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

Hampton Wick (Friday)/Detroit Joys of Recovery connection!

Well anyone who might doubt the cult is an international movement need look no further than the Hampton Wick (Friday) cult group and the Detroit Joys of Recovery offshoot. The word is that the current secretary (Hampton Wick) is a chap who goes by the name John C (and who is married to someone called Kristin). Now of course this all might be an enormous coincidence but then wasn't it a John and Kristin C who played 'mummy and daddy' to the Detroit gathering? Over the past few years we've had a number of complaints about this group and its activities – the usual stuff: directive and dogmatic (cascade style) sponsorship (and with group consciences that are not quite what they seem), anti-prescribed medication, “shunning” (if you don't toe the party line) and so on and so forth. It would seem that their “mission” is to bring the 'true word' back to the dear old motherland, and to which end they moved here a number of years ago. We wonder how they're getting on with Billy the Kid? How many top heavy egos can a group contain before the usual 'falling out” happens?

But then we shall see what we shall see won't we!

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS There is a now a new grouping at Bayham Road - BRAG - Bayham Road Amalgamated Groups (?) They have one steering committee for all 18 meetings. Apparently not all the meetings are cult although cult members have a large presence on the committee. It includes people from the 'Happy Dennis/Jim W (David C)' sponsorship line, and someone from Road to Recovery too! Thus the virus spreads!

Billy the Kid Rides the Range! (or Hampton Wick Friday/Richmond Ormond Rd Tuesday anyway!)

“Dear ‘Fellas’,

“I am interested in your website, and have been encouraged to submit an email to you by other members. I currently live in …....... I attend intergroup meetings for the London (South West) Intergroup (LSWIG), which meets in St Mark’s Church Hall, Compton Road, Wimbledon, …...... I have witnessed the behaviours of the individual whom you refer to as ‘Billy the Kid’ at both group and intergroup levels, as well as outside AA.

Billy used to attend intergroup as GSR for Richmond Tuesday, and every time he would attempt to raise the same issues (usually revolving round compliance to his ideals; trying to make the six suggestion card conference-approved, trying to get conference to adopt Dr Bob’s ‘Back to Basics’ programme from the 1940s to combat “AA Shrinkage”). He invariably sat in the same corner of the room with his sponsor, a couple of his sponsees and a few other pals of his, and when everyone came to vote at intergroup or GSR, if they voted differently to him, Billy would sigh or roll his eyes, pull them to one side and try to explain them why they should be voting with him, and demand a recount. I also attend the Hampton Wick meeting on occasion with a friend who still lives in Kingston. I was in attendance when Billy grabbed the secretary by the arm to stop him from walking away while he told him to ‘stick to the crib sheet’ (for your information, grabbing someone by the arm in a manner like that is considered a form of common assault by UK law, not that this is a surprise – Billy fell out with a sponsee and became really aggressive towards him, and in Billy’s own words, the sponsee thought “...[Billy] was going to hit him”. Billy’s view, however, is that, in spite of the aggression and getting in the sponsee’s face, Billy claims it’s not his problem as the sponsee only thought he was going to hit him. Well, that’s alright then! Incidentally, this is the ethos behind Billy's manner - he behaves abusively and the blame lies with the other person for having the resentment).

I feel really sorry for the members of AA who fall foul of Billy’s actions. He appears to have a lot of ‘yes-men’ sponsees who are suggestible and do things because he tells them to. He also has a sponsee called D. (who from my understanding is better known in AA by his surname than his first name) who actively claims to promote the Tuesday meeting in a lot of other meetings using fliers (I do not have one). Billy also has a sponsee called S. who on two occasions called me to ask me if I was calling my sponsor every day; he called me once at around midnight and once at 1.30am. I also feel sorry for Billy – so convinced is he that AA has lost its way that he and his cohorts pre-screen chairs before allowing them to share (but only if they are from ‘outside’ groups rather than the politically-approved groups – Tottenham/North London, Strood etc) and ask every newcomer who their sponsee is, and often advise that they should change sponsors to one from the group. Then again, I am not surprised Billy is the way he is; his sponsor is an actor named R. who tells his sponsees not to pick their kids up from school and to leave them waiting until after the meeting because they need to be at their home group an hour before the meeting starts - one of his several 'Joys of Recovery' traits.

…..... there is a very ‘happy clappy’ meeting in Burnham on a Saturday morning. Someone from the area tells me the American woman who ‘runs’ the meeting formed the Joys of Recovery in Detroit with her husband (who is now the secretary at Hampton Wick). ….... I am willing to be of any assistance I can. I am also curious as to what other information you have on this meeting.

Yours in fellowship,

….... (Anonymously)”

(our edits)

Comment: Apparently Billy is clinging to the hope that we're just going to lose interest in his thuggery, and that aacultwatch is going to go away! Doesn't look like it does it! We've also been informed that our website has been proscribed by the cult hierarchy – and that on no account should their sponsees surf us. Fantastic! What an endorsement! But you know what they say about forbidden fruit? Tastes all the better!

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS More to follow on the Detroit connection

A Minority report (continued)(3)

“A.A. is dealing with a new phenomenon, for which most are unprepared. It presents an extremely complex debate and it is a toxic cocktail of the following ingredients: Global internet communication; the outside influence of a very narrow minded, dishonest, fundamentalist Christian rendering of A.A.’s program and history; a generation of “elder statesmen” who have no experience of dealing with a serious problem in A.A; who also lack knowledge of A.A. history and the ability to apply Traditions and Concepts; and the majority of whom appear to see no threat in placing liberty above that of our common welfare.

This cocktail has produced not so much cult groups, but a collection of cult groups of various descriptions, which together amount to a neo-Oxford Group fundamentalist movement. These groups have international connections with figureheads as leaders: Joys of Recovery, (Detroit USA – London UK, David C.), Primary Purpose group of AA (Dallas), (global affiliation, Cliff B. Myers R., Chris R.), Back to Basics, (Global affiliation, Wally P.), Road to Recovery, Plymouth UK- Pacific Group USA (Wayne P- Clancy I).

The new dynamics to AA presented by outside published literature and global internet communication may have exposed a weakness in our service structure to which AA has yet to adapt. The speed and reach of electronic communication today means that the behaviour of one individual AA group, or a minority, can now have an enormous negative and permanent impact on the whole A.A. public relations. Moreover, this speed and reach of communication can give power driving figureheads a platform to influence AA, not only in their own locality, but internationally. With the reach and permanence of worldwide web, it is questionable whether the resultant damage to A.A. public relations and loss of public confidence caused by these groups is sustainable for the fellowship as a whole, if this is permitted to continue.

For example, The Joys of Recovery group (Detroit – London, David C.):

Extracts from the “Big Book Recovery” website hosted by a David C:

“Counsellors, Psychiatrists http://bigbookrecovery.com/now_that.html#solid_alcohol

The general approach for the majority of cases is for us to discontinue seeing psychiatrists and counselors [sic] if you are seeing them for treatment of the symptoms of alcoholism eg [sic] alcoholic depression… … Also there are likely to be contradictions between the two courses of treatment. We chose between the two. If we chose to do the AA programme, we stopped seeing the counsellor/psychiatrist until we had done the first nine steps.......”

“Alcohol In Solid Form http://bigbookrecovery.com/now_that.html#solid_alcohol

........Prescribed mood-altering drugs? Drugs that are mood altering (eg [sic] "antidepressants") are often prescribed for the symptoms of the alcoholism. This is true even when alcoholism is not named by the doctor as the condition for which he or she is prescribing the drugs; for example, many of us are diagnosed as having a variety different sorts of psychoses and types of depression, which turn out to be the symptoms of alcoholism … ... If they are prescribed for the symptoms of alcoholism, then they are to be considered as alcohol in solid form: we must be willing to come off these ‘chemical mood-changers’ … …We ask the doctor: ‘Would it be alright if I came off the drugs if I go to lots of AA meetings?’… … ... It is very important that if the programme is to be a substitute for these drugs then we really must follow all the suggestions of the programme.”

“Sexual conduct http://bigbookrecovery.com/step_four.html#how_to

........Later on, as part of Step 5, we give an account of our secret thoughts to our sponsors. Many revealed things to our sponsors that we had never told anyone before. (This is applicable also to all our darkest thoughts, not just those of a sexual nature”)

“Trust Our Sponsors http://bigbookrecovery.com/now_that.html#solid_alcohol

So it will be very difficult for us to trust in the programme and the Higher Power unless we can trust our sponsors first...”

“But I’m doing the Programme and I’m still feeling down

http://bigbookrecovery.com/step_twelve.html#all_affairs

If you think you’re doing the programme and not feeling good, then we have good news for you. There is every chance that you’re wrong — you’re not doing the programme. The answer is to find out what it is you are doing that you shouldn’t; or what it is you are not doing that you should.”

Victims of the abusive sponsorship in London and Detroit share their experience with each other on an internet forum:

“I was reflecting on when I first was recruited in to joys and I was thinking about how uncomfortable I felt. ………….I remember crying to my sponsor about the pain I was having and explain to her that I never felt my body freak out so much not even when I was in to partying and taking drugs as I did when I came in to joys and she was just starting to yell at me. I remember the first time she really screamed at me when I called to check in I was in my standing in my kitchen and I just recently dumped my ex boyfriend and he just moved out I felt I was moving forward in my life on to a healthy and higher road and then my sponsor screamed at me and I just felt like this behavior [sic] feels way more unhealthy then the what the boyfriend I just dumped did. I felt like she was just waiting for him to leave so I would be alone and she could yell at me and start the abusive and control cycle. I studied the cycle of abuse wheel in high-school and I think that describes perfectly my relationship with my joys sponsor there were definably honeymoon periods and tension building periods and then the terrible acting out phase. I remember I always felt extremely uncomfortable art [sic] the 4 joys meetings I attended weekly. Being on the outside now I can see that a lot of the things that I struggled with such as panic attacks were due to being in joys I don’t have those anymore. I have also realized why I was attracted so much to joys and that it did meet many of my unmet needs such as belonging friendship caring involvement and many many [sic] more. Now that I am out of the group I have to work harder to try and meet these needs and when I don’t I find myself missing joys.” (aacultwatch forum; subject entitled “Gut feelings”)

“Another gradual change in their cult environment involved the persistent push for a greater commitment. It always had to be more, and soon the members felt overwhelmed and wondered if they could ever make it. Could they ever be pure enough? Could they ever reach enlightenment? Their leaders were the only proof that these standards were achievable. For me in joys was will I ever get done with 9 and when I get done with step 9 I will be happy. I have sence [sic] learned that being done with nine is really about accepting the cult belife [sic] system and passing it on. I felt even more inner torment when I was done 9 then I did befor.[sic] They created this false impression that once I got done step 9 life would be grand which was quite the oppiset,[sic] but it did apper [sic] that way on the outside. Cult leaders used various techniques to tighten their hold on the group. One of the more effective was scapegoating [sic]. One member would be publicly humiliated in front of the group. This created dread among the cultists because they never knew when it would be their turn and never wanted to be used as a negative example I have been the scapegoat at joys they tear you up in there shares. I have also played the role of tearing others up in there shares and trying to push them in a relapse when they wouldn’t accept the group”.

(aacultwatch forum; subject entitled “Elite club”) http://forums.delphiforums.com/aacultwatch/messages/?start=Start+Reading+%3E%3E

A.A. Grapevine articles by professional alcoholism councillors:

A Plea for Non-interference (AA Grapevine May 1990, Vol.46 no.12).

I have a high regard and respect for AA's Twelve Step program and have witnessed countless success stories….. I am also aware of unnecessary human pain and suffering among recovering members…… Often I have heard AA members who think they know best for all alcoholics and perceive that if you just ‘work the program’ everything will be fine. That is not always the case. There are members in your program who have experienced traumatic, life threatening events and who need professional help and, sometimes, medication……… On several occasions I have had clients who were extremely suicidal and had sought professional help. Recently, two clients threatened suicide, and because AA members thought they knew more than the medical and psychological professions, the individuals almost died… …yet AA members stepped in and convinced my clients to discontinue use of the medication.

……… Members often advise vulnerable, emotionally confused people not to seek medical and mental health assistance, and to take no drugs………..The two suicidal individuals of whom I speak had been sexually abused as children by three or more members of their families and had experienced other abuses as well. Both were emotionally and psychologically fragile………..I suggest that each AA member read in the Big Book where it addresses the issues of obtaining outside professional help when it is necessary…...... I do not like to be placed in a position where people want to die and it's up to me to try and protect them from self-harm. I am the person in the trenches, passionately dedicated to saving lives and helping all people recover not only from alcoholism but other life threatening problems. Please stop telling other recovering AA members not to consult physicians and psychotherapists. Please stop telling members that they are ‘breaking sobriety’ by taking needed medication. Please stop enabling members to attempt suicide.

(Extracts of an article by P…B…, alcoholism councillor, Colorado)

“Dear Grapevine, Playing Doctor” (AA grapevine January 2010)

“As a psychologist in addictions, with 23 years of recovery in AA, I would like to express concern about the letter titled ‘Misdiagnosis’ (Dear Grapevine, September 2009). While it is true that many people in mental health have inadequate addictions training, it is also true that many people with addictions have other mental health issues. I have not seen the sign, ‘I have one disease--alcoholism--and if I take care of that one disease, everything will be okay,’ at any meeting, nor is this sentiment reflected in any AA literature. Many people have co-occurring substance/alcohol and psychiatric disorders that interact with each other. Untreated bipolar disorder is not conducive to ongoing sobriety, for example. Neither is active psychosis. The list goes on. Dr. Bob and Bill W. emphasized respect and cooperation with the mental health professional community. We emphasize not playing God in AA; let's remember not to play doctor, too. Anonymous””

Comment: A fairly hard hitting analysis of where WE have failed (individually and collectively) to be both accountable and responsible for the welfare of those who come to us for assistance. It is worth noting here that these problems have not been imported into AA from outside ie. via treatment centres etc but have emerged from within our own society. Moreover we have already been explicitly warned of the personality type which underlies these dogma driven and essentially dishonest approaches. In this instance we refer you to the basic text: “Alcoholics Anonymous”, Chapter Five: How it Works pp. 60-62 (beginning with: “The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life...” and ending with: “We had to have God's help”.). From this it can be seen that these essentially narcissistic personalities seek to impose their perspective (largely false and mostly contrived) on others either by manipulation or by direct coercion. Their strategies are various ranging from: a presentation of an alternative AA programme citing Oxford Group (a fundamentalist Christian movement) influences together with references to a preliminary draft of the Big Book (that presented a much more dogmatic approach - and which was subsequently rejected by the early members as unworkable); a largely apocryphal (and predominantly anecdotal) presentation of AA recovery rates (ranging from 75% to 97%) that (it is alleged) was the norm in the 'Akron version' of the recovery method, this delivered via an authoritarian 'sponsorship' system (established supposedly by Clarence Snyder – an early AA member who moreover did not view with any great favour the adoption of AA's Traditions). As already indicated the internet now provides the means for an easy dissemination of this reformulation of both AA history and methodology. We have acquired a whole swathe of largely self-appointed 'experts' on recovery who use this medium for the proliferation of their highly questionable 'philosophies'. So for example David C (Joys of Recovery etc) believes himself qualified to pronounce on matters relating to medical diagnosis, counselling, psychiatric conditions etc. To the best of our knowledge he has neither formal training in these disciplines nor even direct experience (and nor for that matter did his sponsor David B)(see Dual Recovery Anonymous (Medications and Recovery) for more on the consequences of such advice). His approach most clearly exemplifies the role of sponsor as the new “Higher Power” in AA. Indeed far from “quit[ting] playing God” this type exercises a degree of control over their charges' lives which would be the envy of any Stalinist regime with no sphere of activity being exempt from their direction (and we do mean here 'direction' and not 'suggestion); dress code, relationships, work, finances, sexual activity, beliefs, attitudes, values etc all fall within the purview of this almost God-like personage.(see here: an example of sexual voyeurism included as part of the cult's version of a moral inventory). For their part the compliance of their 'victims' is ensured through a mixture of bribes (eg. the so-called twelve promises) together with the ultimate and extremely potent sanction (ie. 'if you fail to take direction you'll drink again!') and so on. The Primary Purpose/Back to Basics gang, on the other hand, tend to favour a misrepresentation of AA recovery rates to lend any credence to their own version of recovery claiming that the alleged decline can be attributed to a progressive “watering down” of its original presentation. In connection with this the essay by Tom P (later amended by his son Tom P Jnr) “Gresham's Law and Alcoholics Anonymous” is frequently cited as supporting evidence together with various questionable statistics (generally unsupported themselves by any hard evidence or derived from samples so small that they hardly represent a sound basis for any argument), both of which have been challenged by AA members (see here and here). The Back to Basics movement make various claims about the numbers of people who have been through their course and their success (unspecified). However they seem unable to supply the requisite data and moreover seem ambivalent about their relationship with AA ie. are they independent of AA or are their groups listed in our Where to Finds? The Primary Purpose grouping again place much emphasis on the 'watering down angle' (tied in with a commercial operation - a nice little sideline involving bookbinding). Cliff B, Myers R, Chris R seem to be most active in promoting their various study groups, workshops, speaker tours together with all the usual spin offs (study guides, CDs etc – and not forgetting of course those rather expensive but oh-so-desirable custom bound copies of the Big Book care of Myers R and Chris R). The Road to Recovery (otherwise known as “Joys”, “Visions” or more colloquially amongst AA members as the “Taliban”, “Step Nazis” etc) derives from the movement founded by David B (and continued by David C) back in the late seventies/early eighties. David B (the originator of the “Misery is Optional” slogan, this itself a misrepresentation of AA literature) placed a great deal of emphasis on the role of sponsorship elevating it to its current perverse pre-eminence within the cult hierarchy. Interestingly David B omitted to practice what he preached failing apparently to avail himself of this allegedly indispensable adjunct to recovery (it was discovered subsequently that his so-called sponsor was yet another figment of his extremely fertile imagination!). A liar and a fraud (and with voyeuristic tendencies) he was nevertheless most convincing and managed to build up a small coterie (based mostly in Chelsea and its environs) but which subsequently dispersed to other parts of the country including - and most notably - Plymouth. Here it has flourished (to such an extent that the local intergroup is essentially run by this single group) and has formed links with the Pacific Group in the US. With regard to the latter this has been headed up for some years by Clancy I. The same pattern emerges as always with these essentially incestuous cliques, and from which devolve the usual abuses associated with such groupings, this culminating in probably the worst exemplar to date: the Midtown groups in Washington DC. (Incidentally - and perhaps not totally surprisingly – the ex-ring leader of this group Mike Q(uinones)(now deceased) was a sponsee of Clancy I as is Wayne P of the Road to Recovery (Plymouth). Now it would be unreasonable to blame the sponsor for the misdeeds of their sponsees but one does have to ask what kind of “guidance” was (is) being offered in these cases; let's hope it's not “direction” and, moreover, doesn't involve 'meds'; Clancy is an exponent of the anti-prescribed medication perspective!). Finally we come to Joe (deceased) and Charlie, a duet of AA members who for some years now have been “carrying the AA message” (although which one we're not quite sure!) to all and sundry. In a virtually non-stop tour their workshops, tapes, CDs etc have been disseminated throughout AA (mostly in the US but with regular forays into Great Britain - usually via the Bristol Reunion – yet another questionable collective!). The material is mostly innocuous though heavily laden with Christian referencing and primarily suitable for those AA members who prefer their programme pre-packaged and 'microwaveable'. The audience at least will come away from these events feeling satisfied in the same way one does after consuming a Chinese takeaway. The warm glow of satiation lasts just long enough to give the illusion of a filling meal but then the hunger returns too soon afterwards. Still one can always top up with another CD from some other expert with yet another version of the recovery programme! Perhaps this one will include Chapter 7 – Joe and Charlie for some reason seem to have missed that bit out in their own unique rendition? Or perhaps it's because the Big Book's Step 12 doesn't quite coincide with theirs).

More anon

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Joys of Recovery Detroit (US)

Over the past few years from time to time we've received a few emails in relation to the above group. The name is suggestive (although not necessarily) of some kind of connection with the Joys/Visions cult in the UK. It does seem though that there is more of a direct linkage than that. Indeed we are given to understand that David (The Icon) C has been a regular visitor over the years and is even sponsor to at least one of its members. We are told that he enjoys some status within the group hierarchy, this led apparently by a husband and wife double act who function as “mummy and daddy” to its members. (The latter two have moved out of the area but still continue to sponsor many members of the group “cascade style”” thereby effectively controlling the group conscience. See below). English by birth David C has is now a resident in the US. For those of you who are not familiar with the cult lineage the Icon took over from the founder of the Joys movement, David B, when the latter finally shuffled off this “mortal coil” in 1998. He is one of the central coordinators of the cult's activities in the Great Britain and Ireland, and co-author of one of the cult websites from which so much of their ideas are drawn (including this little sample – now withdrawn from the website). We are told that the Detroit group exhibit all the usual characteristics of the Joys cult. As mentioned above they operate a “cascade style” of sponsorship ie. a hierarchical system based on the notion that recovery is impossible without the “direction” of a sponsor and moreover that compliance must be absolute; the sponsee must ALWAYS defer to the will of the sponsor. This is an effective paraphrase of Step Three (see here for our ironic interpretation of the steps 'cult style') . This dogma driven approach results in a top down pyramid power structure with the main sponsor(s) “running the show”, and dictating the group conscience to successive layers of sub-sponsors (sponsees). Those who fail to fall into their appointed role within this schema will find themselves excluded and indeed subject to summary “excommunication” from the collective; dissent - unlike misery apparently - is NOT optional. Effectively the central principle of AA , that each person (in order to recover) should seek to establish some kind of conscious contact with a God or Higher Power of their understanding, has been displaced by “sponsor power”, this last concept a direct contradiction of both the Steps and of the second “pertinent idea” referred to in Chapter Five “How It Works”:

(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism

leading to the conclusion:

(c) That God could and would if He were sought.

Note: the complete absence of the terms “sponsor”, “sponsee”, “sponsorship” throughout the entire basic text.

We shall see though what we shall see

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

(our thanks to our various reporters)