Good God! What could they be thinking!

A member kindly drew our attention to the following section (cheers!) on the AA (Great Britain) website (located beneath the 12 Steps): 

“Newcomers are not asked to accept or follow these Twelve Steps in their entirety if they feel unwilling or unable to do so.

They will usually be asked to keep an open mind, to attend meetings at which recovered alcoholics describe their personal experiences in achieving sobriety, and to read AA literature describing and interpreting the AA program.

AA members will usually emphasize to newcomers that only problem drinkers themselves, individually, can determine whether or not they are in fact alcoholics.

At the same time, it will be pointed out that all available medical testimony indicates that alcoholism is a progressive illness, that it cannot be cured in the ordinary sense of the term, but that it can be arrested through total abstinence from alcohol in any form.”

(our emphases)

Comment: Have they gone insane! Surely they can't possibly be proposing that newcomers are left to make up THEIR OWN MINDS about whether to do the Steps or not etc? This is crazy! EVERYONE knows that newcomers are total dimwits quite incapable of exercising proper judgement or discrimination. EVERYONE knows that they, before all else, absolutely have to have a sponsor in order to be given directions! Why it says so in the Big Book doesn't it? Hold on a sec... we'll just check. We're sure we've seen it in there somewhere..... Er... er... well we must have a faulty copy. Can't find any mention of sponsorship. But if you read between the lines you can see quite clearly that newcomers MUST have sponsors and sponsors MUST tell newcomers what to do.... Wha'dya say? There's nothing in between the lines? Rubbish. You don't know what you're talking about! Obviously you haven't understood the Big Book the way us EXPERTS do....or maybe you're not a REAL alcoholic! Anyway... it beggars belief. You can't just have newcomers running around doing what they please. It would be ANARCHY. Someone has to bring order to chaos and who better than those who have GOT THE AA MESSAGE in its original, pristine purity..... Sure we agree that they should read the literature but as for making their own interpretation.... pleeeeease … you can't be serious! Who knows what might happen! We shudder to think....No .. it's a well-known fact that newcomers NEED to be TOLD WHAT TO DO...  and WHAT TO THINK! After all doesn't it say that in the basic text... always do what your sponsor tells you... hold on a sec! We'll just take another look.....no....no...... no .. still can't find that bit... but it's in there somewhere.... hold on.... we'll just read between the lines again ….. There it is! Clear as day! Wha'dya mean you can't see it? It's right there in front of your eyes. “ALWAYS DO WHAT YOUR SPONSOR SAYS”... You blind or something! …............................ and so on and so forth ….... (for our cult readers this section is HEAVILY laden with irony … Geddit! Probably not!)

But what does it say in our Preamble: “….we SHARE our experience, strength and hope WITH each other …..” … not ram it down others' throats! Seriously though it's worth reading Chapter 7, Working With Others to get some sensible advice on the whole question of carrying the AA message... and none of it involves telling other alcoholics (new or not so new) what to do!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)