From time to time we
mosey on down to the Road to Recovery cult group's (Plymouth franchise) website
to see what the latest offerings might be, and indeed we're rarely disappointed
by the high quality of dross which emerges almost uniquely from this collective.
You cannot imagine therefore our surprise (and even distress) to discover that
one of its members is not quite sure whether they are in a cult or not! Now
generally speaking R2R members are pretty damn clear about who and what they
are. After all they are reminded most eloquently from time to time by their
erstwhile (or has he been reinstated? Maybe someone's lent him a pair of
braces!) leader Wayne P (he who suffers from “falling down trouser” syndrome)
ie. that their group stands at the very “heart of AA”, and that all the other
groups in the area are actually crap! Oops sorry!... Or as they more
diplomatically put it these latter (ie. AA members) practice the “Beano” version
of the programme whilst the R2R gang use the Big Book method (although no one
has quite worked out how the 'do exactly what your sponsor tells you' bit fits
into this schema). Now of course we could give you the short (form) response to
Geoff's (we suspect) mostly rhetorical question: Is he in a cult? The answer, of
course, is yes. But not wishing to short-change our readers, and because this
hardly seems like a satisfactory response to such a “genuine” enquiry, we will
elaborate further. Firstly we will refer you to the numerous entries elsewhere
on the site (both in the Stop Press section and also the Area news section
(South West). Here you will find a detailed listing of the activities of this
group over the last few years. Now we're not going to bore you with a review of
these (life is too short after all ) but the highlights include: sponsorship
idolatry, interference on prescribed medication issues (despite the disclaimer
on the R2R website – this itself part of an ever increasing list of rebuttals to
challenges made by local AA members to this cult group's conduct. It is
interesting to note here that not another group in the area (or indeed the
region) seems to find it necessary to issue such defences. Can't think why! How
can a group be so misunderstood?), and that's not to mention (but we will
anyway) Jon F and Alexis K's little performance at conference where they
attempted to bully the General Secretary (see An Incident at Conference). Now how sober is that! We could
add interference in personal relationships, jobs, finances, dress code and so on
but we're not going to! The list, as they say, goes on (almost) ad infinitum ….
in other words - just another bog standard cult group. But finally, of course,
Geoff is not a member of a cult – How do you know, we hear you ask (in a
chorus)? Because “he usually doesn't think so”! Doh!
Cheerio
The Fellas (Friends
of Alcoholics Anonymous)
PS. By the way Geoff if
you are going to quote the traditions do TRY to get them right. Tradition Four
(to which you refer) does NOT say “..... which itself can operate as
individually as it likes, as long as it does not affect AA as a whole”. It
actually says: “Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting
other groups or A.A. as a whole.”
PPS Oh nearly forgot!
The answer to your question (long form): Yes you are in a cult group
