“Hello,
My name is …... I am a
member of AA , have been sober for nearly ….. years and regularly attend local
meetings. I share your concern over the rise and development of cult groups and
wish to offer my support to the efforts you are making.
I would like to make
you aware of a group called Ipswich Primary Purpose. It was voted in by the
local intergroup last summer at the first quarterly meeting which I attended…..
There was little, if any, serious concern expressed and the only condition
attached was that a link to a private therapists site from the groups site be
removed. This has not been done but no further action has been taken by
intergroup. The therapist is a retired senior staff member from the Priory. The
Primary Purpose web site has other loose but visible links to other sites, one
of which is to Dick B.* I have not attended any Primary Purpose meetings and
cannot offer any evidence as to how they are conducted but the probability of a
connection with the movement you have identified is sufficient for me to feel
that I have grounds to raise the matter. I have spoken to one other member who
did attend one of their meetings and found it disturbing. They can be found at
ipswichprimarypurpose.co.uk.
I am one of the, I
believe, growing number of people who feel that AA must change and adapt if it
is to continue to be able to offer the compassionate support and understanding
at group level that I have found to be so valuable. It is the perception of many
people that AA has cult like characteristics. If the growth of the cult elements
is allowed to grow unchecked this perception will be confirmed and almost
certainly be exposed by the news media . AA is able to offer the only low cost
(essentially free), long term,unconditional support service to people who cannot
afford expensive private treatment and it would be a great sadness if
complacency were to bring this to an end.
In
fellowship,......”
(our edits)
* We received this
communication some time ago and in the intervening period the above mentioned
links have been removed. We note however some advertising for a Primary Purpose
Mini Convention on the site (now past) and the use of a logo which again seems
specific to this website. We have to assume that this is not an AA sponsored
convention (ie. by the local intergroup) since it is not advertised as such
(under AA Events on the AA website) nor does it carry the AA logo (which it may
do if it falls under this category). For these reasons as well as its explicit
use of the term “Primary Purpose” in the group title (although this is modified
under the meeting list to “AA Primary Purpose”) its precise status as an AA
meeting is questionable. If in fact this group is affiliated to the Primary
Purpose movement we would say not (see here for a detailed analysis of this movement). Although the
meeting is listed under the national Where to Find this does not imply that it
is in fact an AA meeting (or run by an AA group). Under Tradition 3 (long
form):
3. Our membership ought
to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to
recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two
or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A.
group, provided that, as a group, they have no other
affiliation.
(our emphasis)
This group falls under the Eastern Region: South East Anglian IG
Cheerio
The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
(our usual thanks to our reporter)
