aacultwatch forum

Extract from our forum: http://forums.delphiforums.com/aacultwatch under “TLM in Alanon UK?”

“Hi …..

I agree the cult groups will eventually fold, once they are separated from the GSO. The problem is that they are not separate at this time. By strong leadership I didn’t mean power-driving leadership, but leadership within the group conscience and service structure that is strong enough to protect against power-drivers, to protect the AA name and vulnerable newcomers. Leadership that doesn’t sit on the fence. Leadership that is not timid, but both prudent and assertive. Leadership which can say “No you can’t do that and call yourself an AA group”. And if power-drivers continue to break traditions, then they refuse to co-operate with them. Like the “Trusted Servants” in Ireland. The Big Book Study Movement is outside the Service structure in Ireland and they have written it into their Service Handbook. It is an outside organisation.

Quote from the Service Handbook for Ireland:

"...New groups applying for a starter kit do so through the Intergroup Secretary via the Area Secretary.
Big Book Study Movement is outside the structure of Alcoholics Anonymousin Ireland...."
(The Group: What Is an AA Group? Page 12) http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie/download/1/Service%20Handbook%202012.pdf

Like the leadership in this part of Orange County USA. The following is a post from the AA Grapevine What’s On Your Mind forum, Traditions section.
"Wed, 2013-05-22 01:58

#4
Anonymous
re long form

I too have been sober a little over 33 years. In California - the land of fruits and nuts. I now live in the Palm Springs area. Before I moved here I lived in Orange County and worked at Central Office every Monday AM with my sponsor. We received a call one Monday AM from an irate sober alky. He arrived in town Sat night. Called and was told there was an AA meeting not far from where he was staying. He went there Sunday afternoon and heard nothing but Narcotics type of talk. I was a member of the 'Group Relations' Committee and told him I would look into it. Also reported this to our Central Office manager. Next Sunday I went to the meeting and sure as heck he was right.

After the meeting I took the secretary aside and told her that she was breaking AA traditions. She apologized and said that would stop. To make the long story short this happened repeatedly during the next few months. Finally our C.O. manager went to the group on a Sunday. Sure as heck they were still breaking traditions. She gave them a check for their contributions so far and told them they would be taken out of our 'AA Directory'.

It wasn't long before the group died by itself.
God took care of our problem"

So when you look the above from the point of Tradition Two Did God close down the Orange County group? Did God make the Big Book Study movement outside the service structure in Ireland? Or was it prudent and assertive leadership within the surrounding group acting on their human conscience. I think a mixture of both perhaps. I don't think the principle of Tradition Two exists without active leadership and expression of human conscience.” 

Comment: So INTO ACTION really does mean INTO ACTION! Who'd have thought it!

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Conference Questions (2013) forum discussion (contd)

Committee No. 2 

Question 1:

Share experience on getting articles on AA in the local press and make suggestions on how the Fellowship can get articles into the national press.

Background

1. Members are having some success on getting articles on AA in their local newspapers
2. The Fellowship has not succeeded so far in getting articles on AA in the national press.

[See also: The Traditions, Preamble and Concepts]

Extracts:

“ I would say the press articles are significant rather than interesting. The Washingtonian movement collapsed after getting a “black eye” from the public (The Language of the Heart, p 5). According to one estimate, numbers in the Washingtonian movement reached up to around 600,000 before the movement collapsed. AA is only around four times larger than the Washingtonian movement. The reason why AA has grown is down largely to the maintaining of positive public relations. I don’t think it is a pity that Guideline 19 precludes me from including links to the press articles. I think I have made my position clear and given reasons for it in the committee 6, question two topic. You can read them easily enough online by pasting the newspaper name and article title into your search engine. I suggest you read them. Here are a few quotes from a number of the articles:

“Some get turned off “when someone comes up to you as a new member of AA and tells you, ‘if you don’t find God, you’re going to die a drunk’,” “That rigidity is very religious, very intolerant and very hurtful to a number of recovering alcoholics who are looking for an avenue to get sober.” “Those who have been through its mill claim it is `authoritarian' and `fascistic', employs brainwashing techniques and is cult-like in its attitude to members.” “AA is bondage of another form. It is evangelical and rabid in outlook.” "After a year with AA, you're like a Moonie and you're probably in a relationship with another AA member," “AA only works if you're prepared to take it on as a religion.” “A number of ex-members and addiction treatment professionals have accused it of having cult-like qualities and using brainwashing and bullying methods that weak and vulnerable people are particularly susceptible to.” “A federal appeals court found two years ago that "AA is a religion" and a state court of appeal ruled: "Adherence to the AA fellowship entails engagement in religious activity and religious proselytisation."

Perhaps the press articles might go some way to explain why one of the most frequent questions asked by professionals on the GSO (GB) website is: c) Is it a cult? (Information For Professionals, FAQs). Last Year I twelve stepped an alcoholic being detoxed on a hospital ward. The doctor referred him to several agencies for help after he was discharged, but not AA. I asked him if the doctor gave a reason. He said it was because the doctor thought AA is “unquantifiable.” ”

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

See also AA Minority Report 2013

Alcohol research (contd)

Determination of Lifetime Injury Mortality Risk in Canada in 2002 by Drinking Amount per Occasion and Number of Occasions, Taylor B, Rehm J, Room R, Patra J, Bondy S, 2008
Alcohol, Rehm J, Chrisholm D, Room R, Lopez AD. Book chapter 47
Preventing Alcohol Problems In Young People, Room R, 2005
Alcohol Distribution, Alcohol Retailing and Social Responsibility: A Report Submitted to the Beverage Alcohol System Review Panel, Mann RE, Rehm JT, Giesbrecht N, Room R, Adlaf E, Gmel G, Graham K, Österberg E, Smart R, Roerecke M, 2005
Social policy and psychoactive substances, Report to the Foresight Brain Science, Addiction and Drugs Project Room R, 2005

Source: http://www.robinroom.net/

See also Links and downloads

International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA): Conference

High-Demand Groups: Helping Former Members and Families, November 2-3, 2013, Santa Fe, New Mexico 

Registration and other info: http://events.icsa.name (look left for Santa Fe links). Registration fees increase on September 1st.

Go directly to online registration: http://bit.ly/11RScSW 

This conference will focus on the helping needs of former group members and families concerned about a loved one in a high-demand or cultic group or relationship.

The conference will take place at La Fonda on the Plaza, one of Santa Fe’s finest hotels, located in the heart of the old city. Santa Fe has been chosen to give ICSA’s western supporters an opportunity to attend a conference closer to home.

Speakers include some of the cultic-studies field’s most experienced mental health professionals, as well as other experts. Among the mental health professionals attending will be contributors to a book project that will present the clinical state of the art in this field. 

Attend this conference if you are interested in how psychologically manipulative and demanding groups can hurt people and what can be done to help those who are harmed.

Cult groups – how to identify them – how to get rid of them

We frequently get enquiries from AA members who are concerned about the activities of cult groups operating in their area but are at something of a loss when it comes to how to deal with them and the problems they create. Obviously there's quite a bit of information on the site (and this can be narrowed down both by judicious use of the search box positioned at the top left of the blog page and by utilising the 'label' system (key words inserted at the bottom of each blog entry and also on the right hand side of the blog) but we decided that perhaps a more condensed format would be useful. So we present:
Cult groups in two easy steps: how to identify them - how to get rid of them

[Caveat: Strictly speaking the term 'cult' does not necessarily refer to a collective engaged (deliberately or not) in malign acts. The qualification sometimes employed to more accurately denote these is 'destructive cults'. Here our use of the term implies the latter].


How to identify them (Source: Cult Awareness and Information Library)

“CULT - Any group which has a pyramid type authoritarian leadership structure with all teaching and guidance coming from the person/persons at the top. The group will claim to be the only way to God; Nirvana; Paradise; Ultimate Reality; Full Potential, Way to Happiness etc, and will use thought reform or mind control techniques to gain control and keep their members.”

[Note: This definition would include all the world's major religions but see our caveat above]  

“Other Identification Marks

(a) The group will have an ELITIST view of itself in relation to others, and a UNIQUE CAUSE. i.e. THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES RIGHT — everyone else is wrong. THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES DOING GOD'S WILL — everyone else is in apostasy.
(b) They will promote their cause actively, and in doing so, abuse God-given personal rights and freedoms. This abuse can be THEOLOGICAL, SPIRITUAL, SOCIAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL.” 

“Some Abuses Of Rights And Freedoms:

1. Abuse Of Individuality: They adopt a "groupness" mentality. They are not permitted to think for themselves apart from the group and only accept what they are told.
2. Abuse Of Intimacy: Relationships with friends, relatives, spouses, children, parents etc are broken or seriously hampered.
3. Abuse Of Finances: Pressure to give all you can to the group. In non-communal groups, members usually live at the lower socio-economic strata, not because of a lower income level, but because they are always giving money to the group for some reason.
4. "Us Versus Them" Mentality: Isolation from the community in general. Anyone and everything outside the group is seen as "of the devil" or "unenlightened" etc. Their enemies now include former friends; the Christian church; governments; education systems; the media — the world in general. Those who are involved with these in any way see such involvement as a "means to an end".
5. Abuse Of Time And Energy: The group controls and uses almost all the members time and energy in group activities. They are usually in a constant state of mental and physical exhaustion.
6. Abuse Of Free Will: They must unquestioning submit to the groups teachings and directions and their own free will is broken. Their "will" actually becomes the groups "will" without their realizing it. This is done either by coercive methods including low protein diets and lack of sleep, or over a period of time through intimidation. Both methods make heavy use of "guilt". 

Results Of This Abuse 

1. Personality Changes
Relatives will say they no longer recognize the person. From a warm, loving personality will come heaped abuse, rejection and feelings of hate. The cult member sees himself as "righteous" in comparison and this comes across in their attitude toward all outsiders.
2. Loss Of Identity
They cannot see themselves as individuals apart from the group. Some even change their name as a rejection of their former life.
3. Paranoid — We Are Being Persecuted
Any time you say anything negative about the group, whether justified or no, it is regarded as "persecution". Any criticism of the individual is also seen as persecution only because they are the "true Christian" or "enlightened" one — not because they, as an individual, have done the wrong thing. However, at the same time they will feel free to criticise whatever you believe, say and do because they are "the only ones who are right".
4. Social Disorientation
They lose their ability to socialize outside the group. This can go so far as to not being able to structure their time or make simple decisions for themselves when they leave.
Their world-view alters and they perceive the world through their leaders eyes. They become very naive about life in general.
5. Severe Guilt Complexes
They are made to feel guilty of everything they did before entering the group and are to strive to be "good" and "worthy" for "eternal life". Misdemeanours are made into "mountains" so that members are in a constant state of guilt for infringing even the most minor rules. Guilt comes because they aren't doing enough; entertaining doubts or questions; even thinking rationally for oneself.
This guilt is piled upon pile with new rules constantly being laid down about what is sinful and what is not. Illness may be seen as lack of faith — more guilt. Emotional illness may be seen as proof of sin in your life — more guilt.” 


Cheerio 

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

The 2010 AA membership survey (Great Britain)

Link here 

Some further background (specifically membership numbers)

Source: Conference 2011 Final Report.pdf

Joys of Recovery Detroit and Troy (Michigan)

A recent email from the States. We quote:

“I found a great deal of hope in this website in that I am not alone. Thank you to who ever is running this site! Everything I have been through and witnessed makes so much sense now.

I was taken to a Joys meeting in 2012 by a women I met at a young persons meeting in 2010 but at that time I was not ready to be sober though hung onto the phone number.

This meeting takes place on Wednesday evening at 7.30pm in Troy [MI] titled Joys of Recovery. I knew something was strange right from the start, I had obviously been to AA previously and this meeting seemed different. To start, before the meeting we had dinner at a local restaurant, all the men sat at one end of the restaurant and the women on the other. Once done with dinner it was off to the meeting just around the corner, though we needed to be at the meeting early, an hour early? There was the usual coffee and treats… the meeting is set up in led discussion format, which for Michigan is unusual. We typically see table topic meetings. Yet again the men have their side on the right and women on the left. Though the men if they wanted could sit on the women's side, there are many more men then women so I'll give them the benefit and say seating could have been slim, though if you're a female heaven forbid you're sitting on the men's side… Five minutes before the meeting starts with a speaker the coffee and treats are taken away, I have since learned this is because alcoholics need to acquire discipline and sit though a whole meeting and listen to the message. In the opening announcements it was stated "some of our members are sensitive to swearing" - really? This is fucking AA! Never have I ever heard such B.S... some of our newly sober members just came off the street, I feel as though swearing should be the least of anyone's concerns. Can we pull the sticks out of our asses please, and we're alcoholic it often comes along with the territory. I so badly want to shout obscenities but I kept my mouth shut… The following message I heard spoke little about what it use to be like and more so on sponsor/sponsee relationship, service, how important it was to not speak to people of the opposite sex because we alcoholics don't know what our motives are, and a few other "suggestions" I never read in the Big Book. I was given a newcomers packet which consisted of a meeting guide, a few women's numbers because there wasn't many at this meeting, a Just for Today card and a couple other papers/pamphlets.

After getting out of treatment right away I knew I needed a sponsor so I wasn't too picky and asked the woman who gave [me] a ride on a couple occasions. We had a few things in common about what it use to be like…. I asked a woman A.... to work with me, she told me a little about herself though stated she was extremely happy today and never thought about drinking - the obsession as they say had been removed. That's what I wanted, and she seemed to be the ring leader of the women there, sat in the front chair on the women's side and to me at the time seemed like a VIP of AA at least with the Joys folks. At the time it didn't make sense but now knowing all the history of Joys AA I can make a few connections, I was told her sponsor lived in England / AKA the motherland of Joys/ Visions meetings. Once I stated working one on one I had all of the typical daily suggestions of the Joys Cult, read and live out the JFT card, gratitude list, calling newcomers, I was set up with 2 three month long service positions, one in Troy and one at their sister location Detroit (also talked about on this site) I was not to have any romantic relations, read 2 pages of the big book, daily meetings though there were meetings I was advised not to attend / didn't count as meetings, for example women's meetings because we should not be prejudice on who can hear a message ( though they choose to segregate men and women @ their fellowship and own meetings ) Is segregation a form of prejudice? Just a thought... Then there was a meeting I attended where Joys was not spoken fondly of when I told them I went there, A...... told me "they were sick" and I probably should choose another meeting that night. That meeting was my home group and I was a young person and it was a young person meeting which was very refreshing but, I was told that my home group was now Joys because my sponsor was from Joys and her sponsor started Joys…. ( Kristen and John C ) the husband and wife who play mummy and daddy in the cascade style sponsoring. I was to never miss a Joys meeting attend early and attend fellowship. At the time I was on an anti depressant, meanwhile 2 months earlier I was released from a mental hospital and was advised NOT to come off my medication. I told A.... what I was taking its a non-narcotic explained what the medication did etc, and I was told "I need to look that up"… For real? I found that odd, you're not my doctor lady, you're my sponsor, and you're supposed to have no medical view or opinion so why do you need to "look that up"…. Someone from another group asked once they found out who my sponsor was if I had to sign my name in blood and deliver my first born child to be a home group member with Joys. Obviously this meeting had a reputation I was unaware of. As did my sponsor...

Upon going to the meeting in Detroit a man stood outside and said his sponsor was telling him to stop smoking since he had acquired a year of sobriety, where does the book say that we can't smoke after a year? During the meeting I began to notice a routine of sharing and if someone spoke out of line from the Joys program someone was quick to reprimand and or speak up next in turn. One woman stated something that stuck out to me " I was told not to share at a meeting till I had completed the 12 steps for until then I didn't have a message to share"… hmm I find that strange, sometimes I need the raw, real message from someone struggling or just walking through the doors to remind me what it was like out there. But apparently those messages are for your sponsor and not for the meeting. I also on an occasion had a conversation with my sponsor about getting a coin because I had an anniversary coming up, but I was sadly told Joys doesn't do birthdays and it's suggested I don't get coins because that's what A.....'s sponsor had told her, and one day A........ wanted to pick up her one year birthday coin at a meeting and apparently relapsed several days later, its un-humble of our sobriety to get a coin is what that conversation amounted to, and we stay sober for today. Though for me getting a coin is for the newcomer today not for me, it's to show the newcomer that this works, so keep coming back and one day you will have a coin too! I believe this relapse had nothing to do with picking up a coin…. but the brainwashing aspect attached to it… I kept getting my coins like I saw so many others with great long term sobriety at other meetings. I also began to notice before going to the restroom people would wait till someone was done sharing, and then stand on the sides till a share was over to return to their seat. This reminds me of church though I'm sure it just goes back to discipline. This group also has a huge prudent reserve, and acquires a large amount of money, group business meeting seemed to have business set up outside the meeting before the group conscious but matters were still discussed for the formality. Like a hierarchy is taking care of business for the group… I was telling someone after the meeting about an affirmations book I had purchased at a rehab, it was Hazelden, I was told that was not AA approved literature and suggested to pick up a 24 hour a day book instead. When I went to smoke cigarettes outside none of the men would even acknowledge my presence, I didn't want "attention" it just seemed strange to carry on a conversation and not even say hello, or 'good morning' like a welcoming AA member would… There were small other incidences regarding this meeting as far as living out the Just for Today and dressing becomingly I was told from a friend a Joys woman saw their attire at a meeting and asked "why are we dressed for the bar". Joys homegroup members pride themselves on looking "presentable".

I only had a few meetings with this sponsor until enough was enough after doing different meetings and talking to other AAs this was not AA, and I'll never forget my final straw with Joys and their principles. I was 90 days plus clean and this woman never took me through a single step, I was reading Dr addict, alcoholic in the third edition BB which in the 4th edition is Acceptance was the answer every time we met…. To sum it up I was not being taken though the steps because according to Joys I was using alcohol in solid form, my non narcotic anti depressant. I read the medical view in AA in the appendix several times and in the Living Sober book, I saw nothing that I was doing wrong or against AA though it was against Joys, I was told that "this is the recipe for my cake and if you don't follow my directions (recipe) exactly I can't guarantee you my cake. Well I want my own fucking cake. I still want a cake, because I'm still an alcoholic but I want some chocolate freedom which I have earned now that I am not a slave to alcohol any longer. Apparently A....'s cake didn't entail me taking anti depressants, thank god I'm not bipolar or schizo affected because lord knows the 12 steps aren't gonna keep me from seeing dragons, but according to Joys I just don't "trust" enough.

According to Joys I have a watered down version of AA, I find this very sad, they're killing people with their methods. and I had a hard time breaking away from them like as though my sobriety wasn't good enough…. I now see a few newcomers at other meetings looking and acting like I did over a year ago. I was prideful to be a Joys member, knowing that I thought I worked the best of the best program, with prestige, and ettiquette. Though as being an alcoholic I find peace today knowing I am no better than or worse than, I am just another alcoholic. I have returned to their meeting on a few occasions this summer both the Wednesday meeting in Troy and Saturday meeting in Detroit and things have changed… there is an obvious number of people breaking away from this meeting mainly the women! There are roughly from what I can tell 3-5 female homegroup members meaning they lead back to Kristen in sponsorship lineage. As for her husband John I'm not sure who his sponsees are though I hear of a California man named Manny spoken of often who sponsors a few men there cascade style. Several of the women I once saw there no longer attend, thankfully they found a way out and are still sober; though a couple of them I'm not sure. I hope anyone who comes to this meeting goes to other meetings as well and can recognize this is NOT AA. That they may use the 12 steps but this is a dictatorship with their own principles and their own agenda. MANY people in our area are aware of them and refer newcomers else where they are not looked upon fondly and we try to keep our distance as long as they keep their meetings in their own bubble. Though it has been a challenge to share the message with those especially the young members who don't know any better culted by their program to see for THEMSELVES otherwise. This website is an excellent tool, I hope to see more blogs and advice from people recovering from a Joys experience in the Detroit area so we can share our experience on how to find a way out.”

(minor edits)

Comment: None needed. But all too familiar!

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Our usual thanks to our correspondent

Tired and emotional? Put your underpants on over your trousers? You're not alone!

 Cheerio 

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous… and super heroes everywhere!)

'Free-for- all' Franchises! Get your piece of the action!

For all those budding entrepreneurs out there eager to exploit the AA name in pursuit of that modern imperative – the fast buck! - one of our correspondents has helpfully supplied this extremely useful template – the Franchise Agreement (in this instance applied to 'juice bar' products with AACultwatch as the potential licensee – but of course these may be amended accordingly) Moreover in anticipation that the Primary Purpose Group will be one of the first to get into the act (they've already dipped their toes in the water – see Minority Report 2013 and in particular Appendix 1i Recovery Merchandise) we've already taken the liberty of inserting their name (although we were somewhat surprised to see that this has not been registered yet – an oversight perhaps?) You need have no worries though about copyright infringement (nor indeed the availability of the AA logo to add just that little bit more credibility to your scam - oops sorry! - to your business operation). You can be quite sure that when it comes down to it AA won't put up a fight! You see it's all to do with our 'spirituality' and not getting involved with all that messy litigation! It's so unbecoming after all and passivity is such an effective tool! Look where it's got us so far! So go ahead! Feel free! Sling the circle and triangle logo where you will – it's all absolutely fine with us. And of course such a strategy is sure to pay dividends when it comes to encouraging your 'marks' – oops .. sorry again … our mistake! – your DISCERNING CUSTOMERS to pay out for a whole range of tat! 

Happy hunting!

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous … and a bit of easy cash!)

In connection with the whole issue of the logo etc see the following:

“AA Grapevine December 1993, Vol. 50 No. 7:

“Around AA 

Whatever Happened to the Circle and Triangle?

Have you noticed that the circle and triangle symbol no longer appears at the top of the Grapevine's Table of Contents? The decision to remove it has its roots in recent events: actions of the 1993 General Service Conference, and subsequent actions by the Board of Trustees and the directors of AA World Services.

Adopted at the 20th Anniversary International Convention in St. Louis, the circle and triangle symbol was registered as an official AA mark in 1955, and has been widely used by various AA entities. By the mid-1980s, however, it had also begun to be used by outside organizations, such as novelty manufacturers, publishers, and occasionally treatment facilities. There was growing concern in the membership of AA about this situation. Some AA members were saying "we don't want our circle and triangle aligned with non-AA purposes." In keeping with the Sixth Tradition, that AA ". . .ought never endorse, finance or lend the AA name to any related facility or outside enterprise. . .", the AA World Services board began in 1986 to contact outside entities that were using the circle and triangle in an unauthorized manner, and to take action to prevent such use of the symbol. AAWS implemented this policy with restraint, and did not resort to legal remedies until all attempts at persuasion and conciliation had been unsuccessful. Of about 170 unauthorized users contacted, two suits were filed, and both were settled in the very early stages.

Denying the use of the symbol to outside entities raised other problems, however. By early 1990, it was clear that some AA members very much wanted to be able to obtain medallions with "our" circle and triangle. Both the AAWS and Grapevine Corporate boards began receiving requests to produce sobriety chips and medallions, and the matter was discussed at a joint meeting of the two boards in October I990. Their consensus was that production of tokens and medallions was unrelated to our primary purpose of carrying the AA message, and they suggested that the matter be given a thorough airing at the General Service Conference in order to seek a group conscience from the Fellowship.

At the 1992 Conference, there were presentations on why we should or should not produce medallions, and on the responsibility of AAWS to protect our trademarks and copyrights. The result was a Conference Advisory Action asking the General Service Board of trustees to undertake a feasibility study on the possible methods by which sobriety chips and medallions might be made available to the Fellowship, and to report its findings to an ad hoc committee of delegates.

The ad hoc committee met prior to the 1993 Conference, for several full days of discussion and deliberation, and in turn presented its report and recommendations on the Conference floor. After discussion, the Conference approved two of five recommendations: 1) that the use of sobriety chips/medallions is a matter of local autonomy and not one on which the Conference should record a definite position; and 2) that it is not appropriate for AA World Services or the Grapevine to produce or license the production of sobriety chips/medallions.

In substance, the ad hoc committee report said: "We began to see that the issue is 'What is best for AA as a whole' and not 'Does the Fellowship want AA sobriety chips/medallions?' or 'Can AA produce sobriety chips/medallions?' The committee did not focus on the use of sobriety chips/medallions--groups and individuals are free to use them if they wish. The question is whether it is best for AA as a whole to have a sobriety chip/medallion with the AA name on it authorized and/or issued by an AA entity.

"Some of the comments made during the Traditions part of the discussion included:

"The First Tradition --At the heart of the matter is unit. . ."

"The Second Tradition --Therein lies our solution. Where is our ultimate authority and where is our center? Is it internal or external--principles arising from a power greater than people, or values of the world? We must keep in mind that this is also the place where Bill W. points out that '. . .the good is sometimes the enemy of the best.'

"The Third Tradition --We were reminded that we are a self-correcting Fellowship. . . We felt that it is time for the whole Fellowship to get back to the simplicity and basis of our message.

"The Fourth Tradition makes it clear that we must separate the spiritual from the material. Keeping in mind that any action we take could affect AA as a whole. . .

"The fifth Tradition --The Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, AA Comes of Age, and 'The Twelve Concepts for World Service'--are the basic message, the core message of AA. Everything else is commentary on the basic message: all literature published, comments and sharing at meetings, even the Grapevine, is a sort of national commentary. Could chips/medallions be another form of commentary, another form of a pamphlet?

"The Sixth Tradition calls on us to 'divide the spiritual from the material.' Money is not a valid consideration in the question of whether or not litigation should be brought against misusers of our logo since AA is not in the business of making money. Similarly, the fear that others would be making money off our logo does not hurt the Fellowship on a fundamental level. How do we let go of this tiger we have by the tail?. . . We are at the tip of the iceberg of litigation right now. . . We went many, many years without lawsuits. To continue on this path threatens to keep our focus on money and property instead of allowing our view to widen spiritually.

"The Seventh Tradition reminds us 'Experience has often warned us that nothing can so surely destroy our spiritual heritage as futile disputes over property, money and authority.'

"The Eleventh Tradition --explicitly warns against the sensationalism that follows litigation. It is essentially negative attention and puts the Fellowship at risk.

"The Twelfth Tradition --Humility is the key, working from the internal to the external, from the smaller to the larger, from 'I' to 'We,' in a spirit of humility and trust. What course of action will keep us on the path of spirituality?. . .

"The committee spent a great length of time in the discussion of the Warranties. Warranty Five states:

"'Practically all societies and governments feel it necessary to inflict personal punishment upon individual members for violations of their beliefs, principles or laws. Because of its special situation, Alcoholics Anonymous finds this practice unnecessary. When we of AA fail to follow sound spiritual principles, alcohol cuts us down. Therefore, no humanly administered system of penalties is needed. This unique condition is an enormous advantage to us all, one on which we can fully rely and one which we should never abandon by a resort to the methods of personal attack and punishment. . . .

"'In case the AA name should be misapplied. . .it would of course be the duty of our General Service Conference to press for the discontinuance of such a practice--always short, however of public quarreling about the matter. . . . It was recognized that a public lawsuit is a public controversy, something in which our Tradition says we may not engage.'

"The chips/medallions and trademark questions were dealt with as separately as possible. The committee felt that a distinction could be drawn between the two in terms of their respective significance to AA. The trademark (logo) is the embodiment of the AA name. The significance of its shape is described in AA Comes of Age, page 139: 'The circle stands for the whole world of AA, and the triangle stands for AA's Three Legacies of Recovery, Unity, and Service. . . The priests and seers of antiquity regarded the circle enclosing the triangle as a means of warding off spirits of evil, and AA's circle and triangle of Recovery, Unity, and Service has certainly meant all of that to us and much more.'

"Medallions, on the other hand, are not universally considered an embodiment of the Fellowship as such. Many stories are told about the role that the coins play in an individual's continuing sobriety: the coins act as symbolic recognition of the length of sobriety. They are not the sobriety itself and any attempt to make medallions more than a symbol may lead perilously towards ego-inflation, self-glorification, rather than ego-deflation (see Tradition Twelve).

"The committee felt that the desire to protect the unique meaning of AA's symbol is at the foundation of litigation, as well as the fear of the trivialization of the mark. But despite the vehemence with which we feel 'ownership' of the symbol, we suspect that the belief that we (or anyone) can 'possess' the symbol is a fallacy.

 "It actually works against the foundation of the Steps that lead us to sobriety. Ownership necessarily involves control and to argue over that control through litigation takes the focus away from the fact that we are ultimately powerless. We can own the meaning of the symbol, and if someone uses die graphic, our meaning will not be diminished, as long as we keep the principles it represents in sight.

"The committee finally questioned the goals of litigation, what would actually he gained from a lawsuit. We suspect that the harm done internally as a result of litigation would be far worse than the harm others could do to our 'property" from the outside. At the base of this approach is the trust that is the foundation of AA. It is our trust that AA principles will work to protect our name, just as our trust in God is the foundation of our program and of our lives. Warranty Five says that we can '. . .confidently trust AA opinion, public opinion, and God Himself to take care of Alcoholics Anonymous. . . ."

"Concept Seven states '[The Conference] Charter itself is not a legal document. . ..it relies instead upon the force of tradition. . .for its final effectiveness.'

 "To us, the fear that the incorporation of the symbol by others outside the Fellowship would somehow detract from the significance of the symbol is really unfounded. No one outside the Fellowship can detract from AA's strength if we stick to the Steps, Traditions and Concepts, which unite us.

"The registered trademarks, service marks and logos are symbols of our spiritual Fellowship, Alcoholics Anonymous, and should be treated as such.

"The General Service Conference is a living entity. From the group conscience will eventually emerge an expression of the will of a loving Power greater than ourselves proven to be firmly linked to the Traditions and Warranties, keeping us safe for as long as we are needed."

The ad hoc committee report was debated on Tuesday and Thursday of Conference week, and the subject of chips and medallions came up again during a final sharing session on Friday. The chairperson of the AAWS Board made the following statement at that time: "The AAWS Board will immediately begin a thorough review of us policies regarding our marks, will do everything possible to avoid initialing litigation, and will prepare a revised policy statement to be ready for next year's Conference."

Immediately after the Conference, the General Service Board accepted AAWS's recommendation to discontinue protecting the circle and triangle symbol as one of AA's registered marks. And by early June, the trustees reached substantial unanimity in support of AAWS's statement that, to avoid the suggestion of association or affiliation with outside goods and services, AA World Services, Inc. would phase out the "official" or "legal" use of the circle and triangle.

If you're wondering how to identity Conference-approved literature in the future, it will carry the words "This is AA General Service Conference-approved literature." As pieces of literature are due for reprinting, the symbol will be deleted; and new materials will carry only the Conference-approved wording.

Like the Serenity Prayer and the slogans, which have never had official recognition, the circle and triangle will most likely continue to be used widely for many AA purposes. The difference from earlier practice is that its official use to denote Alcoholics Anonymous materials will be phased out.

(This material is adapted from the August-September issue of the GSO newsletter Box 4-5-9; portions of the ad hoc committee report are taken from the Final Report of the 1993 General Service Conference.)” http://da.aagrapevine.org/” 

Source: aacultwatch forum (“33yrs ago”)

Comment: A classic example both of our ability to cause our own problems by not applying the traditions in the first place compounded by our 'trusted servants' managing at every twist and turn to completely miss the point … again!

PS Our usual thanks to our correspondents

A Sociohistorical Survey of Alcoholics Anonymous

A Sociohistorical Survey of Alcoholics Anonymous, Ritchie OW, Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Vol.9, 119-156, 1948 

“The emergence of alcoholism as a public health problem has profound sociological implications. The etiology of this malady is directly related to the personality of the excessive drinker and the social milieu of which he is a part (1). It follows, then, that if this problem is to be effectively approached it must be on the basis of an understanding of these causative factors.Only then can techniques of recovery be applied with any degree of consistent fruitfulness. 

Along with this new interest in alcoholism there has also developed a new treatment program - the "fellowship" of Alcoholics Anonymous. In relation to the problem of alcoholism this group of former excessive drinkers has assumed a twofold function. First, through their program of recovery Alcoholics Anonymous have brought about the rehabilitation of thousands of alcoholics. Second, they have played an important part in acquainting the general public with the concept of alcoholism as a public health problem. 

Alcoholics Anonymous, referred to ordinarily as A.A., is a rapidly growing society of former excessive drinkers who have been convinced that, for them, drinking constitutes an unmanageable problem. They have banded together to solve their mutual problem and to help others who are similarly affected.”

See also Links and downloads 

PS For AA Minority Report 2013 click here

A thought provoking contribution – contd

See here for previous entry

“Thank you for your reply. You have clearly considered all of these things and I would agree with pretty much all of what you have said. Personally, I always defer to professionals when asked about medication. I realize that I am not qualified to say anything about this so I typically say, "I am not a doctor" or "I just don't know and can't say what you "should" do". Maybe the therapeutic relationship someone forms will prove to be a significant one and then I would be depriving people of that opportunity. I agree that AA is at most effective when we share experience, strength and hope - my own experience and not that of others. As Bill wrote "recovery does not come by confessing the shortcomings of others". In terms of the road to hell is paved with "good" intentions I could not agree more as it was my own naive do-gooderism that got me involved with this sort of sponsorship in the first place. I wanted to "save people" and made a mess. I did much "undesigned" harm as they say.

I am no expert on tough love. I do realize that words can hurt and that we need not swing fists to be a bully. At the same time people who have been very "direct" with me (that is to say confrontational about what they perceive as my shortcomings) have gotten through at times when a more patient or non-confrontational approach may have been lost on me. Maybe this is not really "tough" love the way it would be considered in a therapeutic context or maybe it would be. Either way, I have found that I feel better about myself when I am honest with people even if what I could be perceived as "harsh". This is qualified by the fact that I tend only to do so when asked for my opinion. I also heard a man recently say that "when we tell the Truth without Love it magically ceases to be Truth" and I thought there was something very wise to that. Again, the issue is that we have no professional class of therapy in AA which is why groups where this is practised (as the norm or expectation) I do not really consider as being "AA" which would practice an "unconditional" love. At the same time each group is autonomous, so they can call themselves AA if they want. The ethical issue of intervention when others are in the way of harm is difficult for me. I have done so in the past and at times it has worked out well and then at others I ended up creating more problems. I do believe that it is a form of moral cowardice not to speak up when appropriate to do so. I am very tempted to join your forum on these grounds because I do have quite a bit of experience to share on all of this.”

“….. I have a few more ideas on this topic which may make what I said then sort of "besides the point".

The more I think about this tough love business, the more I agree with your idea that it really is not appropriate in the recovery context. I think what I have learned from my experience with the sort of groups that you describe is that we have this belief system that "guilt is good for us" when in reality our buying into guilt does nothing for our health. Really the "purpose" of guilt is to instil a sense of morality in someone and if we are doing this in recovery then we are being "parents" rather than sponsors and sharing and caring friends.

It was also a mistake of me to say that the sorts of groups which may be traditional in their focus "can do whatever they want" as long as it conforms to the laws of the land. While they "can" I do not want to say that I support what they do or their methods.

I am not saying this to start some kind of battle with people who may see things differently I really just want to be clear on this for my own health and sanity. This is really how I see things these days the more I weigh the pros and cons of my own experience. The more I think about it the more I think that any sort of my being "apologetic" for what is a distortion of context in recovery is not okay.”

“I have been thinking about this some more and here is sort of my policy regarding such groups these days.

There is a difference between our being committed to a life of spiritual growth and personal development and our being obsessed and brainwashed and victimized by a cult. It is not always easy to see because we have this pridefulness about how committed and loyal we are to the great "cause" of the leader of the group. Even though our motives are ostensibly "good" we pave the road to hell by our hidden motives which are to to get recognition, respect, love and approval. Because of our hidden expectations we set ourselves up for later anger and resentment when our "sacrifice" in the form of our "goodness" or "loyalty" is not recognized by the leaders of the group. They may not see it the way that we do so we really set ourselves up by getting involved in the first place. My experience has been that it is best to avoid altogether such groups. Ultimately, the truth needs no defense and that which is worthy of our respect hardly needs an apologist. The true winners in AA are people who teach us to go within ourselves to find the answers and not to look for happiness outside of ourselves no matter how attractively the fallacious promise is packaged.”


Our thanks to our correspondent
 

The 'chit system' – a member's views – some recent correspondence

“Hi Fellas, 

As far as I'm concerned the practice of issuing 'chits' as evidence of attendance at AA meetings (provided for the benefit of the probation service) is a fundamental breach of traditions (as has been argued on the site) – specifically Tradition 10 (long form). 

“No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial issues-particularly those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarian religion. The Alcoholics Anonymous groups oppose no one. Concerning such matters they can express no views whatever." 

The judicial system is an “outside organisation”, The policy of compelling people to attend AA meetings is certainly a controversial issue. It may be government policy (mediated via the courts) to employ such measures as part of a strategy to tackle criminal/anti-social conduct associated with alcohol abuse. That is their business. However co-operating with such 'organisations' does not include participating in their administrative systems especially where there is no requirement for this paper work to be completed otherwise. Indeed such participation represents a literal 'endorsement' of a government policy (which is directly excluded by the above tradition). 

There is already evidence (mostly from the US) that court mandated attendance is causing AA problems (again referred to on the site). Some people are being directed to AA who do not suffer from alcoholism as such. They may have an acute as opposed to a chronic problem which means that our particular remedy is entirely inappropriate. Moreover the element of (judicial) compulsion associated with their attendance leads in some cases to disruption to meetings. These individuals are by definition unwilling to be in AA let alone deal with their problem; this operates to the detriment of those who are otherwise 'willing' participants. Additionally there is some evidence of fraud being encouraged by this system with some AA members being prepared to sign the chit either to get rid of troublesome attendees or, in at least one case, in exchange for money. 

There is absolutely nothing about the 'chit' system which operates either to the advantage of AA generally or the individual particularly (indeed in the latter case it creates a two-tier membership – those who need and those who don't need their attendance recorded). 

Finally the courts may be tempted to use AA as a kind of 'dumping ground' for all kinds of problems even when these are only tenuously related to alcohol. The dangers of this approach should be obvious to anybody who has given the matter some thought.” 

Comment: Think on that! 

Cheerio 

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous) 

PS Our usual thanks to our correspondent

Alcohol research (contd)

Alcohol: equity and social determinants, Schmidt L, Mäkelä P, Rehm J & Room R, 2010
The ambiguity of harm reduction: goal or means, and what constitutes harm? Room R, 2010
The more you drink, the harder you fall: a systematic review and meta-analysis of how acute alcohol consumption and injury or collision risk increase together, Taylor B, Irving HM, Kanteres F, Room R, Borges G, Cherpitel C, Greenfield T, Rehm J, 2010
Alcohol policy and public health implications in a global perspective, Giesbrecht N, Cherpitel CJ, Room R & Stockwell T, 2009

Source: http://www.robinroom.net/

See also Links and downloads

aacultwatch forum

Extract from our forum: http://forums.delphiforums.com/aacultwatch under “Inverness 12 Step Group”

“Hi I recently visited Inverness a few weeks ago was speaking to a few of the members up there. There seems to be a Back To Basics group which there has been discontent with other groups and also Intergroup. The group started of as a Back To Basics Group but [because] off all the controversy decided to change their name to Inverness 12 Step recovery group. But they still have the same format and scripts as they had before. I think this group should be added to the list. “

“Thanks …..., I agree with what you say, but I also think these groups ought to be de-listed by the intergroup and GSO as well. Part of the problem is lack of information. You can find a bit of info on the AA Grapevine "What's on Your Mind Forum", Traditions section http://www.aagrapevine.org/forums/i-say-forum (It was a while ago now so you'll need to keep turning the pages until you get to the Back to Basics discussion). The AA Minority Report on the top of the aacultwatch blog http://aacultwatch.blogspot.co.uk/p/aa-minority-report.html also gives some info in Appendix 1C Wally P. The other part of the problem is AA doesn't appear to have much in the way of communication within the fellowship when it comes to this sort of thing, but I suppose it is the first time in history that AA has had to deal with globally spread cults.”

(minor edits)

Comment: Switching names (or re-branding) isn't quite going to fool anyone is it? Something rather more substantial is going to have to change! 

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Freedom Under God: the choice is ours, November, 1960, Bill W

See also Links and downloads

PS For AA Minority Report 2013 click here

Yet again our name is being 'taken in vain'!

Whilst perusing the AA Conference questions forum site (continuing our series on that subject) we came across the following entry:

This contributor signs in under the name of a well-known First World War German fighter ace, a denomination which we fancy contains who knows how many delusions of grandeur! Anyhoo! In response to a former forum contributor our 'fighter pilot' makes reference to "AACultWatch" seemingly finding something sinister in the fact that a number of links cited by the said contributor appear on our site. Now it is true to say that we are 'busy little bees' when it comes to surfing the world wide web. We do like to keep abreast of current events insofar as they reflect on the fellowship. Nevertheless we don't suffer from the illusion that we're the only members of AA capable of getting access to such information. Indeed one of the points being made in this particular part of the forum discussion is that AA is attracting quite a lot of negative publicity (mainly due to the conduct of the cult which parasite-like has attached itself to the fellowship), most of which is easily accessible on the net. You don't have to search long and hard to dig up something, whether it be sexual misconduct, abuse, financial exploitation, factionalism etc which casts AA in an extremely poor light. There are a lot of people out there who really don't like Alcoholics Anonymous or view us with a great deal of suspicion. Now rather than playing the victim and protesting that they don't understand us perhaps it might be a good idea if we did something called 'an inventory' and put 'our own house in order'. To start with rather than playing an entirely supine role and 'dealing' the 'no controversy' card whenever anything unpleasant comes up perhaps we might try confronting these issues, and get INTO ACTION instead. Delisting these groups (as they have already done in Ireland) and putting some distance between them and us might go some way towards mitigating their adverse impact on the fellowship. Additionally when it comes to the 'commercialisation' of the fellowship members might stop buying the 'tat' we alluded to in previous blog entries. If nobody purchases the stuff then there are no profits to be made and these enterprises go out of business. Similarly we could dispense with the services of 'circuit speakers' and other so-called 'personalities'. If nobody turns up for a Clancy 'performance' then he'll have no one left to massage his ego (which incidentally might do him some good). Remember! It's supposed to be about “principles before personalities'. When it comes to literature we really don't need any work books, guides, or endless audio files from Big Book 'experts' parading their extensive prejudices and ignorance ie. Joe and Charlie, Dick B, Wally P, sundry Primary Purpose exponents, Clancy (again!) et al. AA already provides perfectly adequate conference approved literature (a large proportion of which can be accessed for free) covering what people need to know about the fellowship and the recovery programme (although some more discussion on the distinctions to be drawn between the terms 'spiritual' and 'religious' might be helpful). Finally AA groups and members can do significantly more to safeguard newcomers against the various types of predators who use AA as their feeding ground. So-called 13 steppers (sexual predators) can be publicly 'outed', advised to desist from their activities or face being banned from groups. For too long the rights of the 'victim' have been subordinate to those of their abuser. The defence that banning someone from a meeting effectively sentences them to death is clearly ludicrous. Actions have consequences and there can be no exception for this kind of conduct. Similarly there exist guidelines on bullying and harassment (which cover most of the activities of the cult). These should be clearly displayed in meetings, the attention of the members present drawn to them, and most importantly – IMPLEMENTED. When it comes to the precise relationship that should exist between AA members the AA preamble should be cited viz. : “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.”
 
(our emphases)
 
There is nothing here to suggest any kind of hierarchy within the AA membership. There are no bosses, no 'experts', no superior caste (spiritual or otherwise), no one to 'tell you what to do', no one to 'sponsor' you (even our “leaders” are “but trusted servants”). In fact you will note the key word which defines the relationship is “share” and NOT direct, control, manipulate, coerce, abuse, blackmail, threaten, undermine, suborn etc. All that AA members do is “share” what they know. The rest remains in the hands of the listener and his/her personal concept of a Higher Power/principle. End of.
 
Finally, and coming back to our budding 'fighter ace', he seems to have formed the impression that we ourselves are something of a “cult”. It's difficult to see how he arrives at this conclusion given that we don't seem to meet any of the commonly accepted criteria. Moreover he asserts that we “insist[ing] on an almost fanatical adherence to dogma”. Oh dear. He doesn't seem to have read anything on the site. Maybe he's not quite got IT. In fact we're pretty much about the EXACT OPPOSITE (or maybe he means we're FANATICALLY OPPOSED to dogma of any kind! Who can tell!) Still, possessed of this level of confusion and unable apparently even to stumble his way towards our 'mission statement' (no we don't really call it that!) cunningly hidden away on our Home page (top right hand side), we fear that his future as a fighter pilot is seriously in jeopardy. Here we state:
 
“Finally we seek to restore AA to a healthily disorganised state where no faction within the Fellowship may seek to impose its will upon the rest, and that the rights of the individual are always upheld”
 
On this basis as dogmatists we'd be useless, and as a cult a complete non-starter. Perhaps our aeronaut is suffering from what might be called “contempt prior to investigation”?
 
Cheerio
 
The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous ….. and not a cult!)
 
PS Good luck with the flying lessons!