All 'dolled up' and going nowhere!

Remember these?

Yep! We can confirm that the dolls which featured in our item yesterday are none other than representations of the Venerable C (or Clancy I as he's otherwise known), doyen of the Pacific (cult) Group Los Angeles and all round saint! (or at least according to the worshipping - or perhaps rather sycophantic - comments on his Facebook page)

Here's a picture of the real thing obtained from the aforementioned site.

We have to admit the similarities are striking. Indeed we're at something of a loss to distinguish the difference! But the fellow's expression suggests a bad case of dyspepsia … or maybe it's a sponsee that's just DISAGREED with him! 

Anyway …. this stuff is available - or so we are told - at some AA conventions together no doubt with all the other merchandising tat which has become increasingly popular in some circles. Alongside these will appear numerous CDs, workbooks, study guides and sundry other pieces of literature being churned out by so-called Big Book 'experts' (Joe and Charlie, Wally P … blah blah blah …..ad infinitum) of various 'denominations' all flogging their version of the 'quick fix' or 'true' path to some second rate, non-existent 'nirvana'. True enlightenment tends to require slightly more effort than colouring in the Big Book, ringing up a couple of newcomers each day and worse still doing exactly what a control freak sponsor tells you. Something a teensy weensy bit more demanding- and usually over a prolonged period of time - will generally be needed in order to make any headway in that particular direction. Still the “easier, softer way” will always appeal to some, and what could be more appealing than parking one's posterior on a seat and listening to some 'narcissist' sounding off, desperate as ever, and at any cost, to be the centre of somebody's – nay anybody's – attention! 

Of course we should have known better than to put this stuff on the blog. An AA member, ever quick to spot an opportunity, sent in the following pics and links. Pass us the anti-nausea medication! Please no more … we beg you!

 
http://www.recovery-world.com/Bill_Wilson-bobblehead.htm 

http://www.cafepress.com/+alcoholics-anonymous+underwear-panties 

As we said – tat! 

But of course you could always bypass the 'snake oil' purveyors and 'flim flam' artists, give all the 'sideshows' a miss, and nip along to your local AA meeting instead and listen to some real sharing by real people who don't need to be constantly on show or performing for an audience. Maybe at the end stick some money in the pot (if you're so inclined) to help the phone service rather than line yet another con man's already bulging pockets! 

As always the choice is finally yours. After all, when all is said and done, we'll end up with the kind of fellowship we deserve! The buck stops …...where? 

Cheerio 

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Showtime!

Well the Road to Recovery Plymouth (cult) group is back in the promotion business. Checking their site recently we came across this little item in the diary section:

Now don't be fooled by the banner heading - “Group of Alcoholics Anonymous”. This group NEVER had much to do with AA. In fact its members regard AA generally as something of a joke; “Beano readers” we believe is the term they employ. Alcoholics Anonymous' members, it would seem, don't quite meet the relatively high (?) standards that are required for affiliation with this group. No sirree! To be a proper, fully paid up servant of this gang you have to be possessed of all the necessary attributes that go to make a 'successful' cult prospect: arrogant, self-important, bullying (if not an outright 'thug'), promiscuous (ie. suffering from 'falling down trouser syndrome'), an advanced propensity to be closely - and frequently - completely unacquainted with the truth (ie. a liar), a Jack of all trades and master of none (eg. completely unqualified in medical/psychological matters but willing to give 'direction' in all of these), unacquainted virtually with anything in the basic literature (including the Big Book with special reference to Step Three), an inability to think or act on one's own behalf and so on and so forth.... the list as they say goes on 'ad infinitum'. In this group these indeed are the “essentials of recovery”.


But now we must return to the 'advert' on this cult website:


Bristol Reunion with “Honourable Member from Los Angeles”


Now for those of you who are not in the know the “Honourable Member” in question is none other than Clancy I or as we prefer to call him - the Venerable C. The Venerable One is not what might be called the shy retiring type. However he prefers not to blow his own trumpet (well not too frequently) but rather lets others do it for him. Hence the ads on the Bristol Reunion website as well as the Plymouth cult group's contribution.

The Bristol Reunion is run by the Newcomers Groups of that city – yet another branch of the cult in Great Britain. For some years now they have been very active in the 'promotions business” with a number of visits by the Venerable C under their belt already. Not content, however, with solo performances they have also hosted not infrequently the Joe and Charlie duet. Again for those of you not fully clued up on the 'circuit speaker' brigade these latter two have been illuminating (is that the right word?) AA members for a number of years now with their particular take on their personal bible – The Big Book. As you may observe from the previous link Joe McQ in particular has a liking for the 'authoritarian' style of sponsorship hence their complete neglect of Chapter 7 “Working With Others” from the aforementioned tome. It really doesn't suit him at all! It is ironic isn't it that here stands yet another example of the 'cafeteria' (ie take what you want and leave the rest) style of recovery so derided by Big Book experts the world over! For our part we advise anybody who meets a Big Book 'expert' … take what you hear with a very large pinch of salt!


But for now we must return to the main 'attraction'.


Clancy I is the head honcho behind what is referred to as the Pacific Group in Los Angeles. He has been quite tireless in his promotion of this clique over a number of years (not to mention himself, of course, which we wouldn't dream of doing!). He also sponsors quite a number of individuals (as long as they don't have beards) including our very own Wayne P (Plymouth Road to Recovery cult group) as well as the now deceased (thankfully) Michael Quinones (Mike Q) leader of the notorious Midtown Group(s) and serial sexual predator. The Venerable C himself recently featured in an article in The Fix (an online magazine dealing with addiction) entitled “AA Cults I Have Known” written by someone who has some acquaintance with the fellow. We were particularly struck by one reference to his conduct when speaking to a gathering of his devotees, the Atlantic Group. This, we thought, gave a particular insight into his true character. 

“Every year, to celebrate their anniversary, AG invites Clancy to speak at their meeting, hence the enormous crowd. On this evening, he told a story very familiar to AAs from the many tapes and conventions he has spoken at over the decades. He was entertaining, pausing for laughs and dramatic punctuation. 

Midway, he used the word “goddamit.” A young man piped up from the balcony to say, “Excuse me Sir, we have no profanity at this meeting.” It was clear he was attempting a teasing tone. It was also clear he had misjudged the room. The enormous hall froze, not unlike in an abusive household when a child calls out their cruel father.

At that moment, as I fiddled with my name tag, I thought it would be a great chance to see long-term, revered sobriety in action. How would the man whose AA tapes had helped me stay sober 20 years earlier gracefully handle this interruption. 

In the event, there was no empathy for the psychology of the newly sober young man. Instead, Clancy played to the crowd. He expertly waited a few beats of pin-dropping silence, then leaned in to the microphone and said, “Shut up Bitch.” 

And then, hundreds of sober men and women burst into laughter. Some applauded, as if they were watching Louis CK take down a heckler. The young man turned bright red, and awkwardly raced out of the church. Of the several hundred attendees—many of whom claim to be “recovered” from alcoholism, and that their most important action each day is to “carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers”—not one followed the young man outside. Instead, they turned their attention to Clancy and lapped up the rest of his honed speech, in which he assured the room that their brand of sobriety was more solid, more real and more lasting than any other.” 

How telling! The thug revealed in all his hideous glory! 

So if you want to watch a narcissist in action revelling in his own essential mediocrity by all means pay your money! It's a free country (just about!). If you want the Jeremy Kyle version of recovery with a bit of humiliation thrown in go on down and get dirty with the Venerable C! He'll put you in your place make no mistake! After all you deserve a bit of abuse! You're ONLY an alcoholic! 

Cheerio 

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous) 

PS See the Traditions in particular Tradition 12. Spot the difference between it and the self-promotional tactics demonstrated above

Road to Recovery Cult group (Plymouth) move into the "Recovery Business"

Well they're at it again - breaking another Tradition - so what's new! It occurred to the aacultwatch team it would be easier to carry news of when the aforementioned group DID actually abide by the Traditions - it would save a lot of a time all round. But a little background first:

"The Recovery Business"
　
The recession may be biting hard but some sectors are flourishing - which brings us to: "The Recovery Business". By this we mean the increasing proliferation of "workshops" (non-AA events) run by various "personalities" (some travelling from as far afield as sunny California) spreading their views, opinions, theories, speculations, hypotheses, (even experience occasionally!) on whatever passing fad is currently preoccupying them, and then presenting these flights of fancy suitably packaged for the delectation of the "punters" ie. anyone who may be parted from their money. These little shindigs sometimes run for a whole weekend for those brave souls who are willing to pay to listen for that long to these largely unoriginal performances. The "gig" may include Power Point presentations for the more technologically sophisticated but will certainly include workbooks, worksheets etc all of which lends an air of authenticity to what is essentially a scam. It's easier to part someone from their cash if they wander (usually shell-shocked) from the venue with at least something to show for the "experience" other than a rictus grin, and a throbbing headache acquired from a massive overdose of "emotional froth". Now we have no real objection to an enterprising fellow making a buck or two, and let's face it there are considerably more than one "born every day" but in this instance the "target market" is composed mostly of newcomers to AA, and certainly members new to the recovery programme. These are more likely to be impressed by a slick performance and a well rehearsed delivery with standardised jokes flying from the lip with practised ease. If you've still suffering, with nerves jangling like taut banjo strings, and your emotions and life in tatters, wandering around the landscape like some refugee in a war zone then anyone who can string a few coherent sentences together must seem almost blessed with Divine omniscience. "Recycling" is the buzz word these days and that's about all you're likely to get at one of these workshops. But that said so will you at an AA meeting - nothing original there either - but there's one crucial difference. In the first you'll get parted from your dough in short order one way or the other - in the latter you'll get it for free, and without all the unnecessary trimmings.

It would seem that the Road to Recovery cult group (among others) is getting in on the act. For some considerable time now audio files by various notables (including overseas imports) have been available via their website but evidently this cult group has decided to move into "marketing" other events. These include the Bristol Reunion, which this year features a couple of speakers from the US (apparently one of whom is an " an ideal successor to Joe and Charlie"). It's not made entirely clear what constitutes "ideal" (given that the programme refers to "progress rather than perfection") but we have to assume that the guy turns in a good act (together with his humble assistant). Additionally the site advertises another "show" in Glasgow in 2010 featuring a VVVVVIP from LA, the Venerable C, who will be doing "a turn" in that fair city. There is no mention on the site (which incidentally carries the disclaimer "© Road to Recovery Group 2009. This site is not approved or endorsed by Alcoholics Anonymous. The views expressed belong solely to the individuals making them") that this is NOT an AA event nor for that matter is the "Relationships in Recovery" circus, which is similarly advertised on this cult website. But then (with a little more research) we come to the Glasgow extravaganza's sound system, which is being provided by an organisation called SoundsGood Media Productions, an outfit needless to say but we'll say it anyway, NOT associated with AA. We quote from the "About Us" section of their site:

"Sounds Good Media is a voluntary service staffed by members of 12 Step fellowships who give their time voluntarily to help themselves stay sober and help others to recover from alcoholism.

Sounds Good Media was set up by a small group of AA members involved in service who detected a great inconsistency in the quality of Public Address systens used at various AA conventions. Having detected this problem they decided to solve it by supplying AA with a reliable P.A. system. The next problem was how to fund th P.A. system. The solution for this was already at hand, record the meetings and sell the tapes. This also helped to solve another problem which was widespread (that of bad quality tapes or no taping of conventions at all - which left no archival record of previous members). So the idea was simply, supply P.A. system, record the meetings, sell the tapes and any excess money goes back into AA.

To comply with traditions a letter was sent to the World General Service Office in New York explaining the concept. The W.G.S.O. replied that AA could not accept money from outside organisations even though they are run by AA members. So Sounds Good couldn't give money to AA, but they could stop convention committes spending money on P.A's by supplying theirs free of charge. The only stipulation for this was that Sounds Good could sell tapes to fund the P.A. system. Due to public demand it was decided to expand the selection of tapes to include popular speakers from America etc. Again there was the problem of quality, so equipment was needed to 'clean' these tapes up. It soon became clear an office would be needed, so from humble beginnings our expansion had developed. This led to more volunteers joining, who used it as an aid to their recovery and went on to other things."

Now this may all be very worthy but in the end it amounts to what is technically known as a "lash up" ie. some way had to be devised to make it "look like" AA Traditions weren't being circumvented (we'll leave it to you to work out which ones) but fails utterly. In this particular instance we can't see what the problem is. The event itself is not AA sponsored and therefore does not have to abide by the Traditions. But even if it were an AA convention, workshop etc then this particular contrivance would still not solve the "problem". AA would be receiving a service for which it hadn't paid ie. a donation in kind rather than money (Incidentally, since when did it become a problem that there were no audio records, bad quality or otherwise, of speakers at a convention?) All sorts of difficulties arise here in connection with this issue - again we'll leave it to your ingenuity to discern what these might be. Finally there is reference to any "excess money" going back into AA, which seems to defeat entirely the purpose of the whole exercise. Whose money is this? If it's AA money then how can it "go back" to AA? If it's from Sounds Good Media profits then it's an outside donation - back to square one? Is it the copyright holder's money? Is it the publisher's money and so on and so forth? This situation illustrates perfectly why the Traditions exist, and why it's such a bad idea to try and "lawyer" your way round them.

Still it's been quite awhile - if ever - since the Road to Recovery cult group was an AA group running AA meetings and (as we mentioned above) we should really only be surprised when it does behave like one. But then Little Wayne (El Supremo) has as good as said so himself in his address to the faithful (available on an audio file from site): We quote:

"If you’re new or if you’re visiting this group – welcome. This group comes with a public health warning. Tonight you’re not in a meeting or mainstream meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. Tonight you are at the heart of Alcoholics Anonymous."

and who are we to argue with Little Wayne.

Now here's an idea, and we're not even going to plug our own recovery course outlined on the site - Oh damn! We did. Sorry! Instead of wandering off to one of these "workshops" or "conventions" or "Big Book Study Groups?" or "Newcomers?" meetings or "Beginners?" meetings or buying a CD produced by whoever is the latest flavour of the month, keep your money in your pocket and go to an AA meeting - a REAL one. There you will find some ordinary joe who will probably read something out of the Big Book, and then AA will do what it does best - plain alcoholics telling it the way it is - no frills - no "froth" - no charge!! You may well have to sit through the "Great Saga of the Washing machine Breaking Down and How the Repairman Didn't Turn Up But Even So I Didn't Pick Up a Drink" from time to time, and there may be some members who are seriously "off message" on that particular day; but that comes with the territory. But we think that's a small price to pay to avoid having to witness a carefully choreographed, marketing platform for "personalities" who seem to have an insatiable need (craving perhaps?) to have their egos massaged regularly whilst topping up their bank accounts. Even better the newcomer can - if she or he is so inclined - go online at the official AA website, and read the Big Book FOR FREE and maybe make up their own minds about what constitutes the recovery programme of AA and how they want - or don't want - to do it. Wow! That's soooo radical!!!

Cheerio

The Fellas