"1. AA is not an institutional clearing program. It does not promise that we will receive suspended sentences, probations, or paroles. AA does not promise conditional releases, stays of proceedings, or the early releases from prisons or hospitals.
2. AA is not a "dating game" nor is it a lonely hearts club or a place to find a temporary or permanent lover.
3. AA is not an employment agency or manpower training program. It does not promise that we'll all find jobs, get rich, or even become financially solvent.
4. AA is not a charitable organization like the welfare system or the Salvation Army. It doesn't promise that we'll be loaned money or given cigarettes. AA is not a bank or a credit union, and is not set up to provide funds for anyone.
5. AA is not a church program or a religious organization (although many groups rent church spaces to hold their meetings.) AA does not force religion down anyone's throat. It does encourage us to develop and nourish individual spiritual ways here and now, but it doesn't demand that we believe anything. Saving souls and making converts is not the purpose of AA.
6. AA does not promise that we'll never be hurt or feel pain. When AA talks about serenity, it is not talking about the absence of calamity but peace of heart, mind and spirit in the midst of calamity. AA is not saying that we'll have no more problems; it's saying that we'll be given what we need to deal with, and go through, those problems. The absence of troubles is not the purpose of AA.”
(1991 Grapevine Inc. January edition)
(our thanks to the AA member for sending us this extract)
Cheers
The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
Showing posts with label Alcoholics Anonymous. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alcoholics Anonymous. Show all posts
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Sunday, 21 November 2010
AA founders debated approach in the original manuscript
(by Lindsay Barba, Associate Editor, Addiction Professional)
"Long before word processors gave us the luxury of tracking our text edits for the next reader, Bill Wilson, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), passed around 400 physical copies of his recovery doctrine for revisions and suggestions. Afterward, he and a few of his colleagues copied the most significant of those contributions onto one manuscript, which would eventually become AA's Big Book -- a text used faithfully by addiction professionals and those in recovery since its first publication in April 1939.
The Big Book went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide, but the original manuscript and its many contributions remained hidden from public view. It was stored in Bill and Lois Wilson's home until 1978, when Lois passed the manuscript on to friend Barry Leach, who maintained its privacy for 30 more years.
The manuscript eventually went up for auction in 2007 and was secured by Ken Roberts for $850,000. Roberts then presented the manuscript to Hazelden, who will release the book in two editions, one cloth and one leather-bound, this October.
"It's arguably one of the most important books of the 20th century as it relates to addiction and recovery," says Nick Motu, senior vice president of Hazelden and publisher at Hazelden Publishing. "To those that use the Big Book and the 12 Step process as core to their profession, it would be very interesting for them to understand what went into the conceptual beginnings of the 12 Step model of treatment."
The manuscript shows text revisions and comments inked in a variety of colors, indicating the work of four to eight core contributors that Hazelden will identify in its release this fall. "Readers … will see the rejected suggestions, inserts, crossed-out comments, and then last minute changes," Motu says.
Along with the original manuscript, Hazelden's editions will include:
Comments from leading archivists in the margins;
Two essays by Big Book and AA historians;
Annotated notes on the text;
A publication timeline; and
A 1954 speech by Bill Wilson on the making of the Big Book.
Debate over spirituality uncovered
Though it's no secret to the addiction profession, much debate arose over how AA would present its principles, which relied heavily on religion.
"Of special interest in the manuscript will be the debates that occurred … over the role of religion and spirituality in AA," says Motu. "Bill Wilson really was adamant about making AA spiritual rather than religious, and you will see that not only in the comments of those that were accepted but also of those that were rejected."
For example, on the opening page of Chapter 5, one contributor noted that ideas in the text "should be studied from the mold angle." Fred Holmquist, historian and director of Hazelden's The Lodge Program, attributes this commentary to the fellowship's fear of triggering newcomers' religious prejudices.
"It talks about their understanding that religions sometimes pour people into a mold, and it's a little bit one-size-fits-all," he says. "Typically, alcoholics had not found relief from alcoholism in their religions, yet some had, but the idea was that they did not want to arouse religious prejudice that already existed in people."
Click here for larger image
Similarly, another contributor makes a note of "His Divine Consideration" across the bottom of the page near Step 9, which states, "Made direct amends to people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others." To Holmquist, this reference is still obscure, but he has some speculations.
"If it's referencing Step 9, then the idea of doing what you need to do unless it will injure them or others would be a matter of Divine Consideration," he says. "They were avoiding the density of religious-sounding language, and that would be an example of somebody maybe noting what spiritual or religious principle it represented, simultaneously written in pragmatic language."
From "prescribing" to "describing" a program of recovery
Widespread changes in the manuscript signal AA's decision to avoid prescriptive language -- such as "you should do this" -- in favor of descriptive language -- such as "we did this." Holmquist says this typifies AA's strategy of addressing the newcomer with gentleness and accessibility while maintaining respect for the medical community.
"They were respecting the attitude of the newcomer as perhaps being defensive or quick to run," he says. "Also, to other professionals, it was clear they took out specific references that could make the authors sound like they were prescribing medical or psychiatric or psychological recommendations."
Holmquist attributes the original use of a prescriptive voice as the result of the founding members' sincerity and seriousness about their program of recovery. "Their heart was right, but they realized in looking at it that it would probably be overwhelming for a newcomer to look at and think, ‘I have to do all of this stuff,'" he says. "So they just reverted to sharing what they did, which is what I think is at the heart of attraction not promotion."
Click here for larger image
This is evident in the paragraph following the final step on page 31, where the original text read: "You may exclaim, what an order! I can't go through with it!" The contributors changed this to, "Many of us exclaimed," which allows the newcomer to share in the original AA fellowship's own experience of feeling overwhelmed by the program's requirements.
"These people realized it was far more pragmatic to … settle for doing a little bit better each day," Holmquist says. "That's why the idea of this being both a program of action and a fellowship is so important, because you get so much from the combination of both versus just one.""
"Long before word processors gave us the luxury of tracking our text edits for the next reader, Bill Wilson, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), passed around 400 physical copies of his recovery doctrine for revisions and suggestions. Afterward, he and a few of his colleagues copied the most significant of those contributions onto one manuscript, which would eventually become AA's Big Book -- a text used faithfully by addiction professionals and those in recovery since its first publication in April 1939.
The Big Book went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide, but the original manuscript and its many contributions remained hidden from public view. It was stored in Bill and Lois Wilson's home until 1978, when Lois passed the manuscript on to friend Barry Leach, who maintained its privacy for 30 more years.
The manuscript eventually went up for auction in 2007 and was secured by Ken Roberts for $850,000. Roberts then presented the manuscript to Hazelden, who will release the book in two editions, one cloth and one leather-bound, this October.
"It's arguably one of the most important books of the 20th century as it relates to addiction and recovery," says Nick Motu, senior vice president of Hazelden and publisher at Hazelden Publishing. "To those that use the Big Book and the 12 Step process as core to their profession, it would be very interesting for them to understand what went into the conceptual beginnings of the 12 Step model of treatment."
The manuscript shows text revisions and comments inked in a variety of colors, indicating the work of four to eight core contributors that Hazelden will identify in its release this fall. "Readers … will see the rejected suggestions, inserts, crossed-out comments, and then last minute changes," Motu says.
Along with the original manuscript, Hazelden's editions will include:
Comments from leading archivists in the margins;
Two essays by Big Book and AA historians;
Annotated notes on the text;
A publication timeline; and
A 1954 speech by Bill Wilson on the making of the Big Book.
Debate over spirituality uncovered
Though it's no secret to the addiction profession, much debate arose over how AA would present its principles, which relied heavily on religion.
"Of special interest in the manuscript will be the debates that occurred … over the role of religion and spirituality in AA," says Motu. "Bill Wilson really was adamant about making AA spiritual rather than religious, and you will see that not only in the comments of those that were accepted but also of those that were rejected."
For example, on the opening page of Chapter 5, one contributor noted that ideas in the text "should be studied from the mold angle." Fred Holmquist, historian and director of Hazelden's The Lodge Program, attributes this commentary to the fellowship's fear of triggering newcomers' religious prejudices.
"It talks about their understanding that religions sometimes pour people into a mold, and it's a little bit one-size-fits-all," he says. "Typically, alcoholics had not found relief from alcoholism in their religions, yet some had, but the idea was that they did not want to arouse religious prejudice that already existed in people."
Click here for larger image
Similarly, another contributor makes a note of "His Divine Consideration" across the bottom of the page near Step 9, which states, "Made direct amends to people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others." To Holmquist, this reference is still obscure, but he has some speculations.
"If it's referencing Step 9, then the idea of doing what you need to do unless it will injure them or others would be a matter of Divine Consideration," he says. "They were avoiding the density of religious-sounding language, and that would be an example of somebody maybe noting what spiritual or religious principle it represented, simultaneously written in pragmatic language."
From "prescribing" to "describing" a program of recovery
Widespread changes in the manuscript signal AA's decision to avoid prescriptive language -- such as "you should do this" -- in favor of descriptive language -- such as "we did this." Holmquist says this typifies AA's strategy of addressing the newcomer with gentleness and accessibility while maintaining respect for the medical community.
"They were respecting the attitude of the newcomer as perhaps being defensive or quick to run," he says. "Also, to other professionals, it was clear they took out specific references that could make the authors sound like they were prescribing medical or psychiatric or psychological recommendations."
Holmquist attributes the original use of a prescriptive voice as the result of the founding members' sincerity and seriousness about their program of recovery. "Their heart was right, but they realized in looking at it that it would probably be overwhelming for a newcomer to look at and think, ‘I have to do all of this stuff,'" he says. "So they just reverted to sharing what they did, which is what I think is at the heart of attraction not promotion."
Click here for larger image
This is evident in the paragraph following the final step on page 31, where the original text read: "You may exclaim, what an order! I can't go through with it!" The contributors changed this to, "Many of us exclaimed," which allows the newcomer to share in the original AA fellowship's own experience of feeling overwhelmed by the program's requirements.
"These people realized it was far more pragmatic to … settle for doing a little bit better each day," Holmquist says. "That's why the idea of this being both a program of action and a fellowship is so important, because you get so much from the combination of both versus just one.""
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous as such has ONE official website for Great Britain:
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/
"This Web Site is created and maintained by The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Ltd. through the General Service Office of Great Britain.
The General Service Office is the national office serving A.A. in Great Britain and English speaking meetings in continental Europe." (AA website)
There is NO other official website covering this geographical region. There are however links contained within the AA site to various web pages that have been allocated to Intergroups (and for regional information). There are moreover pages allocated to groups within different regions. Whereas the information contained in the Intergroup and Regional pages is non-controversial the same cannot necessarily be said for those relating to specific groups.
There are however an increasing number of other sites which carry information relating to Alcoholics Anonymous or indeed refer to themselves as being an online presence for their group (AA or otherwise), or then again are purely online entities such as forums, online meetings, chat rooms etc, and these moreover may or may not use the AA logo, may or may not use the terms "Alcoholics Anonymous" in their titles or group names, and furthermore may or may not carry disclaimers (and where they do these might not be very clearly displayed - and we suspect that in at least one instance this is quite deliberate) to the effect that the sites themselves are neither "approved or endorsed by, and are not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. or any AA Service entity of any country" or variations on this theme etc. Therefore it is necessary to apply some discretion when assessing the information conveyed therein. (For our part the aacultwatch site neither uses the terms "Alcoholics Anonymous" in its title, nor the logo nor even the traditional abbreviation for AA in the form of two upper case letters. Moreover we make it quite clear in the About Us section of site who we are and what the site itself is about).
The advantage of placing one's reliance on the information contained in the official site is that this as far as possible reflects most accurately what AA is indeed about (and as contained in the Preamble itself as well as the Steps, Traditions and Concepts, and then other guidelines produced by the General Service Conference).
Additionally the AA website includes a section relating to AA literature (AA conference approved). Other literature may be available at AA meetings but may not be conference approved. If such material (including books, pamphlets, booklets, CDs and DVDs) is on display it should be marked separately from AA literature and should thereafter be treated with some circumspection. The information contained therein might ONLY represent the views of some individuals, and not of the Fellowship itself (as represented by its collective conscience)
The Preamble of Alcoholics Anonymous (read out at the beginning of most AA meetings)
"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.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.
A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organisation or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety."
Although groups are not obliged to read out this Preamble (and may indeed use another form of words) this particular introduction is most frequently employed to indicate (especially to those new to AA) what AA IS and IS NOT about. If another form of words is being used then again this meeting should be treated with care - it may be a meeting affiliated with another organisation and therefore is (and in accordance with AA Traditions) neither an AA meeting nor one run by an AA group.
Generally an AA meeting will conclude with the Serenity Prayer as follows:
"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."
Again groups (and meetings) are not obliged to conclude with this prayer and may use the Lord's Prayer instead, for example. This prayer however is Christian in origin and AA as such is not allied with any such institutions. Therefore we would assert that such groups are in fact breaking AA Traditions by affiliating themselves with outside organisations. Again these meetings should be treated with caution.
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/
"This Web Site is created and maintained by The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Ltd. through the General Service Office of Great Britain.
The General Service Office is the national office serving A.A. in Great Britain and English speaking meetings in continental Europe." (AA website)
There is NO other official website covering this geographical region. There are however links contained within the AA site to various web pages that have been allocated to Intergroups (and for regional information). There are moreover pages allocated to groups within different regions. Whereas the information contained in the Intergroup and Regional pages is non-controversial the same cannot necessarily be said for those relating to specific groups.
There are however an increasing number of other sites which carry information relating to Alcoholics Anonymous or indeed refer to themselves as being an online presence for their group (AA or otherwise), or then again are purely online entities such as forums, online meetings, chat rooms etc, and these moreover may or may not use the AA logo, may or may not use the terms "Alcoholics Anonymous" in their titles or group names, and furthermore may or may not carry disclaimers (and where they do these might not be very clearly displayed - and we suspect that in at least one instance this is quite deliberate) to the effect that the sites themselves are neither "approved or endorsed by, and are not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. or any AA Service entity of any country" or variations on this theme etc. Therefore it is necessary to apply some discretion when assessing the information conveyed therein. (For our part the aacultwatch site neither uses the terms "Alcoholics Anonymous" in its title, nor the logo nor even the traditional abbreviation for AA in the form of two upper case letters. Moreover we make it quite clear in the About Us section of site who we are and what the site itself is about).
The advantage of placing one's reliance on the information contained in the official site is that this as far as possible reflects most accurately what AA is indeed about (and as contained in the Preamble itself as well as the Steps, Traditions and Concepts, and then other guidelines produced by the General Service Conference).
Additionally the AA website includes a section relating to AA literature (AA conference approved). Other literature may be available at AA meetings but may not be conference approved. If such material (including books, pamphlets, booklets, CDs and DVDs) is on display it should be marked separately from AA literature and should thereafter be treated with some circumspection. The information contained therein might ONLY represent the views of some individuals, and not of the Fellowship itself (as represented by its collective conscience)
The Preamble of Alcoholics Anonymous (read out at the beginning of most AA meetings)
"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.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.
A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organisation or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety."
Although groups are not obliged to read out this Preamble (and may indeed use another form of words) this particular introduction is most frequently employed to indicate (especially to those new to AA) what AA IS and IS NOT about. If another form of words is being used then again this meeting should be treated with care - it may be a meeting affiliated with another organisation and therefore is (and in accordance with AA Traditions) neither an AA meeting nor one run by an AA group.
Generally an AA meeting will conclude with the Serenity Prayer as follows:
"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."
Again groups (and meetings) are not obliged to conclude with this prayer and may use the Lord's Prayer instead, for example. This prayer however is Christian in origin and AA as such is not allied with any such institutions. Therefore we would assert that such groups are in fact breaking AA Traditions by affiliating themselves with outside organisations. Again these meetings should be treated with caution.
Friday, 22 January 2010
"Criticism as Deviance and Social Control in Alcoholics Anonymous"
An interesting article from the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography
Click here to download
(our thanks to the AA member who drew this to our attention)
Click here to download
(our thanks to the AA member who drew this to our attention)
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
For people new to AA
A little while ago someone suggested to us that we produce a synopsis of what this site is all about. So here goes....
First we refer you to the "About Us" page of the site - that pretty well sums up what our aim is. But since our efforts are increasingly directed towards helping to ensure newcomers to AA are not misled about either the Fellowship or the programme, it makes sense that they be as well informed as possible. And so to that end...
Firstly - the reliable sources of information:
The first online resource available to anyone new to AA is the official website (Great Britain):
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/
Note: there is NO other official website for the Fellowship in Great Britain.
Apart from all the useful (and non-controversial) information made available here (eg. listing of conference approved literature including the AA booklet on sponsorship – also available as a download from the Links section of this site - meetings, general stats etc) there is an online version of the book Alcoholic Anonymous (4th ed). We draw your attention to this book specifically because it is described as the "basic text of our Society". It contains a detailed description of the 12 Step Recovery Programme together with a listing (in both short and long forms) of the guiding principles of our Fellowship - the 12 Traditions. In our view anyone with a thorough grasp of its contents will gain a good understanding of how to stay sober, and, furthermore, how to relate to other members of AA. This publication (together with other conference approved works) forms the basis upon which ANYONE may recover if they wish to use the method described.
And now the unreliable sources of information:
Unfortunately there has developed within AA a movement which we describe as a "cult" those members represent an extremist and dogmatic tendency, and who advocate both a programme of recovery and a form of fellowship, which bear little resemblance to anything contained either in the above text, or the principles contained within the Traditions.
These extremist groups and members have sought through a variety of means to propagate a message which cannot be reconciled with these guidelines. Their methods include the introduction of literature (pamphlets, books, worksheets, websites etc) which purport to represent the AA programme but which diverge widely from its principles. These misrepresentations vary from - shall we say - an 'over-creative' interpretation of AA literature to downright lies. This warped perspective had led, amongst other abuses, to discrimination against dual diagnosis members (see below), those who are prescribed medication as a means of managing their co-existing psychological problems (however these may manifest), on the ground that such people will be “unable to recover” whilst they are still using these prescribed drugs. There is evidence, too, that newcomers are being put under pressure to discontinue other therapies such as counselling, this also being regarded as some kind of “obstacle” to recovery. One of the main mechanisms by which these “suggestions” are conveyed is via sponsorship, a function which has become devalued in the hands of cult members, shifting from a form of service determined purely by the principle of “enlightened altruism” to that of a manipulative and abusive power relationship (or even its mildest manifestation - co-dependency). We refer you to the chapter “Working with Others” in the book Alcoholics Anonymous as a guide to how AA members should relate to someone new to the Fellowship, and how they might introduce them to the recovery programme
The rationale for this authoritarian perspective is founded upon assertions (usually unsubstantiated) that AA has "lost its way", the AA message has become "diluted", and that this is reflected in falling recovery rates, and a retardation in the growth of AA membership. A number of "explanations" are advanced in support of these views. These are variously:
1) that AA has strayed from its fundamental principles (here reference is frequently made to the Oxford Group (previously known as "a First Century Christian Fellowship") - a movement set up in 1921 and attended by some of those who later came to form AA. The 12 Step programme is, in part, derived from some of the principles proposed by this Christian movement. Note: according to AA traditions we are not allied with any outside organisations, which would include such religious institutions, past and present.
2) that recovery rates have fallen since the early days of the Fellowship, and this is a direct consequence of a “diluted” AA message. Here reference is usually made to that section (misquoted) of the Foreword to the Second Edition of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous":
"50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement."
From this it would appear that a 75% recovery rate was the norm at the time, and the cult then goes on to contrast this with the alleged extant low recovery rates (again usually misquoted or misinterpreted) as a support for their argument. However, they usually omit (and we believe quite deliberately) a small but key qualification to these figures, a short phrase which precedes the above quote viz. "Of alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried,.....". From this it is quite clear that the above percentages refer only to those who "really tried...", and not to every single person who ever came to AA. And so, for the sake of argument, if one were to estimate that only 20 per cent of those who attended AA fell into the "really tried" category (however one might define "really tried" - a problematic area in itself) then this would mean that the 75% rate would apply only to this subset of 20% ie. 15% of the total population. (We refer you here for a more detailed analysis of recovery rates). From this study we can discern no evidence that recovery rates have fallen over time and therefore their argument fails.
3) that the AA message has become "diluted" because more AA members come into the Fellowship via treatment centres and therefore AA meetings have turned into "group therapy" sessions rather than occasions where the AA message is communicated. We refer you to the AA preamble which is generally read out at the beginning of any AA meeting (if something else is read out at the commencement of the meeting then perhaps you're not in an AA meeting). This starts as follows:
"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."
This would seem to be a fairly unambiguous statement as to the purpose of AA, and, therefore, the goal of any meeting which uses this preamble. It does not, however, dictate how this message should be carried ie. style, content, format, with or without artistic licence etc - this is left to the discretion of those who attend the meeting. It is, however, the responsibility of those who have found a solution to present this to those who have not as yet found it, but again the fashion in which this takes place is very much up to the individual. Some guidance on this is given in the book 'Alcoholics Anonymous', in the chapter "Working with Others". We leave it to you to read this section if you wish, and draw whatever conclusions you will. None of these suggestions, however, includes a dogmatic approach, or assigns to any member of AA the right to direct, control, threaten, manipulate, or otherwise abuse any other member of AA - “no lectures to be endured” etc.
4) that attendees at AA meetings might not be “alcoholic” but rather "problem drinkers", "alcohol abusers", "alcohol misusers" etc. and therefore they do not need to apply the principles of recovery so rigorously because they do not face the same consequences as "real alcoholics", and therefore their message of recovery does not carry the same weight. This may well be the case but since one of the more significant factors which stands in the way of recovery is that of denial it is probably better that AA is open to anyone who thinks they might have a drink problem rather than seek to pre-screen those who do not neatly fit the "profile". There are, moreover, problems consequent upon such a policy ie. who decides who is an alcoholic? We prefer the current approach - self diagnosis.
5) that the AA message has become "garbled" because there are more people joining AA nowadays who are dual addicted - in other words, they may introduce matters relating to addictions other than alcoholism to the content of the meeting. However, if they have a “desire to stop drinking" they are eligible for membership, and this solely upon the basis of a self diagnosis. Again we refer you to the preamble, which clearly states the purpose of AA, and which we repeat, is read out at the beginning of every AA meeting.
6) that the message is becoming "distorted" by those members who attend the meetings who are "dual diagnosis" ie. dual diagnosis refers to the situation where an individual has two conditions to deal with: an addiction and a co-existing psychological (serious) disorder. Again we refer you to the Preamble. Furthermore this matter is dealt with directly in Chapter Five: How it Works. We leave it to you to discover the relevant section.
All of the above alibis are variously employed to justify the dogma propagated by advocates of the cult programme, and their members' controlling sponsorship styles. This intrusive approach is further rationalised under Step Twelve: “.....and to practice these principles in all our affairs”. This statement indicates that recovery extends far beyond merely observing physical abstinence from alcohol but includes an entire transformation of one's life style. However, there is nothing to suggest in any of the AA literature that this requires the services of an overseer (human power) to manage the process. Indeed, the cult, through its elevation of the sponsorship role to a form of what can only be described as 'idolatry”, subverts that most important principle of AA – a reliance upon “a Power greater than ourselves”, and, furthermore, as it is made abundantly clear in the second of the three pertinent ideas listed in Chapter Five: “b): That probably NO HUMAN POWER could have relieved our alcoholism” (our emphases).
We mentioned that the official AA website includes a meeting search engine. There are no vetting procedures (quite rightly) to determine which meetings should be included in these searches. However, a number of those included in the list are what we describe as cult meetings run by cult groups, those who advocate the approach indicated above. The aacultwatch site carries some details of identified cult meetings so that AA members may have some kind of forewarning of what to expect should they choose to attend one.
We would remind all AA members that there is only ONE membership requirement – a desire to stop drinking, and that is determined by the individual concerned, and NO ONE ELSE.
Finally:
1) Using prescribed medication is NOT an obstacle to recovery. Dual diagnosis members are just as capable as anyone else of recovering.
2) Receiving counselling is NOT an obstacle to recovery.
3) How you arrive in AA is not important (whether it be via prison, hospital, detox, treatment centre, off the street, your mansion in Mayfair etc – it's WHY YOU STAY that counts!
4) Sponsorship is neither necessary nor essential for recovery – see the Appendix 'Spiritual Experience' for the “essentials” - we would go so far as to say that in cult hands 'sponsorship' is a major hindrance to finding a solution to the alcohol problem.
5) No one is OBLIGED to do ANYTHING by ANYONE in AA.
6) If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself lumbered with a sponsor who thinks otherwise then say “bye bye” and find someone sane!
Cheerio
The Fellas
First we refer you to the "About Us" page of the site - that pretty well sums up what our aim is. But since our efforts are increasingly directed towards helping to ensure newcomers to AA are not misled about either the Fellowship or the programme, it makes sense that they be as well informed as possible. And so to that end...
Firstly - the reliable sources of information:
The first online resource available to anyone new to AA is the official website (Great Britain):
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/
Note: there is NO other official website for the Fellowship in Great Britain.
Apart from all the useful (and non-controversial) information made available here (eg. listing of conference approved literature including the AA booklet on sponsorship – also available as a download from the Links section of this site - meetings, general stats etc) there is an online version of the book Alcoholic Anonymous (4th ed). We draw your attention to this book specifically because it is described as the "basic text of our Society". It contains a detailed description of the 12 Step Recovery Programme together with a listing (in both short and long forms) of the guiding principles of our Fellowship - the 12 Traditions. In our view anyone with a thorough grasp of its contents will gain a good understanding of how to stay sober, and, furthermore, how to relate to other members of AA. This publication (together with other conference approved works) forms the basis upon which ANYONE may recover if they wish to use the method described.
And now the unreliable sources of information:
Unfortunately there has developed within AA a movement which we describe as a "cult" those members represent an extremist and dogmatic tendency, and who advocate both a programme of recovery and a form of fellowship, which bear little resemblance to anything contained either in the above text, or the principles contained within the Traditions.
These extremist groups and members have sought through a variety of means to propagate a message which cannot be reconciled with these guidelines. Their methods include the introduction of literature (pamphlets, books, worksheets, websites etc) which purport to represent the AA programme but which diverge widely from its principles. These misrepresentations vary from - shall we say - an 'over-creative' interpretation of AA literature to downright lies. This warped perspective had led, amongst other abuses, to discrimination against dual diagnosis members (see below), those who are prescribed medication as a means of managing their co-existing psychological problems (however these may manifest), on the ground that such people will be “unable to recover” whilst they are still using these prescribed drugs. There is evidence, too, that newcomers are being put under pressure to discontinue other therapies such as counselling, this also being regarded as some kind of “obstacle” to recovery. One of the main mechanisms by which these “suggestions” are conveyed is via sponsorship, a function which has become devalued in the hands of cult members, shifting from a form of service determined purely by the principle of “enlightened altruism” to that of a manipulative and abusive power relationship (or even its mildest manifestation - co-dependency). We refer you to the chapter “Working with Others” in the book Alcoholics Anonymous as a guide to how AA members should relate to someone new to the Fellowship, and how they might introduce them to the recovery programme
The rationale for this authoritarian perspective is founded upon assertions (usually unsubstantiated) that AA has "lost its way", the AA message has become "diluted", and that this is reflected in falling recovery rates, and a retardation in the growth of AA membership. A number of "explanations" are advanced in support of these views. These are variously:
1) that AA has strayed from its fundamental principles (here reference is frequently made to the Oxford Group (previously known as "a First Century Christian Fellowship") - a movement set up in 1921 and attended by some of those who later came to form AA. The 12 Step programme is, in part, derived from some of the principles proposed by this Christian movement. Note: according to AA traditions we are not allied with any outside organisations, which would include such religious institutions, past and present.
2) that recovery rates have fallen since the early days of the Fellowship, and this is a direct consequence of a “diluted” AA message. Here reference is usually made to that section (misquoted) of the Foreword to the Second Edition of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous":
"50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement."
From this it would appear that a 75% recovery rate was the norm at the time, and the cult then goes on to contrast this with the alleged extant low recovery rates (again usually misquoted or misinterpreted) as a support for their argument. However, they usually omit (and we believe quite deliberately) a small but key qualification to these figures, a short phrase which precedes the above quote viz. "Of alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried,.....". From this it is quite clear that the above percentages refer only to those who "really tried...", and not to every single person who ever came to AA. And so, for the sake of argument, if one were to estimate that only 20 per cent of those who attended AA fell into the "really tried" category (however one might define "really tried" - a problematic area in itself) then this would mean that the 75% rate would apply only to this subset of 20% ie. 15% of the total population. (We refer you here for a more detailed analysis of recovery rates). From this study we can discern no evidence that recovery rates have fallen over time and therefore their argument fails.
3) that the AA message has become "diluted" because more AA members come into the Fellowship via treatment centres and therefore AA meetings have turned into "group therapy" sessions rather than occasions where the AA message is communicated. We refer you to the AA preamble which is generally read out at the beginning of any AA meeting (if something else is read out at the commencement of the meeting then perhaps you're not in an AA meeting). This starts as follows:
"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."
This would seem to be a fairly unambiguous statement as to the purpose of AA, and, therefore, the goal of any meeting which uses this preamble. It does not, however, dictate how this message should be carried ie. style, content, format, with or without artistic licence etc - this is left to the discretion of those who attend the meeting. It is, however, the responsibility of those who have found a solution to present this to those who have not as yet found it, but again the fashion in which this takes place is very much up to the individual. Some guidance on this is given in the book 'Alcoholics Anonymous', in the chapter "Working with Others". We leave it to you to read this section if you wish, and draw whatever conclusions you will. None of these suggestions, however, includes a dogmatic approach, or assigns to any member of AA the right to direct, control, threaten, manipulate, or otherwise abuse any other member of AA - “no lectures to be endured” etc.
4) that attendees at AA meetings might not be “alcoholic” but rather "problem drinkers", "alcohol abusers", "alcohol misusers" etc. and therefore they do not need to apply the principles of recovery so rigorously because they do not face the same consequences as "real alcoholics", and therefore their message of recovery does not carry the same weight. This may well be the case but since one of the more significant factors which stands in the way of recovery is that of denial it is probably better that AA is open to anyone who thinks they might have a drink problem rather than seek to pre-screen those who do not neatly fit the "profile". There are, moreover, problems consequent upon such a policy ie. who decides who is an alcoholic? We prefer the current approach - self diagnosis.
5) that the AA message has become "garbled" because there are more people joining AA nowadays who are dual addicted - in other words, they may introduce matters relating to addictions other than alcoholism to the content of the meeting. However, if they have a “desire to stop drinking" they are eligible for membership, and this solely upon the basis of a self diagnosis. Again we refer you to the preamble, which clearly states the purpose of AA, and which we repeat, is read out at the beginning of every AA meeting.
6) that the message is becoming "distorted" by those members who attend the meetings who are "dual diagnosis" ie. dual diagnosis refers to the situation where an individual has two conditions to deal with: an addiction and a co-existing psychological (serious) disorder. Again we refer you to the Preamble. Furthermore this matter is dealt with directly in Chapter Five: How it Works. We leave it to you to discover the relevant section.
All of the above alibis are variously employed to justify the dogma propagated by advocates of the cult programme, and their members' controlling sponsorship styles. This intrusive approach is further rationalised under Step Twelve: “.....and to practice these principles in all our affairs”. This statement indicates that recovery extends far beyond merely observing physical abstinence from alcohol but includes an entire transformation of one's life style. However, there is nothing to suggest in any of the AA literature that this requires the services of an overseer (human power) to manage the process. Indeed, the cult, through its elevation of the sponsorship role to a form of what can only be described as 'idolatry”, subverts that most important principle of AA – a reliance upon “a Power greater than ourselves”, and, furthermore, as it is made abundantly clear in the second of the three pertinent ideas listed in Chapter Five: “b): That probably NO HUMAN POWER could have relieved our alcoholism” (our emphases).
We mentioned that the official AA website includes a meeting search engine. There are no vetting procedures (quite rightly) to determine which meetings should be included in these searches. However, a number of those included in the list are what we describe as cult meetings run by cult groups, those who advocate the approach indicated above. The aacultwatch site carries some details of identified cult meetings so that AA members may have some kind of forewarning of what to expect should they choose to attend one.
We would remind all AA members that there is only ONE membership requirement – a desire to stop drinking, and that is determined by the individual concerned, and NO ONE ELSE.
Finally:
1) Using prescribed medication is NOT an obstacle to recovery. Dual diagnosis members are just as capable as anyone else of recovering.
2) Receiving counselling is NOT an obstacle to recovery.
3) How you arrive in AA is not important (whether it be via prison, hospital, detox, treatment centre, off the street, your mansion in Mayfair etc – it's WHY YOU STAY that counts!
4) Sponsorship is neither necessary nor essential for recovery – see the Appendix 'Spiritual Experience' for the “essentials” - we would go so far as to say that in cult hands 'sponsorship' is a major hindrance to finding a solution to the alcohol problem.
5) No one is OBLIGED to do ANYTHING by ANYONE in AA.
6) If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself lumbered with a sponsor who thinks otherwise then say “bye bye” and find someone sane!
Cheerio
The Fellas
Monday, 3 August 2009
Welcome
Finally we've got round to getting this blog moving. Additionally we now have a Twitter account: twitter.com/aacultwatch which will indicate updates via the net and by mobile.
Readers may subscribe to automatic downloads of the latest information to the blog via the feed system (see Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) at bottom of blog page). Additionally there is a facility for sending copies of the latest entries via email to a friend (see email icon)
Readers may subscribe to automatic downloads of the latest information to the blog via the feed system (see Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) at bottom of blog page). Additionally there is a facility for sending copies of the latest entries via email to a friend (see email icon)
Sunday, 8 February 2009
aacultwatch
aacultwatch has been set up by AA members who are concerned about the development of a movement in the Fellowship that we refer to as a cult.
It is our view that this cult has as its aims the control of AA in Great Britain and the promulgation of its own version of the recovery programme that is both a corruption of the message and the spirit of the Fellowship.
Our aim is to raise awareness of this threat and encourage members to act according to their conscience to marginalize this movement. Local members are in the best position to judge what should be done in their area but already some experience has been gained in the Fellowship on how to respond to this malign influence and some of these ideas are also presented on the site.
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. For those AA members who are interested in supporting us in our efforts we can be contacted via the site:
It is our view that this cult has as its aims the control of AA in Great Britain and the promulgation of its own version of the recovery programme that is both a corruption of the message and the spirit of the Fellowship.
Our aim is to raise awareness of this threat and encourage members to act according to their conscience to marginalize this movement. Local members are in the best position to judge what should be done in their area but already some experience has been gained in the Fellowship on how to respond to this malign influence and some of these ideas are also presented on the site.
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. For those AA members who are interested in supporting us in our efforts we can be contacted via the site:
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