Clone mail!

From time to time we get mails from members which are generally intelligent, perceptive, moving, thoughtful, and well worth the read. And then unfortunately we get mail from cult members as well! These are usually the direct antithesis: banal, scripted, arrogant, myopic and sometimes even abusive. Occasionally one of the latter make an attempt at irony, presumably seeking to exercise what little capacity for independent thought and imagination they still retain. Oh dear, oh dear! Not a good idea! Here is the latest offering from a budding (but failing) Noël Coward: 

“I'd like to take the time to thank you for providing me with a list of all the AA meetings where I can find people practicing [sic] the true program of Alcoholics Anonymous as outlined in the literature. 

cheers and thanks for the great work! 

One real alcoholic.” 

(from someone calling himself Chris S – we always like to give 'credit' where credit's due!) 

We know – yawn! But there you have it. The very epitome of cult wit! But then that's as good as it gets! 

The author of this 'gem' is, as you have may have guessed, referring to our listings for cult meetings in Great Britain, the United States and the Rest of the world. Whilst these are far from comprehensive they give a rough idea of how extensively the rot has spread within AA, or at least in terms of this particular brand of fundamentalist dogma. You will note the reference to the “true program of Alcoholics Anonymous as outlined in the literature”. We have to say that to date we haven't come across a single cult member who seems to have even a nodding acquaintance with the aforementioned texts. Rather they have had the regurgitated version thrust down their throats by some so-called Big Book 'expert' who in turn no doubt was tutored by some equally ignorant sponsor - and so on up the line! A bad case of the blind leading the blind! And then of course he signs off: “One real alcoholic”. Only one! Is there only one real alcoholic in the whole of AA! Goodness gracious! Who have we been mixing with all these years? A bunch of fakes! 

Perhaps it would be better to leave this “one”, “true” alcoholic to his own private fantasy whilst the rest of us get on with the business of living in the “real” world 

Cheerio 

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous … and Noël Coward!)