On the Road in Bournemouth and Poole: the Bournemouth Road to Recovery (cult) meeting

Things it would seem are getting busy in south-west region. See below from one of our correspondents:

“Following Bournemouth Intergroup’s decision not to accept our local Road to Recovery group, they have applied to join Poole and it would seem that a letter was sent to the South West Region Board member asking for his advice on how to get into Poole Intergroup, without result.

However, the Roadies have won the heart of Poole Intergroup’s benevolent Chairman who has been campaigning round the groups in his self-appointed role as Ambassador, advising members on how to vote in a ‘loving’ way, insisting that our friends have seen the error of their ways and have ‘changed’. Hang on a tick, since when did our trusted servants tell the members what to think? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way round? Forget all that ultimate authority as expressed in our Group Conscience stuff, on this matter our Chairman knows better.

Now if the Wednesday night St Stephen’s meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous were applying to join Poole, even though they are in Bournemouth, and even though Poole Intergroup voted ‘no thanks’ last time in the spirit of unity with Bournemouth, we probably wouldn’t mind. But it’s the Road to Recovery group which is applying to join (again), and experience shows there’s a lot more to that than a very good lickle meeting what makes everyone welcome and abides by the traditions.

If he likes it so much, he can join it. But please accept that some of us don’t want to. Watch this space – the groups have been voting via email. Seems Poole Intergroup’s Conscience is best managed that way.

Keep at it Fellas”

This all seems vaguely reminiscent of the West Kent Intergroup experience with yet another clueless chairman getting all “loved up”. Still if the Poole Intergroup wants to be run by a single Road to Recovery cult group who are we to complain...... or then again maybe it's time for a new chairman......

By the way – just in case the Chairman of that Intergroup has forgotten who runs AA see diagram above - just a hint – and straight from the archives of …. Alcoholics Anonymous GB.

Cheerio

The Fellas

(our usual thanks for this contribution)

Road to Recovery (Southampton) ... and then Plymouth

We've received information that the Southampton Road to Recovery group ceased to exist as of July this year and has been replaced by the Hedge End group (AA). Thus far the demise of the cult group has been attributed to a general dissatisfaction with the repetitive nature of the chairs, these all being sourced apparently from "like-minded" groups and members ie. Roadies. It is asserted that R2R members no longer attend the meeting and the R2R name has been removed from inclusion in the local Where to Find (although we note that the name is still listed as such on the AA website meeting finder - as indeed, and we feel obliged to point this out here, is the Exeter Tuesday group). The precise accounting for this turn of events tends to vary though. On one hand it is presented simply as a case of the group folding as a consequence of "personalities before principles" then to be replaced by the aforementioned group and a new format - an AA format. Alternatively, and perhaps even more excitingly, it has also been suggested that something of a coup d'etat took place with the changeover occurring when some of "principal members were in the San Antonio Convention", or a case of "when the cats away the mice will play". Either way we have been asked to remove the group's name from inclusion in our Cult: Where to Find (contrary to the belief held in some quarters cult groups for some reason don't like to be included there - we can't think why!). Currently the matter is under review and for the time being this group will remain on the list but with an appropriate note appended. If however other AA groups and members (if not the local intergroup) can confirm for us that this group has indeed abandoned its former affiliation with the Road to Recovery movement (and all its attendant evils ie. abusive and dogmatic sponsorship, misguided advice on prescribed medication etc - see site for the remainder) then we would be more than happy to remove this group completely from our listing, and wish them well in their future endeavours, that is in carrying the AA (not cult) message to the still suffering alcoholic.

PS We should like to point out here that although the aacultwatch team is composed mainly of rather easy going but occasionally bolshie alkies, and more inclined to give people the benefit of the doubt than not (now there's a surprise!) nevertheless we weren't born yesterday, nor do we have excessive quantities of moisture exuding from behind our aural cavities (ooooh we hear you say!). Or to put it another way if any cult group tries to re-brand itself (past, present or future) or otherwise play silly buggers with us (pardon our French!) then you will rapidly enough find your group back up on our Cult Where to Find prontissimo (or faster even than a cult sponsor sacking a recalcitrant sponsee - no surely!... Ye gods... nothing can move that fast we hear you say!! But oh yes most certainly!) and in big red letters to boot! - 'nuff said we think on that!!

And now to the R2R (cult) group in sunny Plymouth..... You didn't think we'd forgotten you did you!!

It seems that since the withdrawal of this group from Plymouth Intergroup things have not been going well for our little pointed headed friends. Firstly the virtual demise of the Great Pretender (otherwise known as Little Wayne or the incredible Shrinking man) has now culminated in his almost complete disappearance (but the less said on that the better). Moreover their attempts to form an intergroup have fallen by the wayside. However these setbacks have not stopped this motley crew from continuing to disrupt Intergroup business with their ex-Intergroup officers proving to be most recalcitrant in handing over documentation etc to the newly installed AA officers. Moreover it would seem - and this is entirely in keeping with their generally parasitic relationship with AA - their members are again seeking office in Plymouth Intergroup. Of course the old brigade of Batman and Robin (aka Jon F and Alexis K) are still churning out homilies for the group's digestion (together with an occasional contribution from the US (ie. the Venerable C from the Pacific Group)). But you remember dear old Jon and Alex don't you? Of course you do - those two chaps who decided to lecture the AA General Secretary in a most - how shall we say - vigorous fashion at Conference..... most disturbing and hardly what might be called “sober” conduct....Still always follow the cult motto: “Do as I say not as I do”. Nevertheless another 'up-and-comer' would seem to be the current acting GSR for the R2R (though GSR to what we cannot say) who indicated at the last Intergroup meeting that he would like to stand for the position of Vice Chair if he were nominated – only one small problem though – no one was prepared to nominated him – could there be a clue here?

Cheerio... for now

The Fellas

(our usual thanks to all contributors)

Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous as such has ONE official website for Great Britain:

http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/

"This Web Site is created and maintained by The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Ltd. through the General Service Office of Great Britain.

The General Service Office is the national office serving A.A. in Great Britain and English speaking meetings in continental Europe." (AA website)

There is NO other official website covering this geographical region. There are however links contained within the AA site to various web pages that have been allocated to Intergroups (and for regional information). There are moreover pages allocated to groups within different regions. Whereas the information contained in the Intergroup and Regional pages is non-controversial the same cannot necessarily be said for those relating to specific groups.

There are however an increasing number of other sites which carry information relating to Alcoholics Anonymous or indeed refer to themselves as being an online presence for their group (AA or otherwise), or then again are purely online entities such as forums, online meetings, chat rooms etc, and these moreover may or may not use the AA logo, may or may not use the terms "Alcoholics Anonymous" in their titles or group names, and furthermore may or may not carry disclaimers (and where they do these might not be very clearly displayed - and we suspect that in at least one instance this is quite deliberate) to the effect that the sites themselves are neither "approved or endorsed by, and are not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. or any AA Service entity of any country" or variations on this theme etc. Therefore it is necessary to apply some discretion when assessing the information conveyed therein. (For our part the aacultwatch site neither uses the terms "Alcoholics Anonymous" in its title, nor the logo nor even the traditional abbreviation for AA in the form of two upper case letters. Moreover we make it quite clear in the About Us section of site who we are and what the site itself is about).

The advantage of placing one's reliance on the information contained in the official site is that this as far as possible reflects most accurately what AA is indeed about (and as contained in the Preamble itself as well as the Steps, Traditions and Concepts, and then other guidelines produced by the General Service Conference).

Additionally the AA website includes a section relating to AA literature (AA conference approved). Other literature may be available at AA meetings but may not be conference approved. If such material (including books, pamphlets, booklets, CDs and DVDs) is on display it should be marked separately from AA literature and should thereafter be treated with some circumspection. The information contained therein might ONLY represent the views of some individuals, and not of the Fellowship itself (as represented by its collective conscience)

The Preamble of Alcoholics Anonymous (read out at the beginning of most AA meetings)

"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.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.

A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organisation or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety."

Although groups are not obliged to read out this Preamble (and may indeed use another form of words) this particular introduction is most frequently employed to indicate (especially to those new to AA) what AA IS and IS NOT about. If another form of words is being used then again this meeting should be treated with care - it may be a meeting affiliated with another organisation and therefore is (and in accordance with AA Traditions) neither an AA meeting nor one run by an AA group.

Generally an AA meeting will conclude with the Serenity Prayer as follows:

"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."

Again groups (and meetings) are not obliged to conclude with this prayer and may use the Lord's Prayer instead, for example. This prayer however is Christian in origin and AA as such is not allied with any such institutions. Therefore we would assert that such groups are in fact breaking AA Traditions by affiliating themselves with outside organisations. Again these meetings should be treated with caution.

The new Dual Recovery Anonymous (UK) website

http://www.dualrecoveryanonymous.org/

Please note moreover (quote taken from the DRA website - under the Medications and Recovery section):

"DRA members often go to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings for additional support and fellowship. Often men and women who have been diagnosed with a dual disorder say that they have received misguided advice about their diagnosis and the use of medication at other Twelve Step meetings. Some have been told that they do not have an emotional or psychiatric illness, and that they are experiencing merely self-pity or some other character defect "You don't need those pills; they'll cause you more problems" and "If you're taking pills, then you're in relapse and not really sober". Individuals who have followed such advice have experienced relapse: some have been hospitalized; some have returned to alcohol or drug use; some have attempted or even completed suicide. To say the least, it can be very confusing. Though we can not speak for other organizations, their literature makes clear that these types of statements are not the official position of A.A., N.A., or any other Twelve Step recovery groups that we are aware of."

Whilst DRA are generous enough to attribute such advice in the main to well-intentioned motives we know otherwise with regard to the cult groups,and for whom this anti medication stance is a central part of their dogma. For our part we wish DRA well with their efforts and trust that their members will continue to feel entirely at liberty to attend other Fellowships meetings - as they are of course fully entitled to do

Sponsorship: A DYING ART? (AA Grapevine, November, 1987)

The article that follows was taken from a “Message on Sponsorship” sent in 1952 to all Chicago groups by the Metropolitan Rotating Committee in that city.

We have provided the original article in pdf form (which can be downloaded here) as well as in text form below. We believe it to be an excellent exposition of how sponsorship should be conducted in AA, and propose moreover that it be disseminated throughout the Fellowship as an example of "best practice" (that is in contrast to cult sponsorship which can only be regarded as what constitutes "worst practice")

Briefly - and to inform newcomers to this site - cult sponsorship essentially revolves around the notion that "sponsor knows best", that his/her word is "law", and that failure to comply will lead inevitably to "relapse". We quote precisely from one well-known cult website on this subject:

"It is suggested that you phone daily and do exactly what your sponsor tells you. If you don't have a sponsor, look upon every meeting you go to as a chance to find one.

NB If anything is unclear, ask your sponsor."

We have termed this approach "sponsorship idolatry" to emphasise the fact that within the cult the sponsor has effectively replaced God or a Higher Power (of your understanding) as the cornerstone of an individual's recovery. Now we come to the Chicago "system".
[our own commentary is included in square brackets thus]

"In the early days of the Chicago group, sponsorship was done most thoroughly. Indeed, groups elsewhere in the country spoke of the “Chicago system” of sponsorship.

The picture has changed. Perhaps it is a natural result of growing big. At any rate, the old style of sponsoring, with the sponsor utterly devoted to his prospect, is seen infrequently.

There is no way of checking the probable large number who have failed because of the lack of proper effort by their sponsors.

Chicago’s Suggested Program

1. Responsibility is the first principle of good sponsorship; the sponsor is the one who assumes responsibility for the person seeking help. If one is unable to devote the time and attention essential to good sponsorship, one should not undertake such an assignment, at least without a strong co-sponsor.

2. Sponsorship must be approached with the most serious attitude. AA is a life or death matter to the alcoholic seeking help; if we fail, the new man or woman has been denied the good chance he could have had with another sponsor. Prepare yourself for the first call on a prospect by rereading the chapter “Working with Others,” in the Big Book.
[This section of the book seems to have remained virtually unknown to cult sponsors –that is if their actual conduct is anything to go by. “Working with Others” is a virtual template for how to carry out effective 12 Step Work, and what follows below is an admirable summary of that chapter]

3. Visit the new prospect as soon as possible after he calls for help; presenting the recovery program to him at the psychological moment he reaches for it may be the factor that saves his life.

4. On your first visit, tell the prospective AA, frankly and simply, some of your own story—with enough pauses that he may chime in with some of his own experiences and reactions. Let him ask questions. Explain how AA works, but keep your
presentation brief and simple. Do not wear out your welcome. When he becomes restless take your leave, making an appointment to see him again as soon as practicable.
[Note: this is what is called “sharing” experience as opposed to thrusting your views down somebody else's throat. It establishes a rapport with the “prospect” and encourages within them a sense that their experience is worth listening to as well. “Do not wear out your welcome” - again another concept completely unknown in cult circles whose particular interpretation of this function includes badgering newcomers, and subjecting them on occasion to a deluge of phone calls (sometimes from complete strangers) with each so-called 12 Stepper simply meeting their quota of contacting newcomers (again another part of the cult “suggested” programme)]

5. In presenting the program to a prospect, don’t thrust your personal views upon him. Tell him about the AA program as it is presented in the book, and let him do his own interpreting, especially in regard to the spiritual aspects. He will get the views of many other AAs, in addition to yours, at meetings and in conversations. Out of all that, with what guidance you can give him, he will find a way to apply AA principles to his own life and problems.
[Again the point is emphasised that one's own views should not be imposed on the newcomer. This is called having “respect for another human being”, again another quite alien notion amongst cult members. Moreover it is made clear that the “prospect” is even to be encouraged to use their own judgement when it comes to grasping the principles of the recovery programme. Moreover that he/she should have the opportunity to listen to the views of other AAs in order to produce a synthesis which works for them. This approach is all quite contrary to the cult's mode of action where any independent thinking is strongly frowned upon, and the newcomer is enjoined to avoid all contact with “sick” AA (a view commonly held within the cult “asylum”, and this quite ironic given the “insane” values that underpin their own conduct]

6. Be prepared to sacrifice much of your time for a considerable period to give the prospect the greatest possible chance. Make yourself available to him daily for counsel and companionship.
[This is what is termed “friendship” - something which exists in purely synthetic form amongst cult members]

7. See that the prospect becomes acquainted with many other AAs, so that he may get a broad picture of the AA program and find his own interpretation and application of its principles. Make the prospect truly your friend. Give of yourself without stint in trying to help him. Invite him to your home, preferably for a meal.
[Again see above. The emphasis in very much on encouraging the individual to exercise their own judgement and autonomy, and not to become dependent upon one individual ie. their sponsor, but rather on a Higher Power – and then in whatever form that might manifest itself]

8. See that your prospect immediately gets a copy of the book Alcoholics Anonymous; it is best that he buy a copy. Ownership of the book once was a virtual symbol of AA membership; regular reading and rereading of the book is recommended practice for every AA as a tool of recovery.
[This enables the newcomer to have direct access to the original recovery programme, and ensures furthermore that he/she does not have to rely on others' interpretations (especially those corruptions of this text presented by the cult). We agree moreover that each member should be responsible for buying their own copy of the book. This is not to undervalue the generosity sometimes exhibited by AA members (or groups) in donating a copy to each new man or woman but the psychological act of taking responsibility for one's own recovery has to start somewhere, and we believe it should start here]

9. Do not take on, in your enthusiasm, more prospects than you can properly handle. AA is strong medicine. It affords the recovered alcoholic a unique opportunity to serve his fellow man. The temptation to run up a big score of saved souls is strong. But one new member a year well sponsored is a better result than fifty given the once-over lightly.
[Again this is in contrast to the “assembly line” techniques of the cult with some of their members actually boasting of sponsees running into double figures (and all of which runs counter to the advice above – that is of developing a personal relationship with the sponsee; real friendship takes time and cannot be “mechanised”]

10. Emphasize the importance of regular attendance at meetings, by precept and example. Even if you have grown careless about going to meetings, it is your responsibility to accompany the prospect to several such (and this may save you from a relapse).
[Again the emphasis here is very much on leadership by example as opposed to the cult practice of “Do as I say, not as I do” - this last is termed “hypocrisy”, again a much practised 'virtue' in cult circles. The last injunction serves as a timely reminder that the sponsor too owes much to his/her sponsee in assisting them in their own recovery. This is called “humility” for those cult members who seem to have forgotten - that is if they ever became acquainted with - this “true perspective”].

Reprinted for the Godless Heathens Group, Oakland, California”
[Finally we don't know who this group is but they sound like fun, and not people who take themselves TOO seriously]

Cheerio

The Fellas

(our usual thanks to the member who directed us towards this useful information)

Exeter: Road to Recovery - Tuesday 19.30 Cornerstone, Kimberley Rd

We're pleased to announce that the above meeting no longer exists – or rather it no longer exists as a cult meeting. We have been informed by those members of the aacultwatch team based in the area that the group has now returned to carrying the AA message (as distinguished from that perversion devised by the cult). This transformation has occurred directly as a result of local AA members themselves taking the initiative to ensure that our Traditions are defended, and that the many abuses inflicted on newcomers by the cult are brought to an end, and that finally these most important members of AA are afforded the respect to which they are fully entitled. Additionally the use of the title 'Road to Recovery' has been dispensed with (a perfectly apt name for an AA meeting but – and as with the Cross of St George high-jacked by the National Front in its various guises - it has been brought into disrepute by these similarly dogmatic and extremist fundamentalists) (we note however that this group title has not yet been removed from the AA online meeting finder – an oversight which we are quite sure will be remedied shortly). To this end the old cult group details have been removed from our Cult: Where to Find, and we extend our best wishes to this newly resurrected AA group and meeting. Moreover it is hoped that their example will serve to strengthen other members' resolve in extirpating this malignancy from the otherwise healthy body of our Fellowship

Cheers

The Fellas

PS However there is no time for complacency and you can be quite assured we will keep a sharp lookout for any attempt by the cult to resume its activities in the Exeter area or indeed in any other part of Great Britain.