown mini convention in Basingstoke was quietly enjoyed by the sober AAs in the area without a ticket being offered anywhere. Both conventions were advertised in Share.
Just as in Bristol the Northdown Intergroup is in my opinion compromised by these crafty members messing about with the service structure for their own gain.
By the way, the Northdown mini was on 5th sept. The following day the Solent Intergroup Convention in Southampton was starring the great Clancy I, tickets were bountiful once again at south coast meetings and Wayne and his cohorts from Plymouth were in attendance. K.... has put several of his sponsees into Solent intergroup. thus compromising that one also. Guess what? RTR started the new meeting in Southampton around that time.
The linkage is fascinating."
(our thanks to the AA member who sent in this contribution)
"In my mind there is a bit of shenanigans going on in AA as to how to get certain conventions accepted into the Share magazine listed events and this is one of them. Let me try to explain without getting too tied up.
If a convention wants to be official AA it needs to be sponsored by an Intergroup or Region ( see the AA guideline 15 on Conventions). Some time ago the annual Bristol reunion folk ( now tied in very closely with RTR and assorted types) realised that they could not get the convention into Share as they were not Intergroup sponsored. The way to get around this has become that the people involved within Bristol ( Avon north and south Intergroups) get some of their members serving on Intergroup and lean on the Intergroup to accept a second Convention to be sponsored by Intergroup within the year's business of the area. Thus nowadays in the Bristol Area there are the old established Avon north and south mini conventions - plus the Bristol Reunion advertised in Share. As you are probably aware, the Bristol reunion is put on by the newcomers group and has been going for more than 20 years, always inviting Americans and charging a healthy fee – money always to the same address at Sally's flat in Bristol. The last time I looked the RTR and 1 other group were down on paper as sponsoring events in the area along with the Newcomers group. So you see the Intergroups have had their integrity compromised by these 3 groups.
Now K.... from Ringwood [AA] group used to live in Winchester, he still attends a lunchtime meeting on Tuesdays I think as he works in the town. He and others started this Winchester convention, which has American speaker worship as its guiding principle and £20 a go to get in. He has been cute enough to follow the Bristol lead. This year, for instance, the Northdown Intergroup sponsored (sic) the Winchester convention, a 3 day event, whilst also sponsoring the traditional mini in Basingstoke 3 months later. I noticed that the Winchester convention was highly publicised and tickets were being flogged at south coast meetings - alas the real Northdown mini convention in Basingstoke was quietly enjoyed by the sober AAs in the area without a ticket being offered anywhere. Both conventions were advertised in Share.
Just as in Bristol the Northdown Intergroup is in my opinion compromised by these crafty members messing about with the service structure for their own gain.
By the way, the Northdown mini was on 5th sept. The following day the Solent Intergroup Convention in Southampton was starring the great Clancy I, tickets were bountiful once again at south coast meetings and Wayne and his cohorts from Plymouth were in attendance. K.... has put several of his sponsees into Solent intergroup. thus compromising that one also. Guess what? RTR started the new meeting in Southampton around that time.
The linkage is fascinating."
(our thanks to the AA member who sent in this contribution)
Sunday 18 October 2009
A few observations from the States
Pacific Group:
"The anti-medication madness has little support locally, when mentioned it is usually decried. Out here the notion is ascribed to Clancy and his 'Pacific Group' in Southern CA. This group is notorious for abusive sponsorship and groupthink. Jackets and ties/skirts or dresses are required for meeting attendance, gurus have scores of sponsees who dress alike and perform chores for sponsors etc. etc."
The 'Oxford Group' and 'Moral Re-Armament':
"Another recommendation. For those who only know of the Oxford Group through AA, Tom Driberg's expose The Mystery of Moral Re-Armament is a must. Rereading it lately, I find I missed Driberg's repeated hints that Frank Buchman was a self-hating homosexual. Also, no one approaching the OG/MRA would have had any reason to expect any help for alcoholics. MRA was strictly concerned with money property and prestige. Nowadays, the latest incarnation of MRA takes responsibility for founding AA, and claims NOT to be a religious organization!"
Gresham's Law
"......Gresham's Law & Alcoholics Anonymous article, by Tom P. senior, 1974, may be a primary source for the success claims nonsense. Certainly Mr P is certain that HIS new program does it the 'right way.' I wrote to them, and after 50 years in existence, All Addicts Anonymous doesn't even try to maintain a meeting list. The magic formula only seems to work in their treatment center/commune/work camp in upstate New York."
Not God:
"Ernest Kurtz's history, published variously as Not God, and AA the Story, alludes to a long standing strain between OG dominated 'Akron' AA and 'New York' AA, he even identifies geographical zones associated with each."
Joe and Charlie [well known circuit speakers]:
"Your own 'Enquiry into Primary Purpose/Back to Basics' paper [see here] identifies Joe and Charlie as wellsprings of cultishness. They seem to link quite directly to 'Back to Basics.' ...."
Note: "The excellent 'An Enquiry Into...' needs a correction. The author confuses the First ed. Big Book with the pre-publication multilith version. This, with its intensely prescriptive and religious language, is widely promoted as somehow 'purer' or 'realer' than the actual Big Book. Of course the multilith was rejected by the original membership until modified to the form we know."
'The Pod People':
"....near San Francisco, we have another cultish subgroup called the 'pod people' (Invasion of the Body Snatchers and all that) This group defines the 'program' as consisting of a daily written 10th step and not much else. Members avoid non-pod meetings, poach for sponsees, and speak in an annoyingly uniform style--even imitating the grating giggle of their original guru. There are many rumors of sexual misdeeds. Sponsors require their sponsees to PAY to receive meditation mantras from Transcendental Meditation (and receive kickbacks)."
Some features of the cult operation in the US:
"Promotion of fundamentalist Christianity (this may be more overt in the US).
Distorting AA history to attempt to whitewash the Oxford Group.
Promoting compulsory (and usually abusive) sponsorship.
Obsessive reading of 9th step 'promises' at every meeting."
Finally, our contributor comments: "I had my 21st birthday last month. Over the last 5-10 years I have been increasingly bothered by odd new mannerisms posing as 'old' or 'real' AA. As an atheist, I tended to downplay my discomfort as hypersensitivity, and the cultishness as part of the general rise of the religious right in the US. Examining the 'Joe and Charlie' and 'Back to Basics' material convinced me that a quasi-organized movement to suborn AA was in action."
"The anti-medication madness has little support locally, when mentioned it is usually decried. Out here the notion is ascribed to Clancy and his 'Pacific Group' in Southern CA. This group is notorious for abusive sponsorship and groupthink. Jackets and ties/skirts or dresses are required for meeting attendance, gurus have scores of sponsees who dress alike and perform chores for sponsors etc. etc."
The 'Oxford Group' and 'Moral Re-Armament':
"Another recommendation. For those who only know of the Oxford Group through AA, Tom Driberg's expose The Mystery of Moral Re-Armament is a must. Rereading it lately, I find I missed Driberg's repeated hints that Frank Buchman was a self-hating homosexual. Also, no one approaching the OG/MRA would have had any reason to expect any help for alcoholics. MRA was strictly concerned with money property and prestige. Nowadays, the latest incarnation of MRA takes responsibility for founding AA, and claims NOT to be a religious organization!"
Gresham's Law
"......Gresham's Law & Alcoholics Anonymous article, by Tom P. senior, 1974, may be a primary source for the success claims nonsense. Certainly Mr P is certain that HIS new program does it the 'right way.' I wrote to them, and after 50 years in existence, All Addicts Anonymous doesn't even try to maintain a meeting list. The magic formula only seems to work in their treatment center/commune/work camp in upstate New York."
Not God:
"Ernest Kurtz's history, published variously as Not God, and AA the Story, alludes to a long standing strain between OG dominated 'Akron' AA and 'New York' AA, he even identifies geographical zones associated with each."
Joe and Charlie [well known circuit speakers]:
"Your own 'Enquiry into Primary Purpose/Back to Basics' paper [see here] identifies Joe and Charlie as wellsprings of cultishness. They seem to link quite directly to 'Back to Basics.' ...."
Note: "The excellent 'An Enquiry Into...' needs a correction. The author confuses the First ed. Big Book with the pre-publication multilith version. This, with its intensely prescriptive and religious language, is widely promoted as somehow 'purer' or 'realer' than the actual Big Book. Of course the multilith was rejected by the original membership until modified to the form we know."
'The Pod People':
"....near San Francisco, we have another cultish subgroup called the 'pod people' (Invasion of the Body Snatchers and all that) This group defines the 'program' as consisting of a daily written 10th step and not much else. Members avoid non-pod meetings, poach for sponsees, and speak in an annoyingly uniform style--even imitating the grating giggle of their original guru. There are many rumors of sexual misdeeds. Sponsors require their sponsees to PAY to receive meditation mantras from Transcendental Meditation (and receive kickbacks)."
Some features of the cult operation in the US:
"Promotion of fundamentalist Christianity (this may be more overt in the US).
Distorting AA history to attempt to whitewash the Oxford Group.
Promoting compulsory (and usually abusive) sponsorship.
Obsessive reading of 9th step 'promises' at every meeting."
Finally, our contributor comments: "I had my 21st birthday last month. Over the last 5-10 years I have been increasingly bothered by odd new mannerisms posing as 'old' or 'real' AA. As an atheist, I tended to downplay my discomfort as hypersensitivity, and the cultishness as part of the general rise of the religious right in the US. Examining the 'Joe and Charlie' and 'Back to Basics' material convinced me that a quasi-organized movement to suborn AA was in action."
Saturday 17 October 2009
A Freudian slip
"When 'authorities' claim to be the only ones authorised to interpret revelations accurately, we must recognise these claims as nothing more than (in Freud's words) 'hysteria in search of certainty'." (from: "Eternal Life: a new vision"; John Shelby Spong; HarperOne; 2009)
Friday 9 October 2009
Road to Recovery Cult group (Plymouth) move into the "Recovery Business"
Well they're at it again - breaking another Tradition - so what's new! It occurred to the aacultwatch team it would be easier to carry news of when the aforementioned group DID actually abide by the Traditions - it would save a lot of a time all round. But a little background first:
"The Recovery Business"
The recession may be biting hard but some sectors are flourishing - which brings us to: "The Recovery Business". By this we mean the increasing proliferation of "workshops" (non-AA events) run by various "personalities" (some travelling from as far afield as sunny California) spreading their views, opinions, theories, speculations, hypotheses, (even experience occasionally!) on whatever passing fad is currently preoccupying them, and then presenting these flights of fancy suitably packaged for the delectation of the "punters" ie. anyone who may be parted from their money. These little shindigs sometimes run for a whole weekend for those brave souls who are willing to pay to listen for that long to these largely unoriginal performances. The "gig" may include Power Point presentations for the more technologically sophisticated but will certainly include workbooks, worksheets etc all of which lends an air of authenticity to what is essentially a scam. It's easier to part someone from their cash if they wander (usually shell-shocked) from the venue with at least something to show for the "experience" other than a rictus grin, and a throbbing headache acquired from a massive overdose of "emotional froth". Now we have no real objection to an enterprising fellow making a buck or two, and let's face it there are considerably more than one "born every day" but in this instance the "target market" is composed mostly of newcomers to AA, and certainly members new to the recovery programme. These are more likely to be impressed by a slick performance and a well rehearsed delivery with standardised jokes flying from the lip with practised ease. If you've still suffering, with nerves jangling like taut banjo strings, and your emotions and life in tatters, wandering around the landscape like some refugee in a war zone then anyone who can string a few coherent sentences together must seem almost blessed with Divine omniscience. "Recycling" is the buzz word these days and that's about all you're likely to get at one of these workshops. But that said so will you at an AA meeting - nothing original there either - but there's one crucial difference. In the first you'll get parted from your dough in short order one way or the other - in the latter you'll get it for free, and without all the unnecessary trimmings.
It would seem that the Road to Recovery cult group (among others) is getting in on the act. For some considerable time now audio files by various notables (including overseas imports) have been available via their website but evidently this cult group has decided to move into "marketing" other events. These include the Bristol Reunion, which this year features a couple of speakers from the US (apparently one of whom is an " an ideal successor to Joe and Charlie"). It's not made entirely clear what constitutes "ideal" (given that the programme refers to "progress rather than perfection") but we have to assume that the guy turns in a good act (together with his humble assistant). Additionally the site advertises another "show" in Glasgow in 2010 featuring a VVVVVIP from LA, the Venerable C, who will be doing "a turn" in that fair city. There is no mention on the site (which incidentally carries the disclaimer "© Road to Recovery Group 2009. This site is not approved or endorsed by Alcoholics Anonymous. The views expressed belong solely to the individuals making them") that this is NOT an AA event nor for that matter is the "Relationships in Recovery" circus, which is similarly advertised on this cult website. But then (with a little more research) we come to the Glasgow extravaganza's sound system, which is being provided by an organisation called SoundsGood Media Productions, an outfit needless to say but we'll say it anyway, NOT associated with AA. We quote from the "About Us" section of their site:
"Sounds Good Media is a voluntary service staffed by members of 12 Step fellowships who give their time voluntarily to help themselves stay sober and help others to recover from alcoholism.
Sounds Good Media was set up by a small group of AA members involved in service who detected a great inconsistency in the quality of Public Address systens used at various AA conventions. Having detected this problem they decided to solve it by supplying AA with a reliable P.A. system. The next problem was how to fund th P.A. system. The solution for this was already at hand, record the meetings and sell the tapes. This also helped to solve another problem which was widespread (that of bad quality tapes or no taping of conventions at all - which left no archival record of previous members). So the idea was simply, supply P.A. system, record the meetings, sell the tapes and any excess money goes back into AA.
To comply with traditions a letter was sent to the World General Service Office in New York explaining the concept. The W.G.S.O. replied that AA could not accept money from outside organisations even though they are run by AA members. So Sounds Good couldn't give money to AA, but they could stop convention committes spending money on P.A's by supplying theirs free of charge. The only stipulation for this was that Sounds Good could sell tapes to fund the P.A. system. Due to public demand it was decided to expand the selection of tapes to include popular speakers from America etc. Again there was the problem of quality, so equipment was needed to 'clean' these tapes up. It soon became clear an office would be needed, so from humble beginnings our expansion had developed. This led to more volunteers joining, who used it as an aid to their recovery and went on to other things."
Now this may all be very worthy but in the end it amounts to what is technically known as a "lash up" ie. some way had to be devised to make it "look like" AA Traditions weren't being circumvented (we'll leave it to you to work out which ones) but fails utterly. In this particular instance we can't see what the problem is. The event itself is not AA sponsored and therefore does not have to abide by the Traditions. But even if it were an AA convention, workshop etc then this particular contrivance would still not solve the "problem". AA would be receiving a service for which it hadn't paid ie. a donation in kind rather than money (Incidentally, since when did it become a problem that there were no audio records, bad quality or otherwise, of speakers at a convention?) All sorts of difficulties arise here in connection with this issue - again we'll leave it to your ingenuity to discern what these might be. Finally there is reference to any "excess money" going back into AA, which seems to defeat entirely the purpose of the whole exercise. Whose money is this? If it's AA money then how can it "go back" to AA? If it's from Sounds Good Media profits then it's an outside donation - back to square one? Is it the copyright holder's money? Is it the publisher's money and so on and so forth? This situation illustrates perfectly why the Traditions exist, and why it's such a bad idea to try and "lawyer" your way round them.
Still it's been quite awhile - if ever - since the Road to Recovery cult group was an AA group running AA meetings and (as we mentioned above) we should really only be surprised when it does behave like one. But then Little Wayne (El Supremo) has as good as said so himself in his address to the faithful (available on an audio file from site): We quote:
"If you’re new or if you’re visiting this group – welcome. This group comes with a public health warning. Tonight you’re not in a meeting or mainstream meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. Tonight you are at the heart of Alcoholics Anonymous."
and who are we to argue with Little Wayne.
Now here's an idea, and we're not even going to plug our own recovery course outlined on the site - Oh damn! We did. Sorry! Instead of wandering off to one of these "workshops" or "conventions" or "Big Book Study Groups?" or "Newcomers?" meetings or "Beginners?" meetings or buying a CD produced by whoever is the latest flavour of the month, keep your money in your pocket and go to an AA meeting - a REAL one. There you will find some ordinary joe who will probably read something out of the Big Book, and then AA will do what it does best - plain alcoholics telling it the way it is - no frills - no "froth" - no charge!! You may well have to sit through the "Great Saga of the Washing machine Breaking Down and How the Repairman Didn't Turn Up But Even So I Didn't Pick Up a Drink" from time to time, and there may be some members who are seriously "off message" on that particular day; but that comes with the territory. But we think that's a small price to pay to avoid having to witness a carefully choreographed, marketing platform for "personalities" who seem to have an insatiable need (craving perhaps?) to have their egos massaged regularly whilst topping up their bank accounts. Even better the newcomer can - if she or he is so inclined - go online at the official AA website, and read the Big Book FOR FREE and maybe make up their own minds about what constitutes the recovery programme of AA and how they want - or don't want - to do it. Wow! That's soooo radical!!!
Cheerio
The Fellas
"The Recovery Business"
The recession may be biting hard but some sectors are flourishing - which brings us to: "The Recovery Business". By this we mean the increasing proliferation of "workshops" (non-AA events) run by various "personalities" (some travelling from as far afield as sunny California) spreading their views, opinions, theories, speculations, hypotheses, (even experience occasionally!) on whatever passing fad is currently preoccupying them, and then presenting these flights of fancy suitably packaged for the delectation of the "punters" ie. anyone who may be parted from their money. These little shindigs sometimes run for a whole weekend for those brave souls who are willing to pay to listen for that long to these largely unoriginal performances. The "gig" may include Power Point presentations for the more technologically sophisticated but will certainly include workbooks, worksheets etc all of which lends an air of authenticity to what is essentially a scam. It's easier to part someone from their cash if they wander (usually shell-shocked) from the venue with at least something to show for the "experience" other than a rictus grin, and a throbbing headache acquired from a massive overdose of "emotional froth". Now we have no real objection to an enterprising fellow making a buck or two, and let's face it there are considerably more than one "born every day" but in this instance the "target market" is composed mostly of newcomers to AA, and certainly members new to the recovery programme. These are more likely to be impressed by a slick performance and a well rehearsed delivery with standardised jokes flying from the lip with practised ease. If you've still suffering, with nerves jangling like taut banjo strings, and your emotions and life in tatters, wandering around the landscape like some refugee in a war zone then anyone who can string a few coherent sentences together must seem almost blessed with Divine omniscience. "Recycling" is the buzz word these days and that's about all you're likely to get at one of these workshops. But that said so will you at an AA meeting - nothing original there either - but there's one crucial difference. In the first you'll get parted from your dough in short order one way or the other - in the latter you'll get it for free, and without all the unnecessary trimmings.
It would seem that the Road to Recovery cult group (among others) is getting in on the act. For some considerable time now audio files by various notables (including overseas imports) have been available via their website but evidently this cult group has decided to move into "marketing" other events. These include the Bristol Reunion, which this year features a couple of speakers from the US (apparently one of whom is an " an ideal successor to Joe and Charlie"). It's not made entirely clear what constitutes "ideal" (given that the programme refers to "progress rather than perfection") but we have to assume that the guy turns in a good act (together with his humble assistant). Additionally the site advertises another "show" in Glasgow in 2010 featuring a VVVVVIP from LA, the Venerable C, who will be doing "a turn" in that fair city. There is no mention on the site (which incidentally carries the disclaimer "© Road to Recovery Group 2009. This site is not approved or endorsed by Alcoholics Anonymous. The views expressed belong solely to the individuals making them") that this is NOT an AA event nor for that matter is the "Relationships in Recovery" circus, which is similarly advertised on this cult website. But then (with a little more research) we come to the Glasgow extravaganza's sound system, which is being provided by an organisation called SoundsGood Media Productions, an outfit needless to say but we'll say it anyway, NOT associated with AA. We quote from the "About Us" section of their site:
"Sounds Good Media is a voluntary service staffed by members of 12 Step fellowships who give their time voluntarily to help themselves stay sober and help others to recover from alcoholism.
Sounds Good Media was set up by a small group of AA members involved in service who detected a great inconsistency in the quality of Public Address systens used at various AA conventions. Having detected this problem they decided to solve it by supplying AA with a reliable P.A. system. The next problem was how to fund th P.A. system. The solution for this was already at hand, record the meetings and sell the tapes. This also helped to solve another problem which was widespread (that of bad quality tapes or no taping of conventions at all - which left no archival record of previous members). So the idea was simply, supply P.A. system, record the meetings, sell the tapes and any excess money goes back into AA.
To comply with traditions a letter was sent to the World General Service Office in New York explaining the concept. The W.G.S.O. replied that AA could not accept money from outside organisations even though they are run by AA members. So Sounds Good couldn't give money to AA, but they could stop convention committes spending money on P.A's by supplying theirs free of charge. The only stipulation for this was that Sounds Good could sell tapes to fund the P.A. system. Due to public demand it was decided to expand the selection of tapes to include popular speakers from America etc. Again there was the problem of quality, so equipment was needed to 'clean' these tapes up. It soon became clear an office would be needed, so from humble beginnings our expansion had developed. This led to more volunteers joining, who used it as an aid to their recovery and went on to other things."
Now this may all be very worthy but in the end it amounts to what is technically known as a "lash up" ie. some way had to be devised to make it "look like" AA Traditions weren't being circumvented (we'll leave it to you to work out which ones) but fails utterly. In this particular instance we can't see what the problem is. The event itself is not AA sponsored and therefore does not have to abide by the Traditions. But even if it were an AA convention, workshop etc then this particular contrivance would still not solve the "problem". AA would be receiving a service for which it hadn't paid ie. a donation in kind rather than money (Incidentally, since when did it become a problem that there were no audio records, bad quality or otherwise, of speakers at a convention?) All sorts of difficulties arise here in connection with this issue - again we'll leave it to your ingenuity to discern what these might be. Finally there is reference to any "excess money" going back into AA, which seems to defeat entirely the purpose of the whole exercise. Whose money is this? If it's AA money then how can it "go back" to AA? If it's from Sounds Good Media profits then it's an outside donation - back to square one? Is it the copyright holder's money? Is it the publisher's money and so on and so forth? This situation illustrates perfectly why the Traditions exist, and why it's such a bad idea to try and "lawyer" your way round them.
Still it's been quite awhile - if ever - since the Road to Recovery cult group was an AA group running AA meetings and (as we mentioned above) we should really only be surprised when it does behave like one. But then Little Wayne (El Supremo) has as good as said so himself in his address to the faithful (available on an audio file from site): We quote:
"If you’re new or if you’re visiting this group – welcome. This group comes with a public health warning. Tonight you’re not in a meeting or mainstream meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. Tonight you are at the heart of Alcoholics Anonymous."
and who are we to argue with Little Wayne.
Now here's an idea, and we're not even going to plug our own recovery course outlined on the site - Oh damn! We did. Sorry! Instead of wandering off to one of these "workshops" or "conventions" or "Big Book Study Groups?" or "Newcomers?" meetings or "Beginners?" meetings or buying a CD produced by whoever is the latest flavour of the month, keep your money in your pocket and go to an AA meeting - a REAL one. There you will find some ordinary joe who will probably read something out of the Big Book, and then AA will do what it does best - plain alcoholics telling it the way it is - no frills - no "froth" - no charge!! You may well have to sit through the "Great Saga of the Washing machine Breaking Down and How the Repairman Didn't Turn Up But Even So I Didn't Pick Up a Drink" from time to time, and there may be some members who are seriously "off message" on that particular day; but that comes with the territory. But we think that's a small price to pay to avoid having to witness a carefully choreographed, marketing platform for "personalities" who seem to have an insatiable need (craving perhaps?) to have their egos massaged regularly whilst topping up their bank accounts. Even better the newcomer can - if she or he is so inclined - go online at the official AA website, and read the Big Book FOR FREE and maybe make up their own minds about what constitutes the recovery programme of AA and how they want - or don't want - to do it. Wow! That's soooo radical!!!
Cheerio
The Fellas
Wednesday 7 October 2009
In The Spirit--not The Letter--of Alcoholics Anonymous (from Grapevine 2007)
Love, not worship, for the Big Book
"My friends (and enemies) had diagnosed the problem--I could not drink without getting drunk. They weren't telling me anything I didn't know. And they offered no solution except, "Just don't drink," or, "Stop when you've had enough." If I could have done that, I would have. I'd tried countless times to control my drinking and always failed. In the end, I reached that state of "pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization" described in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous. A suicide attempt landed me in the hospital and a psychiatrist told me I should go to AA. So I made the call.
Two AA members twelfth-stepped me, and one of them gave me his copy of the Big Book as he left. "You can borrow this for a week," he growled, "and then you must get your own." And I did. At an AA meeting a week later, I returned his book and bought my own copy.
During their visit, I had asked the man with the book how AA worked. He had opened it at chapter five, shoved it in front of me and said, "That's how it works."
After he and his companion left that night, I sat down and read the book. The scales fell from my eyes. I'd known for years that there was something terribly wrong with the way I drank. Many people had scolded, lectured, demanded, threatened, pleaded, and implored me to "do something about your drinking." Heaven knows, I'd tried. I loved getting drunk--but I hated being a drunk. I felt humiliated, ashamed, guilty, mortified, and disgusted by my behavior during my binges.
"The Doctor's Opinion" explained a mystery that had baffled me for years--why couldn't I just get pleasantly high without descending into the chaos of uncontrolled excess? I read that I'd been in the grip of an obsession and, once I started to drink, I couldn't stop because the craving was more powerful than my good intentions and willpower. The book told how other men and women, similarly afflicted, had overcome the problem. I wanted what they had.
The chapter "There Is a Solution" says, "If you are an alcoholic who wants to get over it, you may already be asking--'What do I have to do?'" The logical answer to the question, "What do I have to do?" is "You must do this."
The Big Book answers this question tangentially; the Twelve Steps are suggestions that we are invited to follow, not commandments we must obey. The book points the way; it does not issue instructions. In chapter five, I read, "With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start." By following the Big Book's suggestions for twenty-one years, I have had a life truly beyond my wildest dreams.
I have copies of all four editions of the Big Book, including a facsimile copy of the original with its red and yellow dust cover. (An AA member would not have been very anonymous walking to a meeting with that under her arm!)
I love the Big Book but do not worship it. That would be idolatry. The book itself does not claim to be infallible. The writers acknowledge their limitations.
"Upon therapy for the alcoholic himself, we surely have no monopoly," they write. "We realize we know only a little," they caution. "God will constantly disclose more to you and to us."
"By no means do we offer [our approach] as the last word on this subject, but...it has worked for us," they say.
I've heard the Big Book referred to as a textbook, which I think is a mistake. I believe it is our basic text, which is not the same thing at all. The Big Book is a storybook. It says so on the title page--"Alcoholics Anonymous--The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism." A story does not give instructions; it is a narrative of experience, a work of inspired imagination. Bill W. wrote, in As Bill Sees It, "Most Steps are open to interpretation, based on the experience and outlook of the individual."
The Big Book is not sacred scripture; we have no "authorities" in AA who can impose their understanding of its message on the rest of us.
It is dangerous to make a fetish of the written word. As the Bible says, "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."
Laurie A.
Essex"
"My friends (and enemies) had diagnosed the problem--I could not drink without getting drunk. They weren't telling me anything I didn't know. And they offered no solution except, "Just don't drink," or, "Stop when you've had enough." If I could have done that, I would have. I'd tried countless times to control my drinking and always failed. In the end, I reached that state of "pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization" described in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous. A suicide attempt landed me in the hospital and a psychiatrist told me I should go to AA. So I made the call.
Two AA members twelfth-stepped me, and one of them gave me his copy of the Big Book as he left. "You can borrow this for a week," he growled, "and then you must get your own." And I did. At an AA meeting a week later, I returned his book and bought my own copy.
During their visit, I had asked the man with the book how AA worked. He had opened it at chapter five, shoved it in front of me and said, "That's how it works."
After he and his companion left that night, I sat down and read the book. The scales fell from my eyes. I'd known for years that there was something terribly wrong with the way I drank. Many people had scolded, lectured, demanded, threatened, pleaded, and implored me to "do something about your drinking." Heaven knows, I'd tried. I loved getting drunk--but I hated being a drunk. I felt humiliated, ashamed, guilty, mortified, and disgusted by my behavior during my binges.
"The Doctor's Opinion" explained a mystery that had baffled me for years--why couldn't I just get pleasantly high without descending into the chaos of uncontrolled excess? I read that I'd been in the grip of an obsession and, once I started to drink, I couldn't stop because the craving was more powerful than my good intentions and willpower. The book told how other men and women, similarly afflicted, had overcome the problem. I wanted what they had.
The chapter "There Is a Solution" says, "If you are an alcoholic who wants to get over it, you may already be asking--'What do I have to do?'" The logical answer to the question, "What do I have to do?" is "You must do this."
The Big Book answers this question tangentially; the Twelve Steps are suggestions that we are invited to follow, not commandments we must obey. The book points the way; it does not issue instructions. In chapter five, I read, "With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start." By following the Big Book's suggestions for twenty-one years, I have had a life truly beyond my wildest dreams.
I have copies of all four editions of the Big Book, including a facsimile copy of the original with its red and yellow dust cover. (An AA member would not have been very anonymous walking to a meeting with that under her arm!)
I love the Big Book but do not worship it. That would be idolatry. The book itself does not claim to be infallible. The writers acknowledge their limitations.
"Upon therapy for the alcoholic himself, we surely have no monopoly," they write. "We realize we know only a little," they caution. "God will constantly disclose more to you and to us."
"By no means do we offer [our approach] as the last word on this subject, but...it has worked for us," they say.
I've heard the Big Book referred to as a textbook, which I think is a mistake. I believe it is our basic text, which is not the same thing at all. The Big Book is a storybook. It says so on the title page--"Alcoholics Anonymous--The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism." A story does not give instructions; it is a narrative of experience, a work of inspired imagination. Bill W. wrote, in As Bill Sees It, "Most Steps are open to interpretation, based on the experience and outlook of the individual."
The Big Book is not sacred scripture; we have no "authorities" in AA who can impose their understanding of its message on the rest of us.
It is dangerous to make a fetish of the written word. As the Bible says, "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."
Laurie A.
Essex"
Monday 5 October 2009
Time for AA to wake up! An AA member's analysis
"Ultimately the solution to this lies in awareness and action by intergroups. I think that at the moment the fellowship is still in the stage of waking up to implications as to what is happening. I think this movement represents the beginning of all the ingredients of what Bill W. outlined in concept XII, warranty five, the grave situation of a split running right accross AA and the formation of a separate fellowship, with the exception that this new separate fellowship has no intention of separating, so the onus is on AA to insist on conformity to tradition four or initiate the separation. The concept is clear that such a situation demands action. The longer this movement is left alone , the more damaging to AA it will be.
Why the primary purpose approach to carrying the message is not AA, is summed up quite nicely in the the words of both Bill W and Dr. Bob:
" A very tough minded prospect was taken to his first AA meeting, where two speakers (or maybe lecturers) themed their talks on "God as I understand Him." Their attitude oozed arrogance. In fact, the final speaker got far overboard on his personal theological convictions. Both were repeating my performance of years before. Implicit in everything they said was the same idea: "Folks, listen to us. We have the only true brand of AA- and you'd better get it!" The new prospect said he'd had it- and he had. His sponsor protested that this wasn't real AA. But it was too late; nobody could touch him after that." (Bill W.) from: Arrogance and its opposite, Page 199, As Bill Sees It.
"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) from: Dr. Bob and The Good Old Timers, page 227.
I think the message here in the words of Bill W and Dr. Bob are that the interpretations of the AA progamme, published on the internet and by ego driven indivualists such as Mess'rs Dick B, Wally P, Joe MacQ, Cliff B and Myers R are perhaps best used to kindle a bonfire.
Keep up the good work"
Why the primary purpose approach to carrying the message is not AA, is summed up quite nicely in the the words of both Bill W and Dr. Bob:
" A very tough minded prospect was taken to his first AA meeting, where two speakers (or maybe lecturers) themed their talks on "God as I understand Him." Their attitude oozed arrogance. In fact, the final speaker got far overboard on his personal theological convictions. Both were repeating my performance of years before. Implicit in everything they said was the same idea: "Folks, listen to us. We have the only true brand of AA- and you'd better get it!" The new prospect said he'd had it- and he had. His sponsor protested that this wasn't real AA. But it was too late; nobody could touch him after that." (Bill W.) from: Arrogance and its opposite, Page 199, As Bill Sees It.
"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) from: Dr. Bob and The Good Old Timers, page 227.
I think the message here in the words of Bill W and Dr. Bob are that the interpretations of the AA progamme, published on the internet and by ego driven indivualists such as Mess'rs Dick B, Wally P, Joe MacQ, Cliff B and Myers R are perhaps best used to kindle a bonfire.
Keep up the good work"
Friday 2 October 2009
A counter to idolatry
The Fundamentals--In Retrospect (extracts from the Grapevine article - full version available via AA Grapevine website)
"September 1948
......As finally expressed and offered, they [the 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 the proof. Their simplicity and workability are such that no special interpretations, certainly no reservations, have ever been necessary. And it has become Increasingly clear that the degree of harmonious living which we achieve is in direct ratio to our earnest attempt to follow them literally under Divine guidance to the best of our ability.
YET, withal, there are no "shibboleths" in A.A. We are not bound by the thongs of theological doctrine. None of us may be excommunicated and cast into outer darkness. For we are many minds in our organization and an A.A. decalogue in the language of "Thou shall not" would gall us indeed.
Look at our 12 Points of A.A. Tradition. No random expressions these, based on just casual observation. On the contrary, they represent the sum of our experience as individuals, as groups within A.A. and similarly with our fellows and other organizations in the great fellowship of humanity under God throughout the world. They are entirely suggestive, yet the spirit in which they have been conceived merits their serious, prayerful consideration as the guidepost of A.A. policy for the individual, the group and our various committees, local and national.
We have found it wise policy, too, to hold to no glorification of the individual. Obviously, that is sound. Most of us will concede that when it came to the personal showdown of admitting our failures and deciding to surrender our will and our lives to Almighty God, as we understood Him, we still had some sneaking ideas of personal justification and excuse. We had to discard them but the ego of the alcoholic dies a hard death. Many of us because of activity have received praise not only from our fellow A.A.s but from the world at large. We would be ungrateful indeed to be boorish when that happens yet it is so easy for us to become, privately perhaps, just a little vain about It all. Yet, fitting and wearing halos is not for us.
WE'VE all seen the new member who stays sober for a time, largely through sponsor-worship. Then maybe the sponsor gets drunk and you know what usually happens. Left without a human prop, the new member gets drunk too. He has been glorifying an individual instead of following the Program.
Certainly we need leaders but we must regard them as the human agents of the Higher Power and not with undue adulation as individuals. The 4th and 10th Steps can not be too strongly emphasized here--"Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. . .continue to make personal inventory. . .promptly admit it when we are wrong." There is your perfect antidote for halo-poisoning.....
........ we have no V.I.P.'s nor have we need of any. Our organization needs no title-holders nor grandiose buildings. That is by design. Experience has taught us that simplicity is basic in preservation of our personal sobriety and helping those in need.
.......
Dr. Bob
Akron, Ohio"
(our emphases in bold print)
(thanks to the AA member who drew our attention to this essay)
The Fellas
"September 1948
......As finally expressed and offered, they [the 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 the proof. Their simplicity and workability are such that no special interpretations, certainly no reservations, have ever been necessary. And it has become Increasingly clear that the degree of harmonious living which we achieve is in direct ratio to our earnest attempt to follow them literally under Divine guidance to the best of our ability.
YET, withal, there are no "shibboleths" in A.A. We are not bound by the thongs of theological doctrine. None of us may be excommunicated and cast into outer darkness. For we are many minds in our organization and an A.A. decalogue in the language of "Thou shall not" would gall us indeed.
Look at our 12 Points of A.A. Tradition. No random expressions these, based on just casual observation. On the contrary, they represent the sum of our experience as individuals, as groups within A.A. and similarly with our fellows and other organizations in the great fellowship of humanity under God throughout the world. They are entirely suggestive, yet the spirit in which they have been conceived merits their serious, prayerful consideration as the guidepost of A.A. policy for the individual, the group and our various committees, local and national.
We have found it wise policy, too, to hold to no glorification of the individual. Obviously, that is sound. Most of us will concede that when it came to the personal showdown of admitting our failures and deciding to surrender our will and our lives to Almighty God, as we understood Him, we still had some sneaking ideas of personal justification and excuse. We had to discard them but the ego of the alcoholic dies a hard death. Many of us because of activity have received praise not only from our fellow A.A.s but from the world at large. We would be ungrateful indeed to be boorish when that happens yet it is so easy for us to become, privately perhaps, just a little vain about It all. Yet, fitting and wearing halos is not for us.
WE'VE all seen the new member who stays sober for a time, largely through sponsor-worship. Then maybe the sponsor gets drunk and you know what usually happens. Left without a human prop, the new member gets drunk too. He has been glorifying an individual instead of following the Program.
Certainly we need leaders but we must regard them as the human agents of the Higher Power and not with undue adulation as individuals. The 4th and 10th Steps can not be too strongly emphasized here--"Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. . .continue to make personal inventory. . .promptly admit it when we are wrong." There is your perfect antidote for halo-poisoning.....
........ we have no V.I.P.'s nor have we need of any. Our organization needs no title-holders nor grandiose buildings. That is by design. Experience has taught us that simplicity is basic in preservation of our personal sobriety and helping those in need.
.......
Dr. Bob
Akron, Ohio"
(our emphases in bold print)
(thanks to the AA member who drew our attention to this essay)
The Fellas
Wednesday 30 September 2009
And now over to East Sussex Intergroup.....
We received the following information from a correspondent in the area:
"I live in Eastbourne and have been dismayed by the emergence of three new groups within the last 10 months or so. They all appeared to be running along the lines described on AACultwatch. Recently, at least one of these groups has closed due to lack of participants, but at least one has made its way into the East Sussex Intergroup list of meetings. There may still be another one operating - these two run under the name "There is a solution".
These groups have been a frequent topic for discussion at group consciences during the last six months (I regularly go to most meetings in Eastbourne) and have sparked off lively debate at Intergroup meetings. Indeed, this coming Tuesday (Sept. 15) there will be an extraordinary Intergroup meeting to air the matter after the renewed decision to include the Friday "There is a solution" meeting to the meeting list.
I hope that you will update the "Cult: Where to find" and "Area news" sections to include the "There is a solution" meeting in Eastbourne on Fridays at 20.00. The meeting was held at the Oasis Centre, Christ Church, Seaside Road, Eastbourne, but will more next Friday to Elim Church, Hartfield Road, Eastbourne."
Subsequently we learnt that the Intergroup had an:
"......Extraordinary meeting of East Sussex Intergroup last Tuesday (15/09) ........, but what I have heard so far is that the Hastings meeting is now off the Intergroup meeting list with a 2/3 majority and no abstentions, whereas the Eastbourne meetings still stay on (both votes failed to reach the 2/3 majority by a vote or two - with one or two abstentions)."
It is not clear yet whether this removal of the Hastings group from the Intergroup meeting list also means that they have been effectively removed both from the Where to Find and the withdrawal of the right to have GSR participation etc.
However this action clearly indicates that IT IS POSSIBLE to remove a group from an Intergroup (kindly take note other Intergroups - especially West Kent - which is riddled with cult members!!). We trust this action sends out a message LOUD and CLEAR that a group cannot behave any way it likes and expect to continue in this fashion indefinitely. Frequently the (usually misquoted) defence of Tradition Four (group autonomy) has been used as a justification for all kinds of irresponsible and downright dangerous behaviour. What the cult groups have failed to realise up until now is that other groups too have the right of group autonomy, and they too can make decisions guided solely by their ultimate authority - and that one of those decisions may now include the right to remove a rogue element from the Fellowship, one which does NOT act for the welfare of the AA member nor for the Fellowship as a whole. Of course such a decision cannot stop a group from operating but at least they can no longer claim the support of AA. We fully expect that they will continue to "trade" off the AA name and reputation for as long as possible but finally they have no future.
Cheers
The Fellas
"I live in Eastbourne and have been dismayed by the emergence of three new groups within the last 10 months or so. They all appeared to be running along the lines described on AACultwatch. Recently, at least one of these groups has closed due to lack of participants, but at least one has made its way into the East Sussex Intergroup list of meetings. There may still be another one operating - these two run under the name "There is a solution".
These groups have been a frequent topic for discussion at group consciences during the last six months (I regularly go to most meetings in Eastbourne) and have sparked off lively debate at Intergroup meetings. Indeed, this coming Tuesday (Sept. 15) there will be an extraordinary Intergroup meeting to air the matter after the renewed decision to include the Friday "There is a solution" meeting to the meeting list.
I hope that you will update the "Cult: Where to find" and "Area news" sections to include the "There is a solution" meeting in Eastbourne on Fridays at 20.00. The meeting was held at the Oasis Centre, Christ Church, Seaside Road, Eastbourne, but will more next Friday to Elim Church, Hartfield Road, Eastbourne."
Subsequently we learnt that the Intergroup had an:
"......Extraordinary meeting of East Sussex Intergroup last Tuesday (15/09) ........, but what I have heard so far is that the Hastings meeting is now off the Intergroup meeting list with a 2/3 majority and no abstentions, whereas the Eastbourne meetings still stay on (both votes failed to reach the 2/3 majority by a vote or two - with one or two abstentions)."
It is not clear yet whether this removal of the Hastings group from the Intergroup meeting list also means that they have been effectively removed both from the Where to Find and the withdrawal of the right to have GSR participation etc.
However this action clearly indicates that IT IS POSSIBLE to remove a group from an Intergroup (kindly take note other Intergroups - especially West Kent - which is riddled with cult members!!). We trust this action sends out a message LOUD and CLEAR that a group cannot behave any way it likes and expect to continue in this fashion indefinitely. Frequently the (usually misquoted) defence of Tradition Four (group autonomy) has been used as a justification for all kinds of irresponsible and downright dangerous behaviour. What the cult groups have failed to realise up until now is that other groups too have the right of group autonomy, and they too can make decisions guided solely by their ultimate authority - and that one of those decisions may now include the right to remove a rogue element from the Fellowship, one which does NOT act for the welfare of the AA member nor for the Fellowship as a whole. Of course such a decision cannot stop a group from operating but at least they can no longer claim the support of AA. We fully expect that they will continue to "trade" off the AA name and reputation for as long as possible but finally they have no future.
Cheers
The Fellas
Saturday 26 September 2009
News from down Bournemouth way
Well! It seems that the recovery "business" is thriving - following our article on the goings-on in South East London Intergroup (West) a member sent in some more info - the franchise "Emotional Sobriety" appears to have opened up shop elsewhere in the UK - Bournemouth and Croydon amongst others (see quote below). Apart from Wayne B (not to be confused with Little Wayne from the Road to Recovery Cult group Plymouth) and Tina, Bob D (who has also done a turn at the Plymouth R2R roadshow) also features behind this. Indeed it would appear that the R2R gang are busily strengthening links both with the Pacific Group (about which there is already considerable controversy but we'll leave that for another day) as well as the Primary Purpose outfit (French branch). Apart from Bob (Specific Group?? Las Vegas) the R2R cult group has hosted no lesser a personage than the venerable Clancy I (Pacific Group LA US). Indeed so amicable are relations in this respect that the R2R website now carries a link to AA Los Angeles Central Office (which is handy if you're at a bit of a loss on a Monday night and need a meeting in LA). But to get back to the Emotional Sobriety scam - at first sight there seems to be little in common between the fliers advertising the SELIG event and the one in Bournemouth. However our eagle eyed correspondent noted that in both instances cheques for registration are payable to Friends of Bill W. As far as we are aware this is not an AA account, nor one run by the local intergroup - in fact it has no connection with AA at all. No attempt was made by the organiser of this event to inform the local intergroup of what was going on (even as a matter of courtesy). When he was challenged on the matter a number of fairly feeble rationalisations were offered (far too nauseating to post here). The organiser himself hails from the Poole Sunday night group and claims no connection with the Road to Recovery group (that is apart from having an predilection for ignoring inconvenient Traditions and a similar taste in speakers). Additionally a correspondent from the US sent us further information on the Emotional Sobriety racket:
Quote:
"More on Wayne 'n' Tina
Tina seems to be a recent addition, replacing the aging 'TJ M.' of Chicago.
A quick and dirty search finds multiple versions of the same flyer, with various 'sponsoring' entities identified, e.g.:
Friends of the Big Book (Washington DC)
Pinellas Beginners Group (Clearwater Florida)
Essex Beginners Group (Leigh on Sea, Essex)
Oxford area AA's (Summertown, Oxford)
Friends of Step'n Ahead (Dundee, Scotland)
Akron Beginners Group (Akron, Ohio)
How many of these are real AA groups is not clear.
The W 'n' T organization have two websites:
http://www.stepnahead.com/
and the more recent,
http://www.emotionalsobriety101.com/
"The Big Book Lives On" is their most common head line, but they also refer to the following (note trademarks): Step'n Ahead at The Last Mile® (98% Success!) and Step'n Ahead into Emotional Sobriety®.
They sell workbooks and promote like mad.
Warn everyone, thanks"
It is worth nothing that the distinction between a speaker sharing at a meeting as an AA member or addressing an event to promote their "brand", is becoming increasingly blurred. Circuit speakers have been a feature for some time in the US (in breach of the Tradition relating to principles before personalities) and that unsavoury aspect of AA is now creeping into the UK (with CDs being offered for sale at some group venues). Generally AA workshops are open to all and there is no charge for admission. AA conventions may charge but this is done to cover the costs of accommodation and other accessory facilities, but should not charge AA members for access to any AA meeting held on the premises. Where charges are necessarily incurred for the use of facilities by AA members who are engaged in service activity it is generally the case that the service structure reimburses those members for any costs (this is done to ensure that no AA member is excluded from the possibility of participating in that structure due to financial constraints). In our view, and apart from those instances cited above, any event which charges admission is de facto NOT an AA gathering and should not be advertised at AA meetings, nor should their literature be displayed at AA meetings (contrary to the perverse guideline issued on this matter by the General Service Conference (What were they thinking! Or rather - Were they thinking at all!). We expect this trend to continue (for the foreseeable future) and would propose that the default position which might be adopted by the AA service structure is to treat any such events (ie. those that are not sponsored by an Intergroup, or where the group has not consulted with other groups as per Tradition Four) as non AA events and therefore not to be advertised within AA, and moreover that newer members should be notified of this. Furthermore we would propose that any new group set up should approach the relevant Intergroup or other groups in the locality prior to its formation and give a full account of its purposes, financing, affiliations etc - in other words establish its credentials as a genuine AA group. If it does so to the satisfaction of AA members then it may be admitted as an AA group together with inclusion in the local and national Where to Finds. If it fails to satisfy the membership of its credentials then the local groups may choose to exclude it. Additionally it may be the case that a group's continued participation in an Intergroup (and inclusion in the Where to Find) may be reviewed if it can be demonstrated to the local membership that its conduct is consistently and repeatedly in breach of AA traditions (not only in letter but in spirit) and that its conduct brings AA into serious disrepute (we would propose that such infractions include criminal activity, serious negligence - both of which may be actionable in law, together with that conduct which is in breach of human rights - freedom of association, freedom of religious (or not) worship, freedom of speech etc)These may be considered radical measures by some elements in the Fellowship but then doing nothing, as we have said before, is no longer an option.
Finally we display the Bournemouth flier with personal details blanked out (as usual) but in the light of the above we are reconsidering this policy. Given that these are non AA functions there seems to be no good reason why we should not include those details (and in full in future); it would seem to us that if a member has chosen to break their own anonymity in support of a non AA event then we are no longer under any moral obligation to do otherwise.
Cheers
The Fellas
Quote:
"More on Wayne 'n' Tina
Tina seems to be a recent addition, replacing the aging 'TJ M.' of Chicago.
A quick and dirty search finds multiple versions of the same flyer, with various 'sponsoring' entities identified, e.g.:
Friends of the Big Book (Washington DC)
Pinellas Beginners Group (Clearwater Florida)
Essex Beginners Group (Leigh on Sea, Essex)
Oxford area AA's (Summertown, Oxford)
Friends of Step'n Ahead (Dundee, Scotland)
Akron Beginners Group (Akron, Ohio)
How many of these are real AA groups is not clear.
The W 'n' T organization have two websites:
http://www.stepnahead.com/
and the more recent,
http://www.emotionalsobriety101.com/
"The Big Book Lives On" is their most common head line, but they also refer to the following (note trademarks): Step'n Ahead at The Last Mile® (98% Success!) and Step'n Ahead into Emotional Sobriety®.
They sell workbooks and promote like mad.
Warn everyone, thanks"
It is worth nothing that the distinction between a speaker sharing at a meeting as an AA member or addressing an event to promote their "brand", is becoming increasingly blurred. Circuit speakers have been a feature for some time in the US (in breach of the Tradition relating to principles before personalities) and that unsavoury aspect of AA is now creeping into the UK (with CDs being offered for sale at some group venues). Generally AA workshops are open to all and there is no charge for admission. AA conventions may charge but this is done to cover the costs of accommodation and other accessory facilities, but should not charge AA members for access to any AA meeting held on the premises. Where charges are necessarily incurred for the use of facilities by AA members who are engaged in service activity it is generally the case that the service structure reimburses those members for any costs (this is done to ensure that no AA member is excluded from the possibility of participating in that structure due to financial constraints). In our view, and apart from those instances cited above, any event which charges admission is de facto NOT an AA gathering and should not be advertised at AA meetings, nor should their literature be displayed at AA meetings (contrary to the perverse guideline issued on this matter by the General Service Conference (What were they thinking! Or rather - Were they thinking at all!). We expect this trend to continue (for the foreseeable future) and would propose that the default position which might be adopted by the AA service structure is to treat any such events (ie. those that are not sponsored by an Intergroup, or where the group has not consulted with other groups as per Tradition Four) as non AA events and therefore not to be advertised within AA, and moreover that newer members should be notified of this. Furthermore we would propose that any new group set up should approach the relevant Intergroup or other groups in the locality prior to its formation and give a full account of its purposes, financing, affiliations etc - in other words establish its credentials as a genuine AA group. If it does so to the satisfaction of AA members then it may be admitted as an AA group together with inclusion in the local and national Where to Finds. If it fails to satisfy the membership of its credentials then the local groups may choose to exclude it. Additionally it may be the case that a group's continued participation in an Intergroup (and inclusion in the Where to Find) may be reviewed if it can be demonstrated to the local membership that its conduct is consistently and repeatedly in breach of AA traditions (not only in letter but in spirit) and that its conduct brings AA into serious disrepute (we would propose that such infractions include criminal activity, serious negligence - both of which may be actionable in law, together with that conduct which is in breach of human rights - freedom of association, freedom of religious (or not) worship, freedom of speech etc)These may be considered radical measures by some elements in the Fellowship but then doing nothing, as we have said before, is no longer an option.
Finally we display the Bournemouth flier with personal details blanked out (as usual) but in the light of the above we are reconsidering this policy. Given that these are non AA functions there seems to be no good reason why we should not include those details (and in full in future); it would seem to us that if a member has chosen to break their own anonymity in support of a non AA event then we are no longer under any moral obligation to do otherwise.
Cheers
The Fellas
Thursday 24 September 2009
Cult activity in South East London Intergroup Area (West)
An AA member has kindly sent us photos of a flier which was recently being distributed in AA meetings in this part of London. This advertising material would seem to emanate from a group recently established (July 2009) in the Kennington/Oval area on a Thursday evening (London Beginners Group). The event was not sponsored by the local AA groups nor by SELIG. Local members have challenged their attempts to advertise this non-AA event in AA meetings. In one instance a cult member was asked if the event was "AA approved". The fellow did not seem to understand the concept so it was explained to him: "Is this event put on by AA, approved by Intergroup [according to AA guidelines], with monies collected going back through Intergroup and into the service structure of AA?" Apparently the chap in question was unable to furnish an adequate reply and beat a hasty retreat. There have also been attempts by cult members to intervene in local groups by asking for group consciences to be held (a tactic by which they seek to incorporate their agenda into that of AA) - so far these have proven to be unsuccessful. SELIG contacted the organiser of this event and invited him to attend the next Intergroup business meeting (July 09) to offer an explanation, an invitation which was initially accepted but then subsequently declined. SELIG minutes indicate that these events 'should not be announced in AA meetings' since they have nothing to do with AA.
It will be observed from the flier that if it were sponsored by AA or an AA group it would be in breach of the following Traditions:
Trad 1: Acting without consultation with AA groups and thereby causing disunity
Trad 3: Charging for admission to event - financial status is not a requirement for membership (or attendance at any AA event)
Trad 4: Their conduct is adversely affecting other groups and AA as a whole
Trad 6: This group is endorsing an outside organisation viz. Emotional Sobriety
Trad 7: Event open to non AA members and accepting payments from these
Trad 8: It is unclear how the revenue collected from this event is disbursed - it is indicated that some of the speakers come from the US (Are they here in a professional capacity? Are they being paid expenses and/or fees? Is this a justifiable cost? For the last we think not - no one's that sober!)
Trad 11: Flier is promotional
Trad 12: Part of the promotional content includes reference to specific personalities
The flier carries misinformation relating to the financing of this workshop - an AA meeting is ANY occasion where two or more members of AA (that is someone who has a desire to stop drinking and declares themselves to be such) meet to share their experience, strength and hope so that they may help each other to get and stay sober - the ENTIRE business of AA is precisely that. If a meeting is being run for any other purpose it is NOT an AA meeting. Workshops, conferences, business meetings, however they may be labelled, are ALL AA meetings and ANY member of AA is entitled to attend them, and without financial charge. Any costs incurred should be borne by the Fellowship (either locally or as a whole) from VOLUNTARY contributions received.
Some research into one of the speakers indicates a connection with a non-AA website. (The site carries the usual disclaimer of non-affiliation. It is clear however from the circulated flier that the speaker is using this event to promote his own agenda (which we repeat, and according to the site's own disclaimer, has no association with Alcoholics Anonymous).
Clearly how an individual earns his living, or occupies his time, is entirely his own affair, but AA is not the place to tout for business.
Our thanks to the member who drew our attention to this.
Cheers
The Fellas
It will be observed from the flier that if it were sponsored by AA or an AA group it would be in breach of the following Traditions:
Trad 1: Acting without consultation with AA groups and thereby causing disunity
Trad 3: Charging for admission to event - financial status is not a requirement for membership (or attendance at any AA event)
Trad 4: Their conduct is adversely affecting other groups and AA as a whole
Trad 6: This group is endorsing an outside organisation viz. Emotional Sobriety
Trad 7: Event open to non AA members and accepting payments from these
Trad 8: It is unclear how the revenue collected from this event is disbursed - it is indicated that some of the speakers come from the US (Are they here in a professional capacity? Are they being paid expenses and/or fees? Is this a justifiable cost? For the last we think not - no one's that sober!)
Trad 11: Flier is promotional
Trad 12: Part of the promotional content includes reference to specific personalities
The flier carries misinformation relating to the financing of this workshop - an AA meeting is ANY occasion where two or more members of AA (that is someone who has a desire to stop drinking and declares themselves to be such) meet to share their experience, strength and hope so that they may help each other to get and stay sober - the ENTIRE business of AA is precisely that. If a meeting is being run for any other purpose it is NOT an AA meeting. Workshops, conferences, business meetings, however they may be labelled, are ALL AA meetings and ANY member of AA is entitled to attend them, and without financial charge. Any costs incurred should be borne by the Fellowship (either locally or as a whole) from VOLUNTARY contributions received.
Some research into one of the speakers indicates a connection with a non-AA website. (The site carries the usual disclaimer of non-affiliation. It is clear however from the circulated flier that the speaker is using this event to promote his own agenda (which we repeat, and according to the site's own disclaimer, has no association with Alcoholics Anonymous).
Clearly how an individual earns his living, or occupies his time, is entirely his own affair, but AA is not the place to tout for business.
Our thanks to the member who drew our attention to this.
Cheers
The Fellas
Wednesday 23 September 2009
The cult in London - a bit more history
As mentioned elsewhere on this site the cult have been active in London for some considerable time, initially under the "guidance" of David B (now deceased) and subsequently David C. Various attempts have been made to subvert the service structure of AA in the metropolis, to replace it with one more amenable to the cult agenda. Opposition to their activities may account for the demise of the Eaton Square axis - they found that they could get nowhere and opted to send out "missionaries" to weaker and more unaware areas - viz. Kent - which is currently suffering from a serious infestation of their members and groups (see Cult: Where to Find). On the death of David B David C assumed the vacated position and attempted to secure the two London regions to the cult. He failed in this instance due to effective opposition but it should not be assumed that if that battle was lost the war is over. Indeed this campaign was preceded by one in the 90s where David C similarly sought to gain dominance in the (at that time) monolithic London region. Finally they failed simply because the cult groups' 30-40 GSRs were insufficient to justify their control over a part of the service structure that some 500 AA groups were simply ignoring - this is what is called "group power". But their ambitions remain consistent - to gain control of AA in London and effectively separate it from the rest of the UK - "divide and rule" is the strategy.
Be aware!
Regards
The Fellas
Be aware!
Regards
The Fellas
Monday 21 September 2009
From the South-West
And so the Road to Recovery Plymouth cult group saga rolls on... and on ... and on......
The word is (well - considerably more than one word to be honest but we'll spare you every inconsequential detail) that the cult group (together with its participating members) has withdrawn not only from Plymouth Intergroup but from South-West region, and is proposing to set up its own Intergroup. This would comprise four Plymouth groups (? - meetings surely!), two in Bournemouth and one in Penzance (we're aware of one Bournemouth group so we'd be interested to know which one is other - and some more details on the Penzance group?). This matter is being discussed by everybody and his dog as far as we can make out - GSO, various Intergroups in the area etc - and the emerging consensus (outside of the Road to Recovery cult group) is that it's an unnecessary duplication of the service structure. However this move on the part of the R2R group is simply an extension of a well established cult strategy - if you can't gain control of an AA group then you set you up a competitor in the same area; the last concern of the cult is AA unity, despite their protestations to the contrary. It is also debatable whether the new Intergroup would be an AA Intergroup at all. Certainly it would be set up in breach of AA Traditions (nothing new there then!) and would simply be using the AA name in order to continue to feed parasitically upon the Fellowship (Note: It's interesting to observe in this connection that when members of the aacultwatch team started to conduct research on the activities of the cult a fair proportion of this was done via the internet. We rapidly encountered a whole mass of websites (forums etc) on the WWW which were extremely hostile to AA, with contributors citing examples of poor treatment (religious dogmatism, anti medication policies, intrusive conduct ie. control freaks, segregation etc - all characteristics of cults) they had received on coming into contact with the fellowship. These accounts were largely quite unrecognisable to us as members of AA, and we were initially inclined to write these complaints off as mere "resentments" on the part of those who were disenchanted with the AA approach ("disease concept", religion, powerlessness, etc). But when we examined the conduct of the cult groups we saw a clear match between their methods and the complaints being voiced on the anti AA websites. We're not going to pretend that every ill can be blamed upon the cult but there is an extraordinary correlation between the cult's dogmatic and intrusive stance and the accusations levelled at AA as a whole, certainly as evidenced by this particular medium. It is clear that the cult groups and their methods are contributing significantly towards presenting AA in an extremely poor light - to this audience at least).
Anyway to get back to Plymouth R2R cult group.... As you may recall we thought it more likely that Little Wayne et al would continue to infest AA for as long as they could get away with it, play the victim role for all it was worth but finally pull back from the brink... going it alone. But contrary to our prediction, and as can be seen from the above, Little Wayne and gang are still set upon their course - to establish their own "brand" - but remain content for the time being to purloin the AA name for as long as it serves their purpose. However in one detail we were spot on - Little Wayne has managed to reprise his favourite role and complains that nobody in Region loves them any more (our irony) but expresses the view that Plymouth Intergroup "had now managed to get rid of Road to Recovery Group" an opinion that was repudiated by the Intergroup in their response, viz: this "was not accurate. Roads members had elected to leave, and it was never the intention of Plymouth to force them out".
Finally, and whichever way it happens, the exit or removal of the R2R cult group from Plymouth Intergroup can only be good for AA. The greater the distance put between these cult groups and the Fellowship, the more this will reduce the damage that is being done to the Fellowship and its programme by these extremists.
The word is (well - considerably more than one word to be honest but we'll spare you every inconsequential detail) that the cult group (together with its participating members) has withdrawn not only from Plymouth Intergroup but from South-West region, and is proposing to set up its own Intergroup. This would comprise four Plymouth groups (? - meetings surely!), two in Bournemouth and one in Penzance (we're aware of one Bournemouth group so we'd be interested to know which one is other - and some more details on the Penzance group?). This matter is being discussed by everybody and his dog as far as we can make out - GSO, various Intergroups in the area etc - and the emerging consensus (outside of the Road to Recovery cult group) is that it's an unnecessary duplication of the service structure. However this move on the part of the R2R group is simply an extension of a well established cult strategy - if you can't gain control of an AA group then you set you up a competitor in the same area; the last concern of the cult is AA unity, despite their protestations to the contrary. It is also debatable whether the new Intergroup would be an AA Intergroup at all. Certainly it would be set up in breach of AA Traditions (nothing new there then!) and would simply be using the AA name in order to continue to feed parasitically upon the Fellowship (Note: It's interesting to observe in this connection that when members of the aacultwatch team started to conduct research on the activities of the cult a fair proportion of this was done via the internet. We rapidly encountered a whole mass of websites (forums etc) on the WWW which were extremely hostile to AA, with contributors citing examples of poor treatment (religious dogmatism, anti medication policies, intrusive conduct ie. control freaks, segregation etc - all characteristics of cults) they had received on coming into contact with the fellowship. These accounts were largely quite unrecognisable to us as members of AA, and we were initially inclined to write these complaints off as mere "resentments" on the part of those who were disenchanted with the AA approach ("disease concept", religion, powerlessness, etc). But when we examined the conduct of the cult groups we saw a clear match between their methods and the complaints being voiced on the anti AA websites. We're not going to pretend that every ill can be blamed upon the cult but there is an extraordinary correlation between the cult's dogmatic and intrusive stance and the accusations levelled at AA as a whole, certainly as evidenced by this particular medium. It is clear that the cult groups and their methods are contributing significantly towards presenting AA in an extremely poor light - to this audience at least).
Anyway to get back to Plymouth R2R cult group.... As you may recall we thought it more likely that Little Wayne et al would continue to infest AA for as long as they could get away with it, play the victim role for all it was worth but finally pull back from the brink... going it alone. But contrary to our prediction, and as can be seen from the above, Little Wayne and gang are still set upon their course - to establish their own "brand" - but remain content for the time being to purloin the AA name for as long as it serves their purpose. However in one detail we were spot on - Little Wayne has managed to reprise his favourite role and complains that nobody in Region loves them any more (our irony) but expresses the view that Plymouth Intergroup "had now managed to get rid of Road to Recovery Group" an opinion that was repudiated by the Intergroup in their response, viz: this "was not accurate. Roads members had elected to leave, and it was never the intention of Plymouth to force them out".
Finally, and whichever way it happens, the exit or removal of the R2R cult group from Plymouth Intergroup can only be good for AA. The greater the distance put between these cult groups and the Fellowship, the more this will reduce the damage that is being done to the Fellowship and its programme by these extremists.
Wednesday 16 September 2009
Cult meetings - Devon, Dorset, Hampshire
DEVON
Exeter: Road to Recovery
Tuesday 19.30 Cornerstone, Kimberley Rd
DORSET
Bournemouth: Road to Recovery
Wednesday 19.30 St Stephen's Church Hall, St Stephen's Way
HAMPSHIRE
Southampton: Road to Recovery
Saturday 19.30 United Reformed Church, St Johns Rd
Exeter: Road to Recovery
Tuesday 19.30 Cornerstone, Kimberley Rd
DORSET
Bournemouth: Road to Recovery
Wednesday 19.30 St Stephen's Church Hall, St Stephen's Way
HAMPSHIRE
Southampton: Road to Recovery
Saturday 19.30 United Reformed Church, St Johns Rd
Tuesday 15 September 2009
More cult meetings - England and Scotland
BEDFORDSHIRE
Toddington: Primary Purpose
Saturday 19.00 Methodist Church Hall, High St
(Note: appears in both AA WTF and Primary Purpose directories. Until quite recently ran its own website but the account has now been suspended whilst being investigated for "phishing" activities)
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Cambridge: Primary Purpose
Monday 19.45 St Paul's Church, Hills Rd
ESSEX
Goodmayes: Altered Attitudes
Tuesday 20.00 All Saints Church Hall, Goodmayes Lane
Barking: Big Book Study (The Way Out)
Saturday 20.00 Salvation Army, Ripple Rd
YORKSHIRE
Sheffield: Big Book Study
Monday 19.00 Pitsmoor Rd
(Note: this group appears in both AA WTF and in Primary Purpose directories)
SCOTLAND
ABERDEEN
Aberdeen: Big Book Workshop
Thursday 19.30 St Peter's Church, Chapel Close, Castlegate
(Note: appears in both AA WTF and Primary Purpose directories)
GLASGOW
Priesthill: Big Book Study
Wednesday 20.00 Priesthill Community Centre, Priesthill Rd
(Note: this group appears in both AA WTF and Primary Purpose directories)
LANARKSHIRE
Motherwell: Primary Purpose Big Book
Monday 20.00 Motherwell Baptist Church, Windmill St
(Note: this group appears in both AA WTF and in Primary Purpose directories)
This section contains reference to other groups that have been drawn to our attention but about which we have relatively little information as yet:
EAST SUSSEX
Eastbourne: There is a Solution
Friday 19.30 Oasis Centre, Christ Church, Seaside Rd - but moving to Elim Church, Hartfield Rd
Finally, groups which carry the titles: "Road to Recovery", "Primary Purpose", "Beginners", "Newcomers", "Vision for You" should be viewed with some circumspection (though it should be emphasised here that the use of these epithets does not necessarily imply a cult connection). However, cult members are very keen on getting to newcomers quickly, and focus a considerable amount of their energy on targeting the most vulnerable within the Fellowship. They are therefore very enthusiastic about setting up meetings specifically focussed on this "target market". It is our view that ALL AA meetings exist to assist the newcomer and that there should be no necessity for these so-called "specialist" meetings - this same principle applies to so-called "non-restrictive" meetings, which similarly break the most fundamental AA Tradition - that of the sole membership requirement.
Toddington: Primary Purpose
Saturday 19.00 Methodist Church Hall, High St
(Note: appears in both AA WTF and Primary Purpose directories. Until quite recently ran its own website but the account has now been suspended whilst being investigated for "phishing" activities)
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Cambridge: Primary Purpose
Monday 19.45 St Paul's Church, Hills Rd
ESSEX
Goodmayes: Altered Attitudes
Tuesday 20.00 All Saints Church Hall, Goodmayes Lane
Barking: Big Book Study (The Way Out)
Saturday 20.00 Salvation Army, Ripple Rd
YORKSHIRE
Sheffield: Big Book Study
Monday 19.00 Pitsmoor Rd
(Note: this group appears in both AA WTF and in Primary Purpose directories)
SCOTLAND
ABERDEEN
Aberdeen: Big Book Workshop
Thursday 19.30 St Peter's Church, Chapel Close, Castlegate
(Note: appears in both AA WTF and Primary Purpose directories)
GLASGOW
Priesthill: Big Book Study
Wednesday 20.00 Priesthill Community Centre, Priesthill Rd
(Note: this group appears in both AA WTF and Primary Purpose directories)
LANARKSHIRE
Motherwell: Primary Purpose Big Book
Monday 20.00 Motherwell Baptist Church, Windmill St
(Note: this group appears in both AA WTF and in Primary Purpose directories)
This section contains reference to other groups that have been drawn to our attention but about which we have relatively little information as yet:
EAST SUSSEX
Eastbourne: There is a Solution
Friday 19.30 Oasis Centre, Christ Church, Seaside Rd - but moving to Elim Church, Hartfield Rd
Finally, groups which carry the titles: "Road to Recovery", "Primary Purpose", "Beginners", "Newcomers", "Vision for You" should be viewed with some circumspection (though it should be emphasised here that the use of these epithets does not necessarily imply a cult connection). However, cult members are very keen on getting to newcomers quickly, and focus a considerable amount of their energy on targeting the most vulnerable within the Fellowship. They are therefore very enthusiastic about setting up meetings specifically focussed on this "target market". It is our view that ALL AA meetings exist to assist the newcomer and that there should be no necessity for these so-called "specialist" meetings - this same principle applies to so-called "non-restrictive" meetings, which similarly break the most fundamental AA Tradition - that of the sole membership requirement.
Monday 14 September 2009
Cult meetings - Greater London
This list is far from comprehensive and we will be adding to it (and amending where necessary) as we receive the relevant information.
Greater London
SW19
Wimbledon: Design for Living Group
Sunday 10.30 William Morris Meeting Rooms, The Broadway
W8
Kensington: Road to Recovery/As Bill Sees It
Monday 19.30 Kensington United Reformed Church, Allen St
Kensington: Road to Recovery
Wednesday 19.30 Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church, Kensington Church St
W11
Notting Hill: Road to Recovery/ A Vision for You
Friday 19.30 St Johns Church, Lansdowne Crescent
N21
Winchmore Hill: There is a Solution
Monday 20.00 Winchmore Hill Methodist Church, Green Lanes
Winchmore Hill: Primary Purpose Beginners
Friday 20.00 Winchmore Hill Methodist Church, Green Lanes
SE10
Greenwich: Road to Recovery
Tuesday 19.30 Devonshire Drive Baptist Church, Devonshire Drive
SW4
Battersea: Beginners
Tuesday 19.30 St Barnabas Church, Lavender Gdns
Greater London
SW19
Wimbledon: Design for Living Group
Sunday 10.30 William Morris Meeting Rooms, The Broadway
W8
Kensington: Road to Recovery/As Bill Sees It
Monday 19.30 Kensington United Reformed Church, Allen St
Kensington: Road to Recovery
Wednesday 19.30 Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church, Kensington Church St
W11
Notting Hill: Road to Recovery/ A Vision for You
Friday 19.30 St Johns Church, Lansdowne Crescent
N21
Winchmore Hill: There is a Solution
Monday 20.00 Winchmore Hill Methodist Church, Green Lanes
Winchmore Hill: Primary Purpose Beginners
Friday 20.00 Winchmore Hill Methodist Church, Green Lanes
SE10
Greenwich: Road to Recovery
Tuesday 19.30 Devonshire Drive Baptist Church, Devonshire Drive
SW4
Battersea: Beginners
Tuesday 19.30 St Barnabas Church, Lavender Gdns
Sunday 13 September 2009
Cult meetings - Surrey
Guildford: Beginners
Monday 20.00 St Mary's Church Community Hall, Aldershot Rd
Purley: There is a Solution
Monday 20.00 United Reformed Church, Brighton Rd
Purley
Wednesday 20.00 United Reformed Church, Brighton Rd
Purley: There is a Solution Big Book Study
Saturday 09.30 United Reformed Church, Brighton Rd
(The Purley group is involved in running non-AA conventions (in breach of AA guidelines) with the usual imported US Primary Purpose speakers. Fliers of these events have been circulated at AA meetings (again in breach of AA Traditions) and the speakers themselves prominently advertised (again in breach of AA Traditions - the one about "principles before personalities"). No proper accounting methods have been employed to account for the distribution of the monies charged for attendance at these gatherings - in some cases for substantial amounts)
Monday 20.00 St Mary's Church Community Hall, Aldershot Rd
Purley: There is a Solution
Monday 20.00 United Reformed Church, Brighton Rd
Purley
Wednesday 20.00 United Reformed Church, Brighton Rd
Purley: There is a Solution Big Book Study
Saturday 09.30 United Reformed Church, Brighton Rd
(The Purley group is involved in running non-AA conventions (in breach of AA guidelines) with the usual imported US Primary Purpose speakers. Fliers of these events have been circulated at AA meetings (again in breach of AA Traditions) and the speakers themselves prominently advertised (again in breach of AA Traditions - the one about "principles before personalities"). No proper accounting methods have been employed to account for the distribution of the monies charged for attendance at these gatherings - in some cases for substantial amounts)
Saturday 12 September 2009
Cult meetings - East and North Kent
East
Canterbury: Big Book Step & Tradition
Friday 19.30 Friends Meeting House, The Friars
Hythe
Monday 20.00 Methodist Church, Rampart Rd
Kearsney (Dover): Into Action
Wednesday 19.30 Kearsney Manor Nursing Home, Alkham Valley Rd
(used to be quite an active cult centre but operations seems to have switched to Tankerton Tuesday)
Margate
Friday 19.45 St John's Community Centre, St John's Church, Victoria Rd
(some cult influence here but group appears to have lost direction – formed a kind of once-a-month- hybrid with Al Anon participation – in breach of AA traditions)
Tankerton
Tuesday 19.45 Tankerton Evangelical Church
North
Beckenham: Primary Purpose Big Book Step Study
Wednesday 19.45 St Edmunds Church Hall, Village Way
(affiliated with the Primary Purpose movement - included in a number of their directories)
Bexleyheath: Road to Recovery
Monday 19.30 The Booth, The Salvation Army, Broadway
Bromley: Primary Purpose Big Book Study
Monday 19.45 Family Church, The Green Downham Way
(affiliated with the Primary Purpose movement - included in a number of their directories)
Sidcup: Into Action Multi-Mtg
Thursday 19.45 Emmanuel Methodist Church, Hadlow Rd
Sidcup: Into Action Multi-Mtg
Sunday 19.45 Emmanuel Methodist Church, Hadlow Rd
(both the Sidcup meetings form part of the Primary Purpose network (in breach of AA traditions of non-affiliation) – they carry links to this on their website, together with the rather unconvincing and disingenuous disclaimer that such inclusions do not constitute an endorsement, or otherwise, of this movement. Briefly, the Primary Purpose agenda is essentially predicated upon a series of lies – that the AA message has become "garbled", that this is a result of an influx of "treatment centre" members who treat AA meetings as therapy sessions, and that as a result recovery rates have fallen, and all this despite evidence (independent) to the contrary.
Canterbury: Big Book Step & Tradition
Friday 19.30 Friends Meeting House, The Friars
Hythe
Monday 20.00 Methodist Church, Rampart Rd
Kearsney (Dover): Into Action
Wednesday 19.30 Kearsney Manor Nursing Home, Alkham Valley Rd
(used to be quite an active cult centre but operations seems to have switched to Tankerton Tuesday)
Margate
Friday 19.45 St John's Community Centre, St John's Church, Victoria Rd
(some cult influence here but group appears to have lost direction – formed a kind of once-a-month- hybrid with Al Anon participation – in breach of AA traditions)
Tankerton
Tuesday 19.45 Tankerton Evangelical Church
North
Beckenham: Primary Purpose Big Book Step Study
Wednesday 19.45 St Edmunds Church Hall, Village Way
(affiliated with the Primary Purpose movement - included in a number of their directories)
Bexleyheath: Road to Recovery
Monday 19.30 The Booth, The Salvation Army, Broadway
Bromley: Primary Purpose Big Book Study
Monday 19.45 Family Church, The Green Downham Way
(affiliated with the Primary Purpose movement - included in a number of their directories)
Sidcup: Into Action Multi-Mtg
Thursday 19.45 Emmanuel Methodist Church, Hadlow Rd
Sidcup: Into Action Multi-Mtg
Sunday 19.45 Emmanuel Methodist Church, Hadlow Rd
(both the Sidcup meetings form part of the Primary Purpose network (in breach of AA traditions of non-affiliation) – they carry links to this on their website, together with the rather unconvincing and disingenuous disclaimer that such inclusions do not constitute an endorsement, or otherwise, of this movement. Briefly, the Primary Purpose agenda is essentially predicated upon a series of lies – that the AA message has become "garbled", that this is a result of an influx of "treatment centre" members who treat AA meetings as therapy sessions, and that as a result recovery rates have fallen, and all this despite evidence (independent) to the contrary.
Friday 11 September 2009
More cult meetings in Kent
Kent
Gravesend: Beginners
Tuesday 20.00 Emmanuel Baptist Church, Windmill St
Rochester: There is a Solution Big Book Step & Tradition
Monday 20.00 The Quaker Meeting House, Northgate
Rochester:
Saturday 10.45 The Quaker Meeting House, Northgate
Gravesend: Beginners
Tuesday 20.00 Emmanuel Baptist Church, Windmill St
Rochester: There is a Solution Big Book Step & Tradition
Monday 20.00 The Quaker Meeting House, Northgate
Rochester:
Saturday 10.45 The Quaker Meeting House, Northgate
Thursday 10 September 2009
Cult meeting of the day
Kent
Strood: There is a Solution
Thursday 20.00 St Nicholas with St Mary's Church
Strood: There is a Solution
Thursday 20.00 St Nicholas with St Mary's Church
Wednesday 9 September 2009
Cult meetings: Plymouth
PLYMOUTH: Road to Recovery
Tuesday 19.30 Church of Christ the King, Armada Way
Thursday 13.00 Quaker House, Mutley Plain
Friday 19.30 St Mathias Church Hall, North Hill
Sunday 17.30 (Sept-Dec)- Big Book study
18.45 Mini Meeting
19.30 Topic Meeting
St Mathias Church Hall, North Hill
Tuesday 19.30 Church of Christ the King, Armada Way
Thursday 13.00 Quaker House, Mutley Plain
Friday 19.30 St Mathias Church Hall, North Hill
Sunday 17.30 (Sept-Dec)- Big Book study
18.45 Mini Meeting
19.30 Topic Meeting
St Mathias Church Hall, North Hill
Tuesday 8 September 2009
And after a little breather.....we're back!!!
A worthwhile organisation to support:
Liberty (http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/):
"Who we are:
Liberty is also known as the National Council for Civil Liberties. Founded in 1934, we are a cross party, non-party membership organisation at the heart of the movement for fundamental rights and freedoms in England and Wales. We promote the values of individual human dignity, equal treatment and fairness as the foundations of a democratic society.
Our mission
Liberty seeks to protect civil liberties and promote human rights for everyone. What we do Liberty campaigns to protect basic rights and freedoms through the courts, in Parliament and in the wider community. We do this through a combination of public campaigning, test case litigation, parliamentary lobbying, policy analysis and the provision of free advice and information."
We mention Liberty in this context simply because they are the precise antithesis to what the cult is about, those who are busily denying the most basic freedoms to the most vulnerable members of AA - the newcomer. Moreover, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/) states in 30 Articles what these rights are. The cult is directly and explicitly opposed, both in its dogma and its actions, to at least half a dozen of these articles. We'll leave it to you to decide which ones
Cheers
The Fellas
Liberty (http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/):
"Who we are:
Liberty is also known as the National Council for Civil Liberties. Founded in 1934, we are a cross party, non-party membership organisation at the heart of the movement for fundamental rights and freedoms in England and Wales. We promote the values of individual human dignity, equal treatment and fairness as the foundations of a democratic society.
Our mission
Liberty seeks to protect civil liberties and promote human rights for everyone. What we do Liberty campaigns to protect basic rights and freedoms through the courts, in Parliament and in the wider community. We do this through a combination of public campaigning, test case litigation, parliamentary lobbying, policy analysis and the provision of free advice and information."
We mention Liberty in this context simply because they are the precise antithesis to what the cult is about, those who are busily denying the most basic freedoms to the most vulnerable members of AA - the newcomer. Moreover, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/) states in 30 Articles what these rights are. The cult is directly and explicitly opposed, both in its dogma and its actions, to at least half a dozen of these articles. We'll leave it to you to decide which ones
Cheers
The Fellas
Monday 17 August 2009
A bit of history - the London/Plymouth connection
"David B [one of the founders of the cult movement within AA] a number of years ago wanted to be elected to the GSB [General Service Board]. They had other ideas and was refused - he sulked - the following year ( 1995 or thereabouts) the GSB were involved in forming a new constitution relating to the application of the concepts in this country. They made some errors and subsequently rectified them and apologised (Step 10). David B's gang seized upon this and started a campaign down in the South West to try and get a vote of no confidence in the GSB. They wanted the Board to be removed. People in the area were resistant to the notion and refused to back the campaign. Their region refused the proposal and in fact made a vote of confidence in the board. This movement was led by the Chelsea intergroup (David B's patch). Then followed a dirty tricks campaign which involved people's anonymity being broken (eg letters being sent to members' homes with the AA logo on the outside of the envelope). They still had no impact. I believe that these events are the impetus behind the current Taliban campaign. They failed to achieve their ends and so they are seeking to subvert AA via the current methods. This could further show that there is a deliberate strategy to take over AA by these thugs....."
....which brings us back to Little Wayne. The word is that he's discovered IT'S COLD OUT THERE - and is panicking about his and the cult's move to form a separate Intergroup. Apparently a reconciliation is in the offing and noises are being made about the cult rejoining (ie taking over) Plymouth Intergroup again. Our prediction is that Tradition One will be much bandied about, the cult will go into all out "victim mode" and play the part for all its worth, and AA will repeat the same old mistakes (remember the AA definition of insanity!!) and allow them back into the fold, where they will continue to inflict as much damage on AA as they can in pursuit of their own agenda (some groups - and members - never learn). But IT IS worth remembering that the cult groups have identifiable connections with non-AA organisations (in breach of the Traditions) - much of their literature is derived from these sources (as is their programme), some have connections to commercial interests (in some instances advertising their wares on their websites)(in breach of the Traditions), none of them even have a nodding acquaintance with the recovery programme of Alcoholics Anonymous (ie. the one in the Big Book) and they are run by a core group of individuals whose primary interests certainly are not those of AA but rather their own self aggrandisement (sponsorship idolatry, circuit speakers ("big fish in little ponds"), local gurus etc) (in breach of the Traditions). Still at least one good thing will come out of all of this - we'll be able to say "WE TOLD YOU SO!!" - Every cloud has a....
Over to you
Cheerio
The Fellas
....which brings us back to Little Wayne. The word is that he's discovered IT'S COLD OUT THERE - and is panicking about his and the cult's move to form a separate Intergroup. Apparently a reconciliation is in the offing and noises are being made about the cult rejoining (ie taking over) Plymouth Intergroup again. Our prediction is that Tradition One will be much bandied about, the cult will go into all out "victim mode" and play the part for all its worth, and AA will repeat the same old mistakes (remember the AA definition of insanity!!) and allow them back into the fold, where they will continue to inflict as much damage on AA as they can in pursuit of their own agenda (some groups - and members - never learn). But IT IS worth remembering that the cult groups have identifiable connections with non-AA organisations (in breach of the Traditions) - much of their literature is derived from these sources (as is their programme), some have connections to commercial interests (in some instances advertising their wares on their websites)(in breach of the Traditions), none of them even have a nodding acquaintance with the recovery programme of Alcoholics Anonymous (ie. the one in the Big Book) and they are run by a core group of individuals whose primary interests certainly are not those of AA but rather their own self aggrandisement (sponsorship idolatry, circuit speakers ("big fish in little ponds"), local gurus etc) (in breach of the Traditions). Still at least one good thing will come out of all of this - we'll be able to say "WE TOLD YOU SO!!" - Every cloud has a....
Over to you
Cheerio
The Fellas
Thursday 13 August 2009
Intolerance & Disunity
One of the aacultwatch team came across this little gem recently - and we've taken the title straight off the cult website which published the article in question. It could almost become the cult "motto" - they are, after all, its most active proponents.
It is truly fascinating, and indeed never fails to take our breath away, the sheer arrogance and obtuseness of a cult member in full flight. Apparently this particular individual is feeling rather peeved because he's been on the receiving end of some somewhat impolitic behaviour on the part of a few AA members. This conduct might even be construed as abuse, but then abuse comes in many forms, doesn't it? For example, the widespread and systematic manipulation, brainwashing and outright intimidation of newcomers by members of the cult groups might be regarded in some quarters as a form of abuse - but we're not going to go into that here - the remainder of site contains ample evidence on this theme.
You'll no doubt be relieved to hear we're not going to give you a blow-by-blow account of the article; the original is easily viewed - but we suggest only by those with a strong stomach.
We should commence by saying that one of the favoured tactics of a cult member, when the pressure is starting to tell, is to go into "victim" mode. By playing the "underdog" - the "poor misunderstood fellow with only the best of intentions" - he may then go on to play the "wronged party" and thus move neatly into depicting everyone else at fault, "not working the programme" etc. Does this sound at all familiar to you? We think so.
So this particular plaint starts off with a lecture on the AA logo, the legacies it depicts, and an explanation of how the Traditions evolved. Now the favourite tradition of the cult is Tradition One, and our "poor innocent" goes on to quote this:
'Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon AA unity.'
Now there's no question that it's an important tradition but for the cult it serves another quite distinct purpose. It is frequently brandished by them as a means of stifling any dissenting voice, for this might "threaten" AA unity. It should be noted that this particular concern does not seem to worry the cult unduly when they happen to be that dissenting voice - Alexis K (cult member - Road to Recovery, Plymouth - and famous abuser of the General Secretary of Alcoholics Anonymous - see here) has expounded in detail on this one, and his verbal dexterity would be impressive, that is if one were easily impressed - and we're not. So any sign that AA members might dislike the way the cult conducts its business, or worse, dare to express that, shall we say, revulsion, then this tradition is immediately cited, and thus order (cult order) is restored. But the tradition that you rarely hear mentioned by the pointed headed ones is Tradition Four - see Big Book - because that really does cramp their style. Yet again an attempt has been made on their website to reinvent this Tradition - but yet again we're not easily impressed. But usually it's simpler to either misquote the tradition or ignore it completely - and the cult do both - it really doesn't serve their purposes.
The plaintiff then moves onto to describe in glowing terms his endeavours to go forth into heathen lands (ie AA meetings) to spread the "wonderful message of recovery that was so freely given to me". Now we're sure you're all thinking: "Well! He can't be such a bad lad, not with such fine intentions, and we do think you (aaccultwatch) are being a bit harsh on him". And you know what? We think you're right. In fact we'd go even further and say we KNOW you're right. And how do we know? Why! The fellow tells us so himself. We quote: "I believe that I am by nature a well-mannered, friendly, kind and gentle young man". Well there you go! How could such a fine fellow be subjected to such gross impoliteness as displayed by these nasty, nasty AA members. You should hang your heads in shame! Apparently some of these villains (a "small minority") would refuse "to shake my hand and even swear at me sometimes in a disgusting manner". Furthermore, the fellow goes on to explain - and we can even now see the look of innocent bewilderment spreading over his saintly face: "I was mortified by this as I had done nothing to harm these people by either word or deed". Well this is shocking stuff! We then discover that the reason for this hostile welcome is down to the home group attended by our budding martyr - the local cult group. Now the fellow becomes "baffled" for this is the very group which "showed me exactly what I needed to do to recover from alcoholism quickly and easily with loving kindness." (our emphasis – part of cult propaganda) He then goes on to describe in "clone speak" his recovery and the fact that he did not respond to these attacks in like fashion but instead would still offer "my hand to shake in fellowship, smile saying hello" etc ad nauseam. A little bit of reality kicks in at this point and the fellow admits to "curs[ing] them behind their back as I have got feelings you know, and we are a sensitive lot us alcoholics after all. But face to face I treat them with loving kindness in the hope that one day they will see me as the good-hearted man and alcoholic that I am...". Well, by now we've clearly identified who the goody is, and who the baddies are, haven't we! And we've discovered one of his priorities - image is all!
And now the denouement: "Sadly the day finally came when I felt unwelcome in an AA meeting for the first time because of the growing attacks against myself and my home group". A confrontation occurs and he claims that "most of the members there apologised and joined me in solidarity". Subsequently it seems that other members - presumably that ubiquitous "minority" (cult speak for the rest of AA) - join in the attack - and the "minority" view has its day, and our "good-hearted" fellow walks out of the meeting in disgust. The source of contention seems to be the cult group's "policy" on medication, which, like everything else it is involved in, is grossly intrusive. Apparently this group has its very own policy on the subject. Now please let us break the news to you - AA already has guidelines on the matter - and they've been around some time now. We don't really need any more. (The problem for the cult is that it has such a well proven track record of saying one thing in public and practising quite another in private (particularly with regard to the prescribed medication issue) that its primary mode of expression has become "the lie"; and the bigger the better. So it really is rather disingenuous to play the innocent when it comes to matters of fact and record)
To continue: it would seem that so devastated was this fellow by what had taken place, and even with his own reactions, that he rang up a "highly respected old-timer that was at that meeting" who in turn conveniently provided the "victim" with the justification and rationalisation that he so desperately needed. It turns out that our "well-mannered, friendly, kind and gentle young man" had retained his reputation and it was in fact the fault of all the others, those nasty, unkind, "off the programme" members at the meeting. He was told that he had "done nothing wrong" and that moreover he ("the highly respected old-timer") was surprised that it had taken me so long to react to all the attacks against me over the previous two years" - thus our almost flawless friend is rendered "reputation intacta".
So shaken was he that he even considered: "I felt that I couldn't go to any other meetings again apart from my home group". This is presented as some dreadful punishment inflicted upon this hapless and entirely blameless victim by the wicked AA members. But the fact is that most cult members are actively encouraged not to attend AA meetings for fear that they might be contaminated by the diluted and erroneous programme practised there. They only venture forth either in little bands on poaching missions, or on "missionary work" amongst the benighted heathen ie. AA. Unfortunately for us he has decided to continue with his selfless endeavours amongst us poor lost souls, and will continue to "do as much service as I can in line with the 12 traditions of AA" (that is except for Tradition Four) The "victim" concludes with this little insight - and we do mean "little": "Coincidentally I have found that the small minority [there it is again] causing so much damage to unity within AA are often the ones that say that they don’t read the Big Book, bad-mouth the 12 Steps and have no interest or regard for the 12 Traditions. Bill W. was right when he said that if AA doesn’t survive it will be because it was destroyed from within."
So there you have it. The reason why we have gone into some length upon this particular individual is that he most clearly illustrates the mind set of the average cult member (those who are suitably on-message). He clearly establishes his credentials as the aggrieved party in the whole matter, and not once does it cross his mind that there might be some reason behind this antagonistic response to his presence in an AA meeting (we refer you to the Big Book - pp. 61-62). His image must be maintained at all times and and he wants to be thought of only in his own terms. Failure to comply with this particular perspective can only be because everyone else is "wrong" and he must be "right". Finally, anyone who fails to share this viewpoint is, of course, part of a "small minority", who are entirely bent upon damaging AA unity, who know nothing of the the Big Book blah blah blah... Well, we can't speak for AA (since no one does) but we can speak for ourselves, and here's a little insight from us. The members of the aacultwatch team ARE well acquainted with the Big Book, DON'T bad-mouth the 12 Steps, and HAVE A CONSIDERABLE INTEREST AND REGARD for the 12 Traditions. The problem is that we have to deal with a "minority" of cult members, posing as AA members, whose ignorance of these areas is literally stupefying, and quite probably irremediable.
Finally might we suggest, and of course in all humility - a virtue seemingly lacking in our "victim" - that the next time he attends an AA meeting perhaps he would be well advised to keep the orifice beneath his nose tightly zipped, and the holes on either side of his head wide open - he might actually become acquainted with the recovery programme of Alcoholics Anonymous rather than the perversion put about by the cult.
And finally finally - if that fails to do the trick then might we suggest that he follow the advice of Little Wayne (Plymouth Road to Recovery cult group):
"....just walk on by because there is nothing here for you"
Cheerio
The Fellas
It is truly fascinating, and indeed never fails to take our breath away, the sheer arrogance and obtuseness of a cult member in full flight. Apparently this particular individual is feeling rather peeved because he's been on the receiving end of some somewhat impolitic behaviour on the part of a few AA members. This conduct might even be construed as abuse, but then abuse comes in many forms, doesn't it? For example, the widespread and systematic manipulation, brainwashing and outright intimidation of newcomers by members of the cult groups might be regarded in some quarters as a form of abuse - but we're not going to go into that here - the remainder of site contains ample evidence on this theme.
You'll no doubt be relieved to hear we're not going to give you a blow-by-blow account of the article; the original is easily viewed - but we suggest only by those with a strong stomach.
We should commence by saying that one of the favoured tactics of a cult member, when the pressure is starting to tell, is to go into "victim" mode. By playing the "underdog" - the "poor misunderstood fellow with only the best of intentions" - he may then go on to play the "wronged party" and thus move neatly into depicting everyone else at fault, "not working the programme" etc. Does this sound at all familiar to you? We think so.
So this particular plaint starts off with a lecture on the AA logo, the legacies it depicts, and an explanation of how the Traditions evolved. Now the favourite tradition of the cult is Tradition One, and our "poor innocent" goes on to quote this:
'Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon AA unity.'
Now there's no question that it's an important tradition but for the cult it serves another quite distinct purpose. It is frequently brandished by them as a means of stifling any dissenting voice, for this might "threaten" AA unity. It should be noted that this particular concern does not seem to worry the cult unduly when they happen to be that dissenting voice - Alexis K (cult member - Road to Recovery, Plymouth - and famous abuser of the General Secretary of Alcoholics Anonymous - see here) has expounded in detail on this one, and his verbal dexterity would be impressive, that is if one were easily impressed - and we're not. So any sign that AA members might dislike the way the cult conducts its business, or worse, dare to express that, shall we say, revulsion, then this tradition is immediately cited, and thus order (cult order) is restored. But the tradition that you rarely hear mentioned by the pointed headed ones is Tradition Four - see Big Book - because that really does cramp their style. Yet again an attempt has been made on their website to reinvent this Tradition - but yet again we're not easily impressed. But usually it's simpler to either misquote the tradition or ignore it completely - and the cult do both - it really doesn't serve their purposes.
The plaintiff then moves onto to describe in glowing terms his endeavours to go forth into heathen lands (ie AA meetings) to spread the "wonderful message of recovery that was so freely given to me". Now we're sure you're all thinking: "Well! He can't be such a bad lad, not with such fine intentions, and we do think you (aaccultwatch) are being a bit harsh on him". And you know what? We think you're right. In fact we'd go even further and say we KNOW you're right. And how do we know? Why! The fellow tells us so himself. We quote: "I believe that I am by nature a well-mannered, friendly, kind and gentle young man". Well there you go! How could such a fine fellow be subjected to such gross impoliteness as displayed by these nasty, nasty AA members. You should hang your heads in shame! Apparently some of these villains (a "small minority") would refuse "to shake my hand and even swear at me sometimes in a disgusting manner". Furthermore, the fellow goes on to explain - and we can even now see the look of innocent bewilderment spreading over his saintly face: "I was mortified by this as I had done nothing to harm these people by either word or deed". Well this is shocking stuff! We then discover that the reason for this hostile welcome is down to the home group attended by our budding martyr - the local cult group. Now the fellow becomes "baffled" for this is the very group which "showed me exactly what I needed to do to recover from alcoholism quickly and easily with loving kindness." (our emphasis – part of cult propaganda) He then goes on to describe in "clone speak" his recovery and the fact that he did not respond to these attacks in like fashion but instead would still offer "my hand to shake in fellowship, smile saying hello" etc ad nauseam. A little bit of reality kicks in at this point and the fellow admits to "curs[ing] them behind their back as I have got feelings you know, and we are a sensitive lot us alcoholics after all. But face to face I treat them with loving kindness in the hope that one day they will see me as the good-hearted man and alcoholic that I am...". Well, by now we've clearly identified who the goody is, and who the baddies are, haven't we! And we've discovered one of his priorities - image is all!
And now the denouement: "Sadly the day finally came when I felt unwelcome in an AA meeting for the first time because of the growing attacks against myself and my home group". A confrontation occurs and he claims that "most of the members there apologised and joined me in solidarity". Subsequently it seems that other members - presumably that ubiquitous "minority" (cult speak for the rest of AA) - join in the attack - and the "minority" view has its day, and our "good-hearted" fellow walks out of the meeting in disgust. The source of contention seems to be the cult group's "policy" on medication, which, like everything else it is involved in, is grossly intrusive. Apparently this group has its very own policy on the subject. Now please let us break the news to you - AA already has guidelines on the matter - and they've been around some time now. We don't really need any more. (The problem for the cult is that it has such a well proven track record of saying one thing in public and practising quite another in private (particularly with regard to the prescribed medication issue) that its primary mode of expression has become "the lie"; and the bigger the better. So it really is rather disingenuous to play the innocent when it comes to matters of fact and record)
To continue: it would seem that so devastated was this fellow by what had taken place, and even with his own reactions, that he rang up a "highly respected old-timer that was at that meeting" who in turn conveniently provided the "victim" with the justification and rationalisation that he so desperately needed. It turns out that our "well-mannered, friendly, kind and gentle young man" had retained his reputation and it was in fact the fault of all the others, those nasty, unkind, "off the programme" members at the meeting. He was told that he had "done nothing wrong" and that moreover he ("the highly respected old-timer") was surprised that it had taken me so long to react to all the attacks against me over the previous two years" - thus our almost flawless friend is rendered "reputation intacta".
So shaken was he that he even considered: "I felt that I couldn't go to any other meetings again apart from my home group". This is presented as some dreadful punishment inflicted upon this hapless and entirely blameless victim by the wicked AA members. But the fact is that most cult members are actively encouraged not to attend AA meetings for fear that they might be contaminated by the diluted and erroneous programme practised there. They only venture forth either in little bands on poaching missions, or on "missionary work" amongst the benighted heathen ie. AA. Unfortunately for us he has decided to continue with his selfless endeavours amongst us poor lost souls, and will continue to "do as much service as I can in line with the 12 traditions of AA" (that is except for Tradition Four) The "victim" concludes with this little insight - and we do mean "little": "Coincidentally I have found that the small minority [there it is again] causing so much damage to unity within AA are often the ones that say that they don’t read the Big Book, bad-mouth the 12 Steps and have no interest or regard for the 12 Traditions. Bill W. was right when he said that if AA doesn’t survive it will be because it was destroyed from within."
So there you have it. The reason why we have gone into some length upon this particular individual is that he most clearly illustrates the mind set of the average cult member (those who are suitably on-message). He clearly establishes his credentials as the aggrieved party in the whole matter, and not once does it cross his mind that there might be some reason behind this antagonistic response to his presence in an AA meeting (we refer you to the Big Book - pp. 61-62). His image must be maintained at all times and and he wants to be thought of only in his own terms. Failure to comply with this particular perspective can only be because everyone else is "wrong" and he must be "right". Finally, anyone who fails to share this viewpoint is, of course, part of a "small minority", who are entirely bent upon damaging AA unity, who know nothing of the the Big Book blah blah blah... Well, we can't speak for AA (since no one does) but we can speak for ourselves, and here's a little insight from us. The members of the aacultwatch team ARE well acquainted with the Big Book, DON'T bad-mouth the 12 Steps, and HAVE A CONSIDERABLE INTEREST AND REGARD for the 12 Traditions. The problem is that we have to deal with a "minority" of cult members, posing as AA members, whose ignorance of these areas is literally stupefying, and quite probably irremediable.
Finally might we suggest, and of course in all humility - a virtue seemingly lacking in our "victim" - that the next time he attends an AA meeting perhaps he would be well advised to keep the orifice beneath his nose tightly zipped, and the holes on either side of his head wide open - he might actually become acquainted with the recovery programme of Alcoholics Anonymous rather than the perversion put about by the cult.
And finally finally - if that fails to do the trick then might we suggest that he follow the advice of Little Wayne (Plymouth Road to Recovery cult group):
"....just walk on by because there is nothing here for you"
Cheerio
The Fellas
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)