Mark M (Strood - West Kent)

Some of our more dedicated readers might have been wondering whatever happened to Mark M … you remember Mark don't you! We had numerous entries for this particular 'Joy Boy' under our Area News section for West Kent..... a devious bugger by all accounts .. some things never change:

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/sport/medway-launch-appeal-91204/

Just another case of leaving before you're sacked!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Our thanks to our correspondents

Pathways House Rehab, Canterbury (Kent)

A member has contacted us to express his concerns about the above treatment centre and the questionable conduct of both its owner(?)/manager and another member of staff: 

Care Quality Commission report (30^th August 2014) on their services. They fail in two categories:

• Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm
• Staffing

Pathways House Limited is managed by Kenneth Milne. 

This is the same Kenneth Milne who appears in the following Kent Online article (June 2014):

Canterbury neighbours endure lewd insults from rehab boss Kenny Milne in row over Pathways House in Rochester Avenue

Not a particularly auspicious recommendation!

Apparently Kenneth (or Kenny to his friends – he must be running short on those by now) is adopting a lower profile these days (presumably no longer displaying his nether regions to the neighbours, which is probably something of a relief for all concerned). Moreover we've been told he has connections with both AA and CA (funny how CA keeps on cropping up isn't it! See Harry K, Richard E).

But he isn't the only 'loose cannon' on the premises. Another of Kenny's colleagues (who shall remain anonymous ...for the time being at least) is well known as an active cult member in both the West and East Kent areas. Employed by Pathways as a general 'gofer' this individual somehow acquired the view that his position qualified him to be a counsellor (presumably through some mysterious form of 'osmosis'!). Unclear about the distinction between counselling professionally (albeit unqualified and with absolutely no experience) and 'sponsorship' he set himself up in some kind of hybrid role and was charging a former client of Pathways House £10 per hour to take him through the steps - something of a bargain we have to say when compared with professional fees. But then you get what you pay for don't you!

In between fleecing other members he also does a bit of conveyancing (no not that kind of conveyancing!) on the side taking punters to the local hard core cult meetings – Friday Canterbury (Quaker) and Dover Monday (not sure if we've come across that one before??). Apparently the former was set up by some geezer called Bill (from Strood – all part of the cult 'franchise') attracting such notables as Laughing Chris (oh dear not another one - we've already got a Happy Dennis on the books) and Arthur. Clearly giggling is permitted in cult circles - but no speaking at meetings until you've got a sponsor. And even then only to chant “happy, joyous and free” and “my sponsor says this, and my sponsor says that” … right up to the point where they finally crack!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Thanks to our correspondent 

PPS For AA Minority Report 2013 click here  

PPPS Plymouth Intergroup corruption

A bit of this and that!

An email from a cult member:

“Just to inform you:

Kearsney [see: East Kent cult group gets its marching orders!] wed night (original Strood influence )

Now Dover wed night.

The meeting lives on is stronger and thankfully much more steps focused.

so.the Dover / Kerasney [sic] meeting will continue to flourish, sponser [sicker] people to wellness!

the members are more resoloute [sickest] than ever!”

Comment: Might try using a spell check now and then! Or maybe lay off 'the brew'! Note the explicit connection to the Strood group (West Kent cult). And finally for -  “the members are more resoloute than ever” - read ….. the fanatics still don't get it!

And also from East Kent:

Herne Bay Big Book Salvation (yes seriously!) and Dover (Monday)( two ex-AA groups now registered with the Primary Purpose cult gang in Dallas) are still listed in that directory (see here). The two contacts are Harry K and Harry A (aka Batman and Robin) although the former may have defected to Cocaine Anonymous by now (but more on him at a later date)

Lastly:

The Chelmsford Thursday meeting (listed in our GB Cult Where to Find) may have reverted to AA.......

And lastly... finally!

For the more obsessive amongst you (who could think such a thing!) we present an index of “don'ts” and “musts” (Big Book, 3^rd edn). We personally counted them ourselves (yeah …...sure!). There are more “don'ts” than “musts”

Don't

1. 12
2. 14
3. 20
4. 53
5. 77
6. 82
7. 83
8. 86
9. 89
10. 90
11. 92
12. 93
13. 102
14. 108
15. 113
16. 120
17. 121
18. 126
19. 148
20. 149
21. 151
22. 157
23. 186
24. 188
25. 190
26. 194
27. 198
28. 202
29. 204
30. 206
31. 207
32. 239
33. 248
34. 257
35. 262
36. 263
37. 266
38. 267
39. 268
40. 271
41. 272
42. 273
43. 300
44. 301
45. 309
46. 318
47. 324
48. 326
49. 336
50. 337
51. 340
52. 346
53. 347
54. 348
55. 349
56. 350
57. 351
58. 352
59. 356
60. 362
61. 363
62. 367
63. 377
64. 378
65. 381
66. 382
67. 384
68. 386
69. 387
70. 389
71. 390
72. 391
73. 392
74. 400
75. 412
76. 423
77. 426
78. 429
79. 438
80. 439
81. 440
82. 443
83. 446
84. 447
85. 450
86. 464
87. 468
88. 469
89. 471
90. 477
91. 479
92. 482
93. 484
94. 485
95. 487
96. 488
97. 489
98. 492
99. 499
100. 500
101. 502
102. 503
103. 510
104. 511
105. 512
106. 516
107. 526
108. 527
109. 529
110. 540
111. 542
112. 550
113. 552

Must

1. 10
2. 14
3. 20
4. 21
5. 29
6. 33
7. 43
8. 44
9. 62
10. 66
11. 69
12. 73
13. 74
14. 75
15. 78
16. 79
17. 80
18. 81
19. 82
20. 83
21. 85
22. 86
23. 89
24. 90
25. 93
26. 95
27. 99
28. 100
29. 101
30. 111
31. 113
32. 114
33. 115
34. 117
35. 118
36. 120
37. 127
38. 130
39. 135
40. 141
41. 143
42. 144
43. 146
44. 152
45. 153
46. 154
47. 156
48. 159
49. 164
50. 175
51. 180
52. 181
53. 199
54. 217
55. 223
56. 256
57. 264
58. 269
59. 272
60. 277
61. 281
62. 286
63. 293
64. 297
65. 299
66. 307
67. 310
68. 311
69. 319
70. 325
71. 379
72. 380
73. 382
74. 390
75. 394
76. 395
77. 408
78. 422
79. 452
80. 458
81. 463
82. 475
83. 480
84. 481
85. 491
86. 501
87. 502
88. 504
89. 505
90. 506
91. 513
92. 516
93. 520
94. 524
95. 525
96. 526
97. 531
98. 533
99. 536
100. 563
101. 565
102. 569
103. 571
104. 572

Now don't you feel a whole lot better for that? Surely you must!!!

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)


PS Cheers to our various correspondents!

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

The cult "network": Richmond, Ealing, Hampton Wick.....

"Dear aacultwatch,

Having read your information on what determines a 'cult' meeting, I have to say that the Tuesday evening meeting in Richmond [Richmond: How it Works Tuesday 20.00 Unitarian Church, Ormond Rd] is a bit of an odd one. I, personally, would not label it as a 'cult' group, but there does seem to be a 'group within a group' at that particular meeting that practises some 'cult-like' behaviour.

I have been around since 1989 and this meeting has been going for over 10 years. I used to attend regularly but then my attendance became more sporadic until I moved away from the area for a few years. I moved back to West London a year ago and the meeting is now very different. I still see many of the old faces, and most of these people I believe genuinely care about the newcomer and want what's best for them, but as for this 'core group', the ideal is you can't get well unless you have a sponsor, and suddenly it's all-too-obvious what's going on here. The 'core group' seems to be led by an individual (who I believe is a salesman by trade) and appears to have many sponsees who are all given the 'Six Suggestions' and I have heard of a couple of people (who weren't even sponsees of his) being almost 'shouted-down' by this man if they don't do every single item on the list, even if they don't call a newcomer that day. This sort of stuff is incredibly dangerous and off-putting for newcomers. My observation is that this 'core group' (and many of its newer members, such as the young female secretary) are heavily influenced by the nearby 'Ealing gang' (need I say more?). Before I moved away the aforementioned individual was the secretary and all his invited speakers came from Rochester/Strood, and the Tottenham area, plus a couple of people I recognised from 'A Vision for You' when I attended there. I know this website pertains to Alcoholics Anonymous, but an almost identical cult within Cocaine Anonymous has sprung up in the same area and has the same ideals, and it is believed that the 'ringleader' was at one time sponsored within this group.

You also mentioned the Friday meetings in Hampton Wick, and maybe it's worth mentioning that the same people go to this meeting as well. Again, same drill - the majority of those in attendance are working a good program and simply try to help the newcomer. But, quite worryingly, this meeting has some influence from a member from Plymouth (you know what I mean by that, I'm sure - from what I understand she relocated from Plymouth to the area, and no doubt she was told which meetings to go to!), who sponsors most of the women who attend the meeting. I can't help but wonder what kind of message gets carried - although I have heard her sponsees say "I've got to 'phone newcomers" and "I have to call my sponsor".

Once again, these two groups are undermined by the minority of its membership, but I've read on your website about the agenda the 'cult' groups follow (such as the 'politically-approved message' and 'sponsor dependence') and these meetings both spring to mind. Fortunately they don't seem interested on subverting intergroup (as I attend regularly and there has been nothing striking).

I hope this is useful for you. Feel free to publish any of it. I can be emailed for more information.

Regards,

.... [name omitted]"

(Our thanks to this contributor)

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Some things never change - and some people never learn

The Strood/Rochester gang - or is it the Rochester/Strood gang nowadays? The word is that attendance is falling at Strood (Cult HQ West Kent) - seems that even some of their own members can't quite stomach this extremist approach. Still it's a caring sharing programme isn't it? Except when it comes to newcomers .......

.......for it would seem that yet another of these unfortunates (unfortunate, that is, to fall under the influence of cult propaganda) has been on the receiving end of their version of "tough love" (cult speak for "getting the cold shoulder"). The individual in question had apparently been accelerated through the programme and was up to step Four (under the guidance of that all-embracing icon of the cult recovery programme - "THE SPONSOR") and this in a matter of three months. Somewhat bizarrely they picked up a drink (Who'd of thought it! An alcoholic relapsing - well we never!!). Needless to say the experience was quite devastating and some might even say necessary - after all - if you're unconvinced "step over to the nearest bar....."! Compounding their bewilderment they simply could not fathom why they were not getting it!! There they were, sitting in a meeting, week after week, surrounded by the massed (or not so massed!) ranks of the "happy, joyous and free" brigade, row upon row of faces fixed in that rictus grin of enforced bliss, giving it large with yet another rendition of the cult anthem beginning with the immortal words "My sponsor says....." - and yet nothing! They were left instead with that gradually dawning - and perhaps bleak - reality - a life without alcohol! It would seem that a smile and another chorus of "My sponsor says..." was just not going to fix this problem! So now the real work begins - real sharing about real problems, and this with real people with a real solution - no more Disneyland recovery! No more pretending, no more papering over the cracks, no more playing to the gallery and putting on yet another performance to gain the approval of your SPONSOR or whoever happens to be flavour of this particular month! Time indeed for a REALITY Check!

Needless to say (but we'll say it anyway) the relapser was dropped like the proverbial hot potato by their SPONSOR. Well maybe it was time for a change anyway! But then the word got round and a second attempt to get a SPONSOR was similarly rebuffed - persona non grata is the alcoholic indeed who has the temerity to relapse whilst under the direction of a cult SPONSOR - it just doesn't look good at all!

Fortunately there is life after the cult experience - it's called Alcoholics Anonymous. The individual in question had sufficient wit to ring up the AA helpline where they were listened to, not patronised, not lectured, not told off and then subsequently referred to an AA meeting - a real AA meeting.

This incident reminds us of another occasion where a newcomer at the Strood meeting fell off the wagon. When they managed to finally get back to the room they were actually told to sit at the back and keep quiet as if they were some naughty school child! Something of a contrast with an AA meeting where they would be welcomed into the centre of the room and encouraged to speak up - if only to remind the rest of us what could so easily happen to ANY alcoholic who fails to maintain their "spiritual condition" (and this according to their own - not their SPONSOR's - conception of what this might constitute).

Finally a little nugget from down Bournemouth way. It would seem that the local branch of the cult - "Bournemouth: Road to Recovery"  has made yet another attempt to join the Bournemouth intergroup:

"Hi Fellas, An update from Bournemouth Intergroup. Last Wednesday evening the Intergroup dealt with an application from the Bournemouth "road to recovery group" to be allowed to join the Intergroup. At the February meeting the Chairman invited all GSR's to ask their groups to consult their conscience and vote if the RTR group could be allowed to join in the Bournemouth service structure. All groups within Bournemouth did take part and the issue was widely and fairly debated and principles of AA were followed.

The resulting vote at the Intergroup meeting led to just 3 groups supporting the RTR application. The overwhelming decision by Bournemouth group members was no.
Keep at it fellas.

ps. That's about 5 years now."

It's a pity this cult group doesn't get the message. Still it is an effective way of dealing with a cult meeting - quarantine the contagion, deny it access to newcomers, prevent its members from gaining access to the AA service structure and then watch it wither and die (take note other Intergroups - e.g. West Kent).

PS Maybe Bournemouth: Road to Recovery are now getting some idea of what it's like to be given the cold shoulder - perhaps there's a God after all!!

Cheerio

The Fellas
(Our usual thanks to AA members for the above contributions - information is power!)

The World as Will and Representation

For all those of you who are so eagerly anticipating Bob's (see below) contribution to western philosophy, and the general spiritual well-being of mankind (only 33 days to go – or 0 years 1 months 2 days), we thought we'd offer this little warm up item by Arty S (German philosopher and acknowledged expert on notions of will and surrender). We appreciate that the main event will probably cast Arty's offerings into the shadows but give the guy a break! He was only trying to do his best! Click here for the Wiki page and then here for links to various online editions.

Remember – just for today – try not to be a mental loofah!

On a lighter note, and because quite frankly we were feeling just a teensy weensy bit frivolous, we thought we'd take a gander at what our little anti-cultwatch Tweeter was up to. It's been some time since we perused his (or is it a her?) offerings and we were mightily disappointed to see that the abuse rate has slowed up somewhat. Indeed there was something of a long gap between August last year and February this year. We do hope everything is all right with our little friend! Unfortunately there does seem to be a bit of recycling going on with this - now - trickle of innuendoes etc but it is quite amusing to see how far to the edge this one is going to push it as he/she pursues his/her desperate course. The more malign spirits within the team even speculated as to what we might do to nudge this one a little bit closer to the chasm's brink but then wiser counsels prevailed – and we made a cup of tea instead – but only of course after we had consulted our respective sponsors!

Coming soon – more news from Strood and Rochester – it would seem that they still haven't learnt from their mistakes (quelle surprise!) – and with the usual dire consequences for those newcomers who are unfortunate enough to fall into their grasp

Good reading

The Fellas

Cult meeting of the day

Kent
Strood: There is a Solution
Thursday 20.00 St Nicholas with St Mary's Church