A
recent email:
“Hello.
I
am a member of AA from Hemel Hempstead. I was fascinated to stumble
across this website as what you describe is exactly what has happened
…..at the Quaker Meeting House in Hemel. Even before seeing this
website, the group mentality of a faction which has gradually
expanded and grown in this meeting has been one which I have been
referring to as “a cult.” These people travel everywhere together
in the same cars, two have just begun a relationship and moved in
with one another, they all aggressively insist that they are
“recovered alcoholics” and when questioned on this term become
quite unpleasant and have begun rapidly taking on “sponsees” who
at a rate of knots (sometimes just a few days even doing half the
steps in a matter of hours) who they then send out to immediately
take on their own sponsors after only several days of sobriety. It is
madness and a recipe for disaster. The meeting no longer feels a safe
place to share and unfortunately the secretary of the meeting is
chief amongst these people himself only 6 months sober and took on
the meeting at around 2 months. They have also brought in to the
group undesirable people who I have never before seen at the meeting
and are frankly scary- looking men who seem to say nothing but simply
watch. It is menacing and unpleasant. …. I no longer have a desire
to be at that meeting. I am fortunate enough to have a couple of
other good meetings close by but even in those, there is an effort
amongst these “cultheads” to spread their tentacles. Hopefully
the good guys in AA will prevail! I am only 13 months sober myself
and have been fortunate to have been befriended by oldtimers early
on. However, it is heartbreaking to see such abuse of the AA message.
Yours,
…....”
(our
edits)
Our
reply:
“Thank
you for your mail. Sadly your experiences are far from uncommon in
some parts of AA. We're interested to note your use of the word
"faction” because that precisely describes what is taking
place in AA (both here and in the US). The term "recovered"
although it appears in the Big Book is indeed flourished by some
almost as a badge of superiority and with the so-called "recovered"
individual browbeating those who don't quite measure up - hardly in
accordance with the principles of AA so clearly outlined in the very
text they claim to be so expert in! Chris Raymer is part of the
Primary Purpose gang, yet another faction who claim some kind of
superior method (see also "Joe and Charlie" in this
connection). They are of a view that everyone should be hurried
through the programme (regardless of their individual condition or
ability) at top speed - the faster the better - and regardless of
whether this works or not. Frequently we are contacted by newcomers
who are quite bewildered. They say they've got up to Step 8 (or
whatever) and then relapsed. They genuinely don't understand why this
has happened. They thought they were doing what was suggested but in
the mad dash failed to get a proper grasp of Step 1. Similarly the
tactic of arriving mob handed at meetings is quite common. Some of
these characters are indeed quite intimidating - they are in fact
thugs - no more no less. We're happy to hear that you've managed to
form contacts with established members of AA with a more traditional
and compassionate approach.”
Cheerio
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
PS
In connection with the Primary Purpose/Joe and Charlie gang we've
received the following tip off recently:
“ Hey
Fellas,
Anonymous
tip from Dallas… The Mother Ship [ie. Primary Purpose group,
Dallas] is loosing [sic] members fast … defection by many members
taking place …. (even Myers defected) …. I won’t give any more
details but allegedly there is an e-mail floating around among group
members about some interesting details about why men shouldn’t
sponsor women even if they did found the Group ….. ; ) …. Sorry,
I don’t have it and won’t ask my source for it.
Good
Luck
…......”
Mmmmm
sounds familiar .. where have we heard all this before? Plymouth
Road to Recovery was it? Dunno..... but it'll come back to us
eventually.....
