Campaign launched!

As promised we have initiated a campaign with the aim of establishing contacts with ALL the main referring agencies (national and local) to AA based in Great Britain. In order to facilitate this process we've acquired a number of data bases and estimate the project should be completed within two years.

Our objectives:

promote AA as a recovery method based on life long abstention from alcohol in any form and any quantity “one day at a time” suitable for some alcoholics (or alcohol addicts);

highlight some of the pitfalls newcomers may encounter when joining the fellowship eg. sexual predation, bullying (institutionalised in the case of the cult), prescribed medication issues, religious fundamentalism and dogma versus spiritual practice etc and suggest some strategies they might employ to avoid them;

encourage referring agencies to subject the AA service structure (General Service Board, General Service Office, regions, intergroups etc) to a more detailed and searching scrutiny than may have been the case previously pointing out in particular the absence of a coherent, consistent and effective complaints procedure (attributable in part to a widespread misinterpretation - and misapplication - of AA's traditions specifically Tradition Four);

draw attention to the risk of potential litigation (and other actions) arising out of breaches of the professional duty of care owed by such agencies to their clients when referring them to AA (eg. prescribed medication issues).

Hopefully the above will encourage more sufferers to contact AA whilst ensuring they enjoy a relatively 'hassle' free recovery, and, as importantly, prompt the fellowship to take more seriously the abuses outlined above and take decisive action to remedy these deficiencies.

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Missing a moral 'compass'?

Have you ever encountered members who seem to have completely mislaid their ethical or moral 'compass' (if they ever had one in the first place)? You know the type ….. they'll happily lecture everyone else on how to practise the programme 'right' and then do the precise opposite themselves. People like David B (founder of the Joys of Recovery and its various offshoots - didn't have a sponsor but insisted everyone else had to have one!), David C (took over the reins after the welcome demise of David B - a grade A religious bigot and control freak – last seen down El Cerrito way spreading the 'disease'!), Wayne P (sponsored by Clancy – a serial philanderer – he seems to have a big problem keeping his trousers on), Clancy (Pacific Group - likes to play the big shot with a sideline in shaming others … in other words … a thug!), Wally P (a serial monogamist who runs Back to Basics – a nice little earner), Joe and Charlie (Primary Purpose – yet more control freaks who liked to bore AA members into recovery with their incessant lecturing), Mike Quinones (serial sexual predator who ran the Midtown Groups – also sponsored by Clancy) not to mention AA's innumerable (and growing) army of recovery 'experts' eagerly mimicking their efforts as they busily rush about organising AA (?) 'workshops', churning out yet more audio files on so-called 'fast track' recovery, each one desperately seeking the attention of anyone with a few bucks to spare, and the poor judgement to pass them in their direction...... You have! We thought so ….. And then you must have wondered what kind of guy would behave like that? What must possess them? Are they stupid? Or are they just sick.... or sicker than the rest of us? Well wonder no more …. all will be revealed – specifically Narcissistic Personality Disorder DSM-5 (pp. 9-10)

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS An update on our new campaign to be published shortly …. we've been very busy behind the scenes!

The cult (per)version of Step One

Our correspondent writes: 

“David B and Step 1. 

In the 1990's I attended the Vision For You cult group held in Eaton Square, London. This was when David B, founder of the cult movement in the UK, was still alive and holding court with his harem of young male sponsees (not for nothing was he called the Queen of Chelsea, but I digress). One thing I learned was that David B's definition of step one of the AA program was different from what is to be found in AA literature, and totally confusing to newcomers and others. 

David B emphatically said many times that (I quote) “if you don't do everything your sponsor says you do not have step 1.” He taught that “doing what you are told by a sponsor” is what step 1 was all about. Part of that blind obedience was doing 6 or more Daily Suggestions which he had printed out on a small card of similar size to the Just For Today Card. Note: he was making group fellowship depend upon a card he had made up himself without any consultation with other groups or AA as a whole: thus breaking the AA Traditions (Tradition 4 in particular), which still to this day is a continuing source of disunity and confusion within the fellowship. I recall a young man who attended the Visions cult back then who was given the nickname “6 Things” because he always shared he did the so-called 6 things on the Daily Suggestion card every day and that is what he thought kept him sober. One evening he failed to turn up for the regular cult meeting and returning some weeks later he informed us that he had been drinking and the excuse he gave was that he had forgotten to do one of the 6 things. A number of the more experienced members in the meeting smiled when they heard him say that. They smiled because they knew it was a pretty lame excuse of the kind alcoholics make when they really just want to carry on drinking anyway. As it says in the Big Book (page 132) “Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we bust into merriment over a seemingly tragic experience out of the past... “ “Mr. 6 Things” stayed sober for a short while longer, then he disappeared altogether. Sadly we heard he was drinking again. It's a shame I cannot remember his real name, just his cult nickname “6 Things”. Clearly this poor confused young man had no idea what AA's step 1 really was, other than the obedience nonsense David B had made up. One of the 6 things was to ring your sponsor every day and do everything he tells you. I'm 100% certain David B didn't do 6 things every day. He didn't have a sponsor, so how could he? So by his own definition he did not have step 1 himself. The irony of that did not seem to dawn on him. However many of his followers eventually woke up to his dishonesty and hypocrisy and left the Visions cult, went into mainstream AA, and grew up. But Mr. 6 Things came to AA and never really heard the true authentic message of Step 1 as described in AA literature where there is no mention of blindly obeying sponsors or following made up suggestion cards. Instead Mr. 6 Things was just another human guinea pig for David B's colossal ego. David B thought he knew better than AA and could concoct his own literature on a whim and dishonestly pass it off as AA to the newcomer. To this day the fraud continues within the cult groups that are descended from his sponsorship. His bad example with regard to breaking the Traditions by composing his own literature is now being copied and continued. The card itself mutates, getting ever more complicated, I saw one recently that had over 20 daily tasks for the newcomer to worry about. No more pretence of “six things”, it was a neurotics charter for imprisoning newcomers in the author's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Not so much relax, take it easy, and easy does it (sayings to be found in the Big Book pages 86 & 135), and, of course “Keep it Simple” - but rather “Make it More Complicated and fret about it”. I feel sorry for newcomers who stumble in on these lawless cult groups. What they are encountering is not AA at all, but a dangerous warped mutation founded upon lies.

I doubt David B had step 1 at all in any real sense. It is known that he invited newcomers and sponsees to have dinner with him at his flat in Chelsea. Guests at these dinners noticed that there was always a bottle of red wine in his kitchen. He freely boasted that he added red wine to his recipes “to give it that extra something” in his words. Well, it certainly gave his dishes something extra - it's called alcohol. It is a scientific fact that in spite of cooking, even for a long time, a significant percentage of alcohol still remains after cooking.......

Alcohol content after cooking – see highlighted column
Source: USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors 

….....Remembering that alcoholism is an illness of physical allergy and mental obsession, one has to consider how a man, who was an alcoholic himself, was not only experimenting with wine in his own food at the very least, but also feeding it to other alcoholics who came to him for help and trusted him. This, combined with his nonsensical and unfounded claims that step 1 was all about obeying sponsors (i.e. him) and doing tasks on a card he made up himself in defiance of AA Tradition and protocol, It seems conclusive to me that not only did he have delusions of grandeur, and was a selfish narcissist who did not truly care at all for the welfare of others (all symptoms of alcoholism), but, as a compulsive alcoholic, what really mattered to him was feeding and playing around with the prime object of his obsession, namely alcohol. And this was the founder of the AA cult movement in the UK.” 

Comment: There is NO safe level of alcohol for an alcoholic .. 100% abstinence is what AA is about ….. So much for the recovery 'experts'!! They'll end up killing you!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Thanks to our correspondent 

See also A new campaign

The Religious Roots of Shaming-as-Rehab Programs

“In many Spanish-speaking communities throughout major U.S. cities, people struggling with substance addiction turn to unlicensed rehab groups, programs offering therapy ranging from testimonies to intensive—and sometimes harsh— residential regimens. Of murky historical origin, these rehab groups borrow from Pentecostal Christianity and self-help culture, and frequently provide help to those unable to access more mainstream care. Often using the name and adapted logo of Alcoholics Anonymous, they are typically started and overseen by padrinos (“godparents”), who are pastors, recovered addicts, or both.”

http://www.cultnews101.com/2016/03/the-religious-roots-of-shaming-as-rehab.html

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

See also A new campaign

PS Thanks to our contributor

Humility and 12-Step Recovery

A Prolegomenon for the Empirical Investigation of a Cardinal Virtue in Alcoholics Anonymous

An interesting analysis of what humility is … and is not! We thought of sending the link to Clancy I (c/o of the Pacific/Atlantic groups) and sundry other recovery 'experts.....but then what could he/they possibly learn!

Favourite quote: “Kant held that kneeling on the ground even to express reverence for heaven is contrary to the absolute human dignity of being a rational moral agent and amounts to grovelling”

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

See also A new campaign

A new campaign

Well it's been fun but all good things must come to an end......well not really ….

We've been going (in one form or another) since 2007... seems a helluva lot longer! aacultwatch launched its Stop Press section (an early form of the blog format we later adopted) in that year with the highly edifying (and attention grabbing) title “Debbie Does Dallas”.....which proved to be highly popular (although rather disappointing for those who expected something quite different!).....

Since then we've attempted to raise awareness of cult activities in this country (and others) with some modest success. But there are only so many ways you can say the same thing (eg. Tradition Four does NOT imply unqualified group autonomy, 'sharing' your experience does NOT mean 'directing', controlling, bullying and abusing newcomers, Wayne P (Plymouth Road to Recovery CULT group) really SHOULD buy some braces to stop his trousers from falling down, Clancy I is NOT to be taken seriously (even if he does!), Joe and Charlie did NOT produce a definitive interpretation of the Big Book etc etc etc.....) and so we've decided to move on …. to bigger and better things... Over the last few weeks we've been preparing a new initiative. Whereas the aacultwatch campaign is mostly aimed at AA members (especially newcomers) we've decided that we needed to shift the focus somewhat. Our main concern has always been the welfare of those who come to AA for help (ie. NOT to be bullied). Over time we've come to the conclusion that Alcoholics Anonymous itself is structurally incapable of reform. Since there is no centralised authority any guidance offered with respect to combating bullying etc is only as effective as its local implementation. Unfortunately the latter is sorely lacking (with some notable exceptions). Collective responsibility IS implied in Tradition Four and yet there's seems to be a widespread reluctance to apply that principle. More often than not unacceptable conduct (especially where it has become effectively institutionalised ie. cult groups) goes unchecked simply because no one is prepared to grasp that particular nettle. The only effective way in which newcomers can be protected, it seems, is to ensure that they are made fully aware of the dangers they may encounter BEFORE they actually attend AA meetings. Moreover many of the agencies currently referring clients to AA (eg. probation service, treatment centres, GPs, etc) may not be cognisant of these hazards. Unfortunately, and not entirely unsurprisingly, the AA national website presents a somewhat idealised version of the fellowship. For example in their FAQ section (under Is it a cult?) the following is stated:

“Its [AA] members are not forced to attend meetings, they are free to leave at any time and the programme of recovery is simply a list of suggestions which while many do chose to follow, also many chose to go their own way about it. The majority of members quite happily fit the culture of AA into their normal life and belief systems.”

However any newcomer who attends cult groups within AA in Great Britain will very rapidly find themselves under considerable pressure to continue with (only) those particular meetings, that “suggestions” very quickly transmogrify into 'directions', and that finally there is very little if any licence to “go their own way”. The official AA 'line' fails to acknowledge the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) dynamics of cult indoctrination. This is a reality that needs to be communicated to potential members (as well as the aforementioned referring agencies) if a truer picture of AA's actual operation is to emerge.

Therefore, to remedy this deficit, we will shortly be launching a national campaign (and website) aimed directly at potential (and actual) newcomers as well as a range of referring agencies (probation service, health trusts, 12 Step treatment centres, GPs, employers etc throughout Great Britain but including other interested parties: MPs, local councils, various media, religious organisations etc). Our objective will be to draw attention to the real benefits AA may afford those who suffer from chronic alcohol addiction but not omitting the dangers inherent in attending (some) AA meetings: in our view to be forewarned is to be forearmed. This, of course, may result in some individuals electing to seek help elsewhere. However there exist a growing number of alternatives to AA both 'live' and online, free and not free, including Smart Recovery, counselling, psychotherapy, Stop Drinking ….. Priority should always be given to the welfare of the individual rather than the reputation, deserved or not, of any organisation (including AA).

The existing aacultwatch site will remain 'live' but our activity will be much reduced. However if anyone wishes to draw our attention to (and potentially publicise) cult misconduct please do not hesitate to contact us.

Finally we would like to thank all our supporters (and various contributors) past and present without whom aacultwatch would literally not exist!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Exploring the CULT in culture

“The four factors that Deikman cites as characteristic of cult phenomena are:

compliance with the group

dependence on a leader

avoidance of dissent

devaluation of outsiders.”

Comment: Ticks ALL the boxes!

Exploring the CULT in culture

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Our thanks to our contributor

Excuses... excuses!

Looking for an excuse to go back on the sauce? Here are 12 real life feeble excuses some alcoholics have made for jumping off the wagon.

1. I missed the bus.

2. It was raining and I just got bored..

3. It was too hot and sunny and I got thirsty.

4. It was freezing cold and I reckoned a few shorts would warm me up.

5. I was so sad after my cat died, I needed some southern comfort.

6. I was so happy with my cute new puppy, I just had to celebrate.

7. My football team lost.

8. My football team won.

9. I was doing the 6 Daily Suggestions card, but I only rang one newcomer instead of 2, so I drank. (Yes, believe it or not, someone has actually used that as an excuse!)

10. I did my Step Four the wrong way with the wrong sponsor. Instead of referring to a list of 14 defects of character I was given a list of 15, and therefore I drank. (We kid you not!)

11. I read an aacultwatch article and they forced me to drink. (Best excuse of all, BSE - Blame Someone Else – because it's always someone else's fault.)

12. Make the next one up yourself. As you can see from the above, any laughable old tosh will do.

Yes, excuses, excuses. Alcoholics have come up with some epic yarns for getting sloshed. And there are many more where they came from. And remember, they are always “justified”, aren't they!

P.S. “Going to any lengths” means you don't drink no matter what. Capisce?

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Thanks to our contributor

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)

Comment: See “Internet Safety”. This concludes our review.

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)

Comment: Since there is no 'standard' way of 'working' the Steps (that is assuming one wishes to work them in the first place. After all they don't represent the sole means by which alcoholics recover – a fact explicitly acknowledged in the book Alcoholics Anonymous) there can be no “standard” guide. The Big Book outlines a possible (and “suggested”) approach but no more than that. Similarly the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (authored by Bill W) offers no more than a commentary on the subject and can by no means be regarded as definitive. Finally recovery remains the responsibility of each individual (in the company of others), and the method adopted, and the manner of its implementation, their choice alone. No “special interpretations” (ie. 'expert' guidance) are required:

“As finally expressed and offered, they [The Twelve Steps] are simple in language, plain in meaning. They are also workable by any person having a sincere desire to obtain and keep sobriety. The results are proof. Their simplicity and workability are such that no special interpretations, and certainly no reservations, have ever been necessary.” (Dr. Bob. Dr. Bob and the Good Old Timers page 227)

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)

Comment: See “freedom of speech”.... and “parts of AA ARE highly dangerous” … and we've got a sneaking suspicion that there'll be another website appearing on the scene fairly soon that's going to cause more than a few eyebrows to raise!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016

Comment: ie. no action

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Whatever happened to Paul ?

A recent email:

“I've been following your useful blog and I would like to make some contribution as I agree with your general aims. The “cult” as you describe it, is spreading throughout AA now and causing division, suffering and acrimony wherever it goes. It reminds me of the story in the Big Book about the alcoholic raging through other people's lives like a tornado wreaking havoc, but being oblivious to the harm done to others in the process. I would like to tell you about my friend “Paul” (for anonymity I will not use his real name), who attended AA meetings a number of years ago. Apart from being an addict and alcoholic, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. To help him control and cope with this condition he needed to take anti-psychotic medication and other treatments. He attended AA meetings in Surrey, I think these were in or near Hampton-Kingston area. He rang me up one day in great distress saying that his AA sponsor had told him he must come off all medication or he could not work the AA 12 step program, and he would be cold-shouldered by people at his home group. I don't know the name of his sponsor, but I do know that he was not a qualified Doctor. I think he was an actor. Anyway, Paul was convinced he needed to come off his medications in order to get sober. I tried to point out to him that this advice was not in accord with AA guidelines and was very dangerous. But the trouble was I was the only voice telling him this. He was attending a meeting where every single person was saying the same thing this sponsor was saying and he was convinced they must be right because of strength of numbers. He was also advised to follow a non AA website which promoted the same message. It seemed to me that he was attending a cult meeting as there was no room for dissent, it was all group speak dictated by this sponsor who's only qualifications were to act, or sell cars, or whatever it was he did for a living. Paul came off his medications and a few days later was sectioned into a mental hospital. Although Paul was a man in his 30's his parents took responsibility for him and gave him a new phone and changed his number, and he was told to avoid AA by his family. His family became very anti-AA. They moved him to stay with relatives in another part of the country to keep him away from that sponsor and the endless phone calls from cult followers telling him not to be “selfish” and do what his sponsor said, and have a life beyond all dreams... a false promise if ever there was given the particulars and circumstances. I lost touch with him after that.. I often wonder what happened to him. I hope he is well. This episode highlights the need for AA members to follow the Traditions and guidelines of AA which state quite clearly that no AA member should be playing Doctor. And even if a person is a Doctor, they should not be practising their profession within AA as AA should be forever non-professional. By the way, I have known AA members who have to take anti-psychotic medication and they can stay sober for many years and lead productive lives. So the cult doctrine about medication is untrue in my experience. And if people with serious mental problems are told they cannot get sober in AA because they have to stop taking their medications then these groups are effectively discriminating against the mentally ill. It brings AA into disrepute and into conflict with medicine, society and basic human rights. I think these cult meetings live in a bubble of their own delusions and self-justifications, and are incapable of seeing themselves as others see them. Just like the tornado alcoholic in the Big Book. It is like a criminal mindset, where the ends justify the means no matter what harm is done to others. Such a tragedy AA is heading in that direction. Regards L.”

Comment: Couldn't agree more!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Our thanks to our correspondent

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016

Comment: The argument that our message is being “watered down” or “diluted” is frequently employed by cult groups (especially the Primary Purpose gang) to justify their own mangling of its meaning (eg. Gresham's Law and AA but see also Gresham's Law and Alcoholics Anonymous - a critique)

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016

Comment: Absolutely! Don't want any of that troublesome controversy, people criticising how AA is run and so on .…. God forbid! But since the word “Minority” has been mentioned here's one we made earlier:

Minority Report 2013

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous … itself a minority!)

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)

Answer: No. See Tradition Five:

“Five—Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” (short form)

“5.—Each Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one primary purpose —that of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” (long form) (our emphasis)

Note the use of the word “its” …... and draw ANY consequent conclusions

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)

Comment: AA currently has no effective method for dealing with any form of bullying, sexual harassment etc (online or otherwise) within the fellowship. It does propose guidelines (16, 17) and therefore can be said to have a policy in place … but implementation is patchy. In some areas sexual predation (so-called '13 stepping') may be described as virtually endemic, and shockingly blatant in some instances. Some of the accounts that have been relayed to us almost defy belief. Of similar concern, and far more widespread, is the virtual 'institutionalisation' of bullying and coercion practised predominantly by cult groups under the guise of sponsorship. This has been extensively documented on the aacultwatch website. Here the programme is no longer disseminated as “suggested” but rather as compulsory, and the edicts of the 'sponsor' to be taken as absolute. Any recourse for those so abused is effectively non-existent. They either tolerate it (and in some instances become perpetrators themselves), leave AA or find some kind of refuge in the wider fellowship where such perversions are largely absent.

However recently, when looking into the background of a question submitted to conference (and rejected), we stumbled upon this little gem:

The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Ltd is a registered charity. Its objective is “TO HELP CHRONIC ALCOHOLICS TO OVERCOME THEIR ADDICTION TO ALCOHOL AND TO SERVE THE FELLOWSHIP KNOWN AS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IN SUCH OF ITS WORK OF ASSISTING ALCOHOLICS TO ACHIEVE SOBRIETY.” and it acts “AS AN UMBRELLA OR RESOURCE BODY”. Under the terms of its registration the charity ie. the General Service Board, is required to report any serious incidents including “fraud, theft or other significant loss” and “suspicions, allegations or incidents of abuse of vulnerable beneficiaries “ (in this case AA members) to the Charity Commission. Failure to do so may lead to regulatory action for mismanagement.

Following on from above (and in the absence of any formal complaints procedure within AA) we would advise anyone who has been the subject of any kind of abuse (or indeed is a witness to such acts) to make a formal complaint via the General Service Office (whose email address is: gso@alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk - using perhaps the heading “Attn: General Service Board”). The latter are then obliged to report this to the Charity Commission. Although no kind of effective response may be expected from the General Service Office or the Board Itself a sufficient number of complaints forwarded in this fashion may serve to place pressure on the GSB (and on AA) to take these matters far more seriously, and institute some real reforms (ie. effective action) to deal with these widespread abuses.

Additionally there is also provision on the Charity Commission site for members of the public (including, obviously, AA members) to make a complaint directly to the Commission itself. Again this may serve ultimately to focus the fellowship's concentration on the pressing need to carry out substantial reforms. Failure to do so can only lead, in the long run, to the progressive demise of AA in Great Britain, and the loss of a valuable resource for dealing with chronic alcohol addiction.

But most importantly ... for the newcomer .. there is no longer any need to suffer in silence. Make your voice heard! And help create a healthier environment in which members can flourish rather than flounder!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Needless to say we shall be using both of the above procedures in future, and (we anticipate) with increasing frequency. Moreover when contacting the General Service Board we will take care to remind them of their obligation to submit an additional report to the Charity Commission in each instance. We will also be carrying out checks to ensure they do so....

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)

Comment: See here for Registered Charities and in particular Charity Trustee disqualification (and of possible interest - How to report a serious incident in your charity including instances of fraud (see Plymouth Road to Recovery – this allegation has already been referred to Action Fraud)

See also Alcoholics Anonymous' entry in the Charity Register

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Questions (not) accepted for conference 2016 (contd)

Comment:

The Service Structure AA (GB)

 

You will note that the AA groups are located ABOVE intergroups, regions, the General Service Conference and the General Service Board ie. AA groups (and therefore members) are at the TOP of the heap. The groups (through their GSRs) communicate their views to our 'minions' (otherwise known as 'trusted (?) servants' who then are SUPPOSED  to carry out our instructions. Unfortunately some of these 'minions' think THEY are in charge. They AREN'T.... Where such a delusion persists their services, of course, may always be dispensed with.

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)