aacultwatch

AA: Is it only way alcoholics can go?

2012-01-31T08:39:00.000Z

"Group'sspiritual element troubles atheists, agnostics.

ByMelissa Fletcher Stoeltje, mstoeltje@express-news.net

Michaelis a recovering alcoholic. Though he attends Alcoholics Anonymous,Michael struggles with the program's spiritual element. He wouldprefer to join a support group without the religious overtones butone does not seem to exist in San Antonio.

As istradition on this day, people are busy forming resolutions to make2012 better than the year now receding in the rearview mirror.

Forpeople with alcohol and drug problems, this might entail joining agroup like Alcoholics Anonymous. According to AA doctrine and its12-step program, redemption from the disease comes not from willpowerbut from reliance on a “higher power” — as Step Three puts it,“God as we understood him.”

Thisis where things get dicey for some alcoholics and addicts who areatheist or agnostic, especially if they've been mandated to attend12-step groups by the courts. Why should they be forced to sitthrough meetings that violate their own secular beliefs?

Inrecent decades, mutual-help groups such as Smart Recovery, LifeRingand Secular Organization for Sobriety have formed across the nationto offer support without spiritual concepts, but they've yet to maketheir way to San Antonio.

Membersof AA say their program isn't religious — it's spiritual. Amember's higher power can be anything they choose — God, Jesus,Buddha, the power of love, even AA membership itself, which exceedsmore than 1 million people in the U.S. alone.

Atfree meetings throughout San Antonio each week, there are generallyno sectarian references, which are considered taboo since it violatesAA's big-tent approach. Still, most meetings end with a grouprecitation of the Lord's Prayer, the provenance of which isChristian.

Thispractice alienates some nonreligious members and potential members,as does the whole higher-power concept and what can sometimes be apreponderance of generic “God talk” at meetings.

“It'sa bit of a problem,” said Michael, 53, who is gay and an atheist.(In keeping with AA's tradition of anonymity, only first names arebeing used.) He attended his first AA meeting here in 1999, one aimedat gay and lesbian alcoholics. His drinking had become daily, whichworried him.

“Butpeople were talking about going to jail, having blackouts,” hesaid. “I thought, ‘I don't have these kinds of problems.'”

Stillconcerned about his drinking six years later, he returned to themeeting. When it ended with the Lord's Prayer, Michael vowed to nevergo back.

Butthen some mornings, he found he needed a drink to soften a hangover.Eventually, Michael returned to his old group but still felt out ofplace.

Recently,he found an AA group he likes, which he uses as his higher power. Sofar, though, he's only been able to go four months before relapsing.He admits he hasn't followed AA protocol, such as getting a sponsor,someone who guides a newcomer through the steps.

“Ifthere were secular options, I think I absolutely would stick with it,and I believe a large number of people would as well,” he said.“But somebody has to start it.”

Adifferent approach

In the1980s, secular alternatives did begin to form. Smart Recovery, themost well-known with 2,000 members, is based largely oncognitive-behavioral therapy, a counseling approach that seeks tochange maladaptive thoughts and behaviors. In the free SR supportgroups, which take place in person and online, members are taughtways to cope with cravings, stay motivated and live a balanced life.

Unlikeat AA, they're told they can conquer alcohol or other addictionswithout help from above.

“Somepeople aren't comfortable with the idea of powerlessness,” saidexecutive director Shari Allwood.

“Addictioncan be overcome,” she said. “We don't expect you to attendmeetings for the rest of your life. You can put these tools to use inyour life and move on.”

SomeSR members don't believe alcoholism is a disease — the prevailingmedical view, given the role genetics plays in some, but not all,cases of alcoholism and for the physical changes in the brain thathappen during addiction that never fully go away and make it hard toquit and stay sober. Personal choice plays a role as well.

Groupslike Smart Recovery are minuscule compared with the mammoth AA. “It'sa Catch-22,” said Dr. John F. Kelly, assistant professor ofpsychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “Because the alternatives toAA are so small, clinicians are reluctant to refer patients there.And most of the evidence so far (regarding effectiveness) has beenabout AA.”

Contraryto AA's critics, a growing body of research shows that for manypeople with alcohol use disorders, AA is effective. One study foundthat of patients who regularly attended AA after alcoholismtreatment, about half remained abstinent after one year. Many whoweren't at least cut their consumption.

“Forthose who want to change their drinking behavior, AA can be animportant resource, as can other mutual-help organizations,” saidDr. Robert Huebner, acting director of the National Institute onAlcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Division of Treatment and RecoveryResearch.

Atthis point, there are few studies showing the efficacy of AAalternatives. Existing ones are of poor quality, mainly due to smallsample sizes, Huebner said. But new studies are under way, includingan NIAAA-funded one of Smart Recovery.

‘Howit works'

Dedicated12-step members don't need studies to convince them the philosophyworks: Their redeemed lives are proof enough.

Still,AA may not be suitable for everyone, some experts believe.

“Thesingle best predictor of whether or not someone will go to AA is theseverity of their drinking problem,” said J. Scott Tonigan, aresearcher at the University of New Mexico. “The more you've lostcontrol of your life, the more the 12-step message resonates.”

But inthe last 20 years, researchers have found that alcoholism — onceconsidered an “all or nothing” disease that invariably worsensover time — actually lies along a continuum.

“Peoplewith alcohol use disorders have mild, moderate and severe forms ofthe disorder, with the majority of people experiencing problems inthe mild-to-moderate range,” Huebner said.“This finding has major implications for our treatment system,because the focus traditionally has been on people with disorders atthe most severe end of the continuum.”

Soit's not a question of AA or Smart Recovery being better or worse,said Keith Humphreys, professor of psychiatry at Stanford School ofMedicine. It's a question of fit.

“Peoplein Smart Recovery tend to have more education, better jobs, lesssevere (drinking) problems,” he said. “The narrative ofself-control resonates with them: They haven't been lying in thestreet. They go to an AA meeting and think, ‘That's way worse thananything that's happened to me!' This is true for a lot of people,particularly high-bottom drunks. They may be happier in SmartRecovery.”

A“bottom” refers to an incident, usually dramatic, that prompts analcoholic to accept he or she must stop drinking.

Buthow does AA, which has its roots in religion, psychology andmedicine, “work?”

Manyrecovering alcoholics say their higher power played the main role.Cathy, 61, a retired business executive, said she was a “hopeless”alcoholic who tried willpower, traditional psychotherapy andself-help books for years to no avail.

“Icouldn't live without alcohol, period,” she said. “I didn't losemy house or my husband, I didn't have DUIs. But there was a completeemptiness inside, a spiritual malady. I had lost my soul. And only myrelationship with my higher power, whom I choose to call God, wasable to fill that hole.”

Scientiststheorize that AA works mainly by using a layman's version ofcognitive-behavioral therapy, complemented by social connection. Theynote the many parallels between AA's approach and the psychologicalone.

“(Members)say prayer and meditation help them; scientists call that a cognitiveexercise in coping mechanisms,” Tonigan said. “You say theSerenity Prayer when you're angry; in cognitive-behavioral therapy wecall that rehearsal training. Changing ‘playmates and playpens' inAA is called avoiding triggers in CBT.”

Onelarge study found it is the social component of AA — going tomeetings, having a sponsor — that is most beneficial to mostalcoholics, more so than the spiritual practices, said Harvard'sKelly.

“Prayerand meditation only seemed to be an explanatory effect among the mostsevere members, although they also benefited from the socialnetwork,” he said.

Thelaw has gotten involved in the debate. Federal courts across thecountry have ruled that judges can't mandate DUI or drug offenders toattend AA or related 12-step programs as part of probation if theyobject on religious grounds — a suitable secular alternative mustbe provided. It's a church-state thing.

LisaGraybill, director of the ACLU of Texas, said her office regularlygets complaints from nonbelievers ticked off because they've beenordered to 12-step programs, but so far none have resulted inlitigation.

In his23 years at the Bexar County probation office, assistant chief AbelSalinas said he hasn't heard of a single probationer objecting to a12-step mandate on religious grounds. When asked to provide a list oflocal secular alternatives, he offered fee-based drug-educationclasses at driving schools.

But12-step waivers are rarely granted, said Salinas, and only todefendants who can prove beyond doubt they cannot attend meetings forlegitimate reasons, such as work schedules. A defendant must ask foralternatives to 12-step; it's not offered by the courts.

“Everyonewould try to get out of going,” he said.

TheCenter for Health Care Services offers nonspiritually-based supportgroups, but hey're open only to clients enrolled in itsaddiction-treatment programs.

Onelocal criminal defense attorney who wished to remain nameless becausehe regularly appears before judges here, said those who object to AAon religious grounds are aware of the risk in voicing such concerns.

“Theproblem is judges hold so much power,” he said. “Are you going totell the person who holds your fate in his hands that you don't wantto go to AA? (Judges) can make your life really hard, and the goal ofmost people is to stay out of ... jail, no matter the cost.”

Interestingly,studies show atheists — if they commit to AA — tend to fare aswell sobriety-wise as believers.

That'sthe tack Suzanne, 75, took four years ago, when she joined an AAgroup in Austin geared to atheists and agnostics. She said she keepsher focus on working the steps and practising the AA principles —humility, rigorous honesty, service to others — and lets thespiritual stuff work itself out.

“Irealized that maybe my definition of spiritual was too narrow,” shesaid. “One meaning of spirituality is the immaterial. I mean, youcan't see love.””

Source:http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/AA-Is-it-only-way-alcoholics-can-go-2435378.php#ixzz1iLRSnwti

Comment:Just a reminder that we haven't cornered the market in alcoholismtreatment! AA is not necessarily the most appropriate course for all who suffer fromthis condition

Moreover- How It DOESN'T Work:

endorsement of (and participation in) any court mandated (chit system) attendance at AA meetings (a breach of our own traditions);
overtsectarian religiosity exhibited by AA groups (but not by individual members) (yet another breach of our traditions);
our failure to clarify the distinction between 'spiritual' and 'religious', and communicate this adequately to the general public. This is easily remedied viz:

“Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop an individual's inner life; spiritual experience includes that of connectedness with a larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive self; with other individuals or the human community; with nature or the cosmos; or with the divine realm. Spirituality is often experienced as a source of inspiration or orientation in life. It can encompass belief in immaterial realities or experiences of the immanent or transcendent nature of the world.” [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality]

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

A Minority report (continued)(3)

2012-01-29T09:15:00.002Z

“A.A.is dealing with a new phenomenon, for which most are unprepared. Itpresents an extremely complex debate and it is a toxic cocktail ofthe following ingredients: Global internet communication; the outsideinfluence of a very narrow minded, dishonest, fundamentalistChristian rendering of A.A.’s program and history; a generation of“elder statesmen” who have no experience of dealing with aserious problem in A.A; who also lack knowledge of A.A. history andthe ability to apply Traditions and Concepts; and the majority ofwhom appear to see no threat in placing liberty above that of ourcommon welfare.

Thiscocktail has produced not so much cult groups, but a collection ofcult groups of various descriptions, which together amount to aneo-Oxford Group fundamentalist movement. These groups haveinternational connections with figureheads as leaders: Joys ofRecovery, (Detroit USA – London UK, David C.), Primary Purposegroup of AA (Dallas), (global affiliation, Cliff B. Myers R., ChrisR.), Back to Basics, (Global affiliation, Wally P.), Road toRecovery, Plymouth UK- Pacific Group USA (Wayne P- Clancy I).

Thenew dynamics to AA presented by outside published literature andglobal internet communication may have exposed a weakness in ourservice structure to which AA has yet to adapt. The speed and reachof electronic communication today means that the behaviour of oneindividual AA group, or a minority, can now have an enormous negativeand permanent impact on the whole A.A. public relations. Moreover,this speed and reach of communication can give power drivingfigureheads a platform to influence AA, not only in their ownlocality, but internationally. With the reach and permanence ofworldwide web, it is questionable whether the resultant damage toA.A. public relations and loss of public confidence caused by thesegroups is sustainable for the fellowship as a whole, if this ispermitted to continue.

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

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

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

Thegeneral approach for the majority of cases is for us to discontinueseeing psychiatrists and counselors [sic] if you are seeing them fortreatment of the symptoms of alcoholism eg [sic] alcoholicdepression… … Also there are likely to be contradictions betweenthe two courses of treatment. We chose between the two. If we choseto do the AA programme, we stopped seeing the counsellor/psychiatristuntil we had done the first nine steps.......”

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

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

“Sexualconduct http://bigbookrecovery.com/step_four.html#how_to

........Lateron, as part of Step 5, we give an account of our secret thoughts toour sponsors. Many revealed things to our sponsors that we had nevertold anyone before. (This is applicable also to all our darkestthoughts, not just those of a sexual nature”)

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

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

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

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

Ifyou think you’re doing the programme and not feeling good, then wehave 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 itis you are doing that you shouldn’t; or what it is you are notdoing that you should.”

Victimsof the abusive sponsorship in London and Detroit share theirexperience with each other on an internet forum:

“Iwas reflecting on when I first was recruited in to joys and I wasthinking about how uncomfortable I felt. ………….I remembercrying to my sponsor about the pain I was having and explain to herthat I never felt my body freak out so much not even when I was in topartying and taking drugs as I did when I came in to joys and she wasjust starting to yell at me. I remember the first time she reallyscreamed at me when I called to check in I wasin my standing in my kitchen and I just recently dumped my exboyfriend and he just moved out I felt I was moving forward in mylife on to a healthy and higher road and then my sponsor screamed atme and I just felt like this behavior [sic] feels way more unhealthythen the what the boyfriend I just dumped did. I felt like she wasjust waiting for him to leave so I would be alone and she could yellat me and start the abusive and control cycle. I studied the cycle ofabuse wheel in high-school and I think that describes perfectly myrelationship with my joys sponsor there were definably honeymoonperiods and tension building periods and then the terrible acting outphase. I remember I always felt extremely uncomfortable art [sic] the4 joys meetings I attended weekly. Being on the outside now I can seethat a lot of the things that I struggled with such as panic attackswere due to being in joys I don’t have those anymore. I have alsorealized why I was attracted so much to joys and that it did meetmany of my unmet needs such as belonging friendship caringinvolvement and many many [sic] more. Now that I am out of the groupI have to work harder to try and meet these needs and when I don’tI find myself missing joys.” (aacultwatch forum; subject entitled“Gut feelings”)

“Anothergradual change in their cult environment involved the persistent pushfor a greater commitment. It always had to be more, and soon themembers 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 wereachievable. For me in joys was will I ever get done with 9 and when Iget done with step 9 I will be happy. I have sence [sic] learned thatbeing done with nine is really about accepting the cult belife [sic]system and passing it on. I felt even more inner torment when I wasdone 9 then I did befor.[sic] They created this false impression thatonce I got done step 9 life would be grand which was quite theoppiset,[sic] but it did apper [sic] that way on the outside. Cultleaders used various techniques to tighten their hold on the group.One of the more effective was scapegoating [sic]. One member would bepublicly humiliated in front of the group. This created dread amongthe cultists because they never knew when it would be their turn andnever wanted to be used as a negative example I have been thescapegoat at joys they tear you up in there shares. I have alsoplayed the role of tearing others up in there shares and trying topush them in a relapse when they wouldn’t accept the group”.

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

A.A.Grapevine articles by professional alcoholism councillors:

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

Ihave a high regard and respect for AA's Twelve Step program and havewitnessed countless success stories….. I am also aware ofunnecessary human pain and suffering among recovering members……Often I have heard AA members who think they know best for allalcoholics and perceive that if you just ‘work the program’everything will be fine. That is not always the case. There aremembers in your program who have experienced traumatic, lifethreatening events and who need professional help and, sometimes,medication……… On several occasions I have had clients who wereextremely suicidal and had sought professional help. Recently, twoclients threatened suicide, and because AA members thought they knewmore than the medical and psychological professions, the individualsalmost died… …yet AA members stepped in and convinced my clientsto discontinue use of the medication.

………Members often advisevulnerable, emotionally confused people not to seek medical andmental health assistance, and to take no drugs………..Thetwo suicidal individuals of whom I speak had been sexually abused aschildren by three or more members of their families and hadexperienced other abuses as well. Both were emotionally andpsychologically fragile………..I suggest that each AA member readin the Big Book where it addresses the issues of obtaining outsideprofessional help when it is necessary…...... I do not like to beplaced in a position where people want to die and it's up to me totry and protect them from self-harm. I am the person in the trenches,passionately dedicated to saving lives and helping all people recovernot only from alcoholism but other life threatening problems. Pleasestop telling other recovering AA members not to consult physiciansand psychotherapists. Please stop telling members that they are‘breaking sobriety’ by taking needed medication. Please stopenabling members to attempt suicide.

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

“DearGrapevine, Playing Doctor” (AA grapevine January 2010)

“Asa psychologist in addictions, with 23 years of recovery in AA, Iwould like to express concern about the letter titled ‘Misdiagnosis’(Dear Grapevine, September 2009). While it is true that many peoplein mental health have inadequate addictions training, it is also truethat many people with addictions have other mental health issues. Ihave not seen the sign, ‘I have one disease--alcoholism--and if Itake care of that one disease, everything will be okay,’ at anymeeting, nor is this sentiment reflected in any AA literature. Manypeople have co-occurring substance/alcohol and psychiatric disordersthat interact with each other. Untreated bipolar disorder is notconducive to ongoing sobriety, for example. Neither is activepsychosis. The list goes on. Dr. Bob and Bill W. emphasized respectand cooperation with the mental health professional community. Weemphasize 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 (individuallyand collectively) to be both accountable and responsible for thewelfare of those who come to us for assistance. It is worth notinghere that these problems have not been imported into AA from outsideie. via treatment centres etc but have emerged from within our ownsociety. Moreover we have already been explicitly warned of thepersonality type which underlies these dogma driven and essentiallydishonest approaches. In this instance we refer you to the basictext: “Alcoholics Anonymous”, Chapter Five: How it Works pp. 60-62 (beginning with: “The first requirement isthat we be convinced that any life...” and ending with: “We hadto have God's help”.). From this it can be seen that theseessentially narcissisticpersonalities seek to impose their perspective (largely false andmostly contrived) on others either by manipulation or by directcoercion. Their strategies are various ranging from: a presentationof an alternative AA programme citing Oxford Group (a fundamentalistChristian movement) influences together with references to apreliminary draft of the Big Book (that presented a much moredogmatic approach - and which was subsequently rejected by the earlymembers as unworkable); a largely apocryphal (and predominantlyanecdotal) presentation of AA recovery rates (ranging from 75% to97%) that (it is alleged) was the norm in the 'Akron version' of therecovery method, this delivered via an authoritarian 'sponsorship'system (established supposedly by Clarence Snyder – an early AAmember who moreover did not view with any great favour the adoptionof AA's Traditions). As already indicated the internet now providesthe means for an easy dissemination of this reformulation of both AAhistory and methodology. We have acquired a whole swathe of largelyself-appointed 'experts' on recovery who use this medium for theproliferation of their highly questionable 'philosophies'. So forexample David C (Joys of Recovery etc) believes himself qualified topronounce on matters relating to medical diagnosis, counselling,psychiatric conditions etc. To the best of our knowledge he hasneither formal training in these disciplines nor even directexperience (and nor for that matter did his sponsor David B)(see DualRecovery Anonymous (Medications and Recovery) for more on the consequences of such advice). Hisapproach 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' liveswhich would be the envy of any Stalinist regime with no sphere ofactivity 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 fallwithin the purview of this almost God-like personage.(see here:an example of sexual voyeurism included as part of the cult's versionof a moral inventory). For their part the compliance of their'victims' is ensured through a mixture of bribes (eg. the so-calledtwelve promises) together with the ultimate and extremely potentsanction (ie. 'if you fail to take direction you'll drink again!')and so on. The Primary Purpose/Back to Basics gang, on the otherhand, tend to favour a misrepresentation of AA recovery rates to lendany credence to their own version of recovery claiming that thealleged decline can be attributed to a progressive “watering down”of its original presentation. In connection with this the essay byTom P (later amended by his son Tom P Jnr) “Gresham's Law andAlcoholics Anonymous” is frequently cited as supporting evidencetogether with various questionable statistics (generally unsupportedthemselves by any hard evidence or derived from samples so small that theyhardly represent a sound basis for any argument), both of which havebeen challenged by AA members (see hereand here).The Back to Basics movement make various claims about the numbers ofpeople who have been through their course and their success (unspecified). However they seem unable to supply the requisite dataand moreover seem ambivalent about their relationship with AA ie. arethey independent of AA or are their groups listed in our Where toFinds? The Primary Purpose grouping again place much emphasis on the'watering down angle' (tied in with a commercial operation - a nicelittle sideline involving bookbinding). Cliff B, Myers R, Chris Rseem to be most active in promoting their various study groups,workshops, speaker tours together with all the usual spin offs (studyguides, CDs etc – and not forgetting of course those ratherexpensive but oh-so-desirable custom bound copies of the Big Bookcare of Myers R and Chris R). The Road to Recovery (otherwise knownas “Joys”, “Visions” or more colloquially amongst AA membersas the “Taliban”, “Step Nazis” etc) derives from the movement founded by David B (and continued by David C) back in thelate seventies/early eighties. David B (the originator of the“Misery is Optional” slogan, this itself a misrepresentation ofAA literature) placed a great deal of emphasis on the role ofsponsorship elevating it to its current perverse pre-eminence withinthe cult hierarchy. Interestingly David B omitted to practice whathe preached failing apparently to avail himself of this allegedlyindispensable adjunct to recovery (it was discovered subsequentlythat his so-called sponsor was yet another figment of his extremelyfertile imagination!). A liar and a fraud (and with voyeuristictendencies) he was nevertheless most convincing and managed to buildup a small coterie (based mostly in Chelsea and its environs) butwhich subsequently dispersed to other parts of the country including- and most notably - Plymouth. Here it has flourished (to such anextent that the local intergroup is essentially run by this singlegroup) and has formed links with the Pacific Group in the US. Withregard to the latter this has been headed up for some years by ClancyI. The same pattern emerges as always with these essentiallyincestuous cliques, and from which devolve the usual abusesassociated with such groupings, this culminating in probably theworst exemplar to date: the Midtown groups in Washington DC. (Incidentally - and perhaps not totallysurprisingly – the ex-ring leader of this group Mike Q(uinones)(nowdeceased) was a sponsee of Clancy I as is Wayne P of the Road toRecovery (Plymouth). Now it would be unreasonable to blame thesponsor for the misdeeds of their sponsees but one does have to askwhat 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 medicationperspective!). Finally we come to Joe (deceased) and Charlie, a duetof AA members who for some years now have been “carrying the AAmessage” (although which one we're not quite sure!) to all andsundry. In a virtually non-stop tour their workshops, tapes, CDs etchave been disseminated throughout AA (mostly in the US but withregular forays into Great Britain - usually via the Bristol Reunion –yet another questionable collective!). The material is mostlyinnocuous though heavily laden with Christian referencing andprimarily suitable for those AA members who prefer their programmepre-packaged and 'microwaveable'. The audience at least will comeaway from these events feeling satisfied in the same way one doesafter consuming a Chinese takeaway. The warm glow of satiation lastsjust long enough to give the illusion of a filling meal but then thehunger returns too soon afterwards. Still one can always top up withanother CD from some other expert with yet another version of therecovery programme! Perhaps this one will include Chapter 7 – Joeand Charlie for some reason seem to have missed that bit out in theirown unique rendition? Or perhaps it's because the Big Book's Step 12doesn't quite coincide with theirs).

Moreanon

Cheerio

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

WESTGATE MORNING BIG BOOK STUDY SUNDAY Meeting (East Kent IG)

2012-01-26T11:41:00.004Z

Wellit would seem that one - or possibly two - of the East Kent "Harrys" (they're multiplying at an alarming rate!) has set up shop at theabove mentioned meeting. Both of these are widely acknowledged as'experts' on the recovery programme of Alcoholics Anonymous (asindeed they will unceasingly remind anyone who happens to stumbleinto their path!). It would seem that the rest of thefellowship in East Kent (and even adjacent intergroups) have beenbarking up the wrong tree completely and have somehow managed tostray from the “Road of Happy Destiny”. Fortunately for us (andhere you cannot even begin to comprehend the depth our gratitude!) 'Batman andRobin' have now come to the rescue and have set about withconsiderable vigour to guide us back to safety. But enough alreadyof the irony! This meeting joins a number of others in East Kentwhere the cult has set up Primary Purpose franchises. viz.

Dover

Mondayat 7.30pm
Rear Room
Our Lady of Dover RC Church
RooseveltRoad
Dover
All meetings ‘Open’
Contacts: Harry K…..Harry A

HerneBay

Wednesdayat 7.30pm
The Retreat, RC Church
2 Clarence Road
Herne Bay
All meetings ‘Open’
Contact: Harry K …....

Bothof these groups have formed affiliations with an outside enterpriseie. the Dallas Primary Purpose gang – a semi commercial operation(does a nice little sideline in leather bound Big Books – a snip at£40 so we hear!) which presents - additionally - entirely misleading information onAA recovery rates. The Westgate meeting does not yet appear in theirdirectory (but this surely is merely an omission on the part of theCaped Crusader and his 'humble' side kick - soon to be rectified!).

Soif you want to get the 'low down' on how to do the programme PROPERLYthen get on down to one of these meetings and join the 'enlightenedones' - or even: “AS HARRY SEES IT!”

Cheerio

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Fort Lauderdale Speakers Group

2012-01-24T15:09:00.000Z

We havereceived information that some concerns have been expressed aboutthis group:

FortLauderdale Speakers Group

100 NAndrews Ave

FortLauderdale, FL 33301-1085

Fridays7:30pm

previouslylocated at:

St.Benedict's Episcopal Church

7801 NW5th Street

Plantation,FL 33324

They arealready listed in our US Cult Where to Find as a group with outsideaffiliations ie. Into Action

Thecriticisms are as follows:

“Non-adherence to traditions by promoting non-AA events and enterprises;

givingaway Hazelden little red Big Books;

recordingthe meeting without announcing it to the meeting. They may tell thespeaker, but do not tell anyone else. They post the meetingrecordings on non-AA websites.”

So fartheir responses to these criticisms have been less than constructive.

Moreimportantly (from our perspective) group members “have told theirsponsees to stop taking their medications. One was medication fordepression, and the other for bipolar.”

Apparentlythis group is an off-shoot of the Boca Speakers group which is runalong the same lines.

Same oldsame old! Some people just never learn!

See herefor AA guidelines on prescribed medications.

Cheers

The Fellas(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

(ourthanks to our local reporter)

AA BULLSHIT BINGO

2012-01-21T08:30:00.001Z

"Doyou keep falling asleep in meetings? What about those long and boringusing stories?? Get tired of the same old Slogan Babble, or memberswho continue to deal with the same problems, same defects, and samepainful relationships FOR YEARS?

Here'sa way to change all that...

1.Before (or during) your next meeting, prepare yourself by drawing asquare. I find that 5" x 5" is a good size. Divide the cardinto columns- five across and five down. That will give you 25one-inch blocks.

2.Write one of the following word/phrases in each block:

Issues

Inner-child

LivingAmends

MeaningfulRelationship

Didn'tMean to Use

I'mStuck On Step ____

Couldn'tFind A Meeting

MySponsor Has Been Out Of Town

Can'tchange

Won'tchange

YeahBut

Oh,The Pain

But....Don't you think

Misunderstood

Never

Rational

Recovery

RecoveringPerson

Searching(as in, "for answers")

Gonna(sometimes prefaced with, "I'm")

Beenthinking (sometimes prefaced with, "I've")

she/hesaid,

"Iknow what it is I need to do but..."

Dysfunctional

Iheard

Rage

Idon't know much about this, but...

3.Check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words orphrases.

4.When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally,stand up and shout "BULLSHIT!"

TESTIMONIALSFROM SATISFIED "AA BULLSHIT BINGO" PLAYERS:

--"Ihad been in the meeting for only five minutes when I won."

AdamW., Atlanta

--"Myattention span at meetings has improved dramatically."

DavidT., Tampa

--"Whata gas! Meetings will never be the same for me after my first win."

DanJ., NY City

--"Theatmosphere was tense in the last "Gratitude" meeting as 14of us waited for thefifth box. "

BenG., Denver

--"Thespeaker was stunned as eight of us screamed out "BULLSHIT"for the third timein 20 minutes."

CarnieJoe, Miami

Play"AA BULLSHIT Bingo" at your next meeting!

Author- Anonymous"

Have fun!

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

(Our thanks for this amusing contribution from an AA member)

A Minority report (continued)(2)

2012-01-19T08:52:00.000Z

“Theincidents with Chuck D. and “Our promoter friend” show that inthe past, cult groups in AA have been stopped before they could evenbegin by active intervention of “trusted servants” and “elderstatesmen” upholding A.A. Traditions. They recognised the linkbetween figureheads and “degeneration into a cult.” (JackAlexander article about AA, page 23) In other words, the rise of a“tyranny of very small minorities invested with absolute power.”(Concept V). These “trusted servants and” “elder statesmen”in the 1940s and 1958 were therefore evidently “prudently ever onguard against tyrannies great and small.”(Concept 12, warrantysix). They also clearly understood the Traditions to be principlesupon which the survival of the fellowship depends, rather than “justsuggestions.” They evidently understood it to be theirresponsibility and duty to be active guardians of Traditions byinforming “Traditions violators that they are out of order”(Concept 12, warranty five). They evidently understood their duty ofcare to protect a vulnerable minority from coercion and abuse, “Thatcare will be observed to respect and protect all minorities,”(Concept 12, warranty 6). They evidently understood theirresponsibility and authority as “trusted servants” that they weretrusted to actively guard the principles of AA Traditions and asserttheir leadership in Tradition Two, to perform the “duty ofleadership, even when in a small minority, to take a stand against astorm,” (Concept IX), - The upholding of Tradition Two, of whichBill W. was later to go to great lengths to explain in the TwelveConcepts for World Service in 1962:

“…Allof this is fully implied in A.A.’s Tradition Two. Here we see the‘group conscience’ as the ultimate authority and the‘trusted servant’ as the delegated authority. One cannotfunction without the other” (Concept X) “Hence the principle ofamply delegated authority and responsibility to ‘trusted servants’must be implicit from the top to the bottom of our active structureof service. This is the clear implication of A.A.’s Tradition Two”(Concept II) “Trusted servants at all A.A. levels are expected toexercise leadership, and leadership is not simply a matter ofsubmissive housekeeping” (Concept VII) “Leadership is oftencalled upon to face heavy and sometimes long-continued criticism”(Concept IX) “All around us in the world today we are witnessingthe tyranny of majorities and the even worse tyranny of very smallminorities invested with absolute power” (Concept V) “that carewill be observed to respect and protect all minorities… …That ourConference shall ever be prudently on guard against tyrannies, greatand small, whether these be found in the majority or in the minority”(Concept XII: Warranty 6). “Feeling the weight of all these forces,certain members who run counter to A.A.’s Traditions sometimes saythat they are being censored or punished and that they are thereforebeing governed. It would appear however, that A.A.’s right toobject calmly and privately to specific violations is at least equalto the rights of the violators to violate. This cannot accurately becalled a governmental action” (Concept XII, warranty 5).

Incontrast to the leadership described above, recent history revealsthe apparent lack of it, perhaps a 20-30 year trend toward libertyabove that of our common welfare, leading to a “tyranny ofapathetic, self-seeking, uninformed, …..majorities” (concept V),this in turn, has led to the presence of figureheads, and themotivation for an “even worse tyranny of very small minoritiesinvested with absolute power” (concept V), and in some groups, a“degeneration into a cult” (Jack Alexander article about AA, page23). This has resulted in abuse of the vulnerable and bad press forAA, as reported in the Independent (UK) and in the Washington Post(USA).

Thedifference between good service leadership and no leadership at allin the face of rising dictators, spells the difference between futureA.A. unity and anarchy. If A.A. continues the current trend inautonomous groups, “personality before principle” speakerrecordings, lectures, guides and trinket business, then this mayeventually lead to a systemic failing of the “but one ultimateauthority” in Tradition Two. The experience of the disintegrationof the Washingtonian movement (Language of the Heart page 5;Tradition 10, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions page 180-183)predicts the future:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingtonian_movement

If,on the other hand, A.A. opts for A.A. Tradition, “Each group shouldbe autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or AA as awhole”, then the exception to group autonomy in Tradition 4 impliesthat “elder statesmen” and “Good Service Leaders” (conceptIX) will face their responsibility to intervene when necessary. AsSynanon cult leader Chuck D recalled 1958: “They made thingsdifficult for us… ... and we never went back to A.A. again.” Andas Bill W. recalled his encounter with “Our promoter friend”: “Weassured our well-meaning friend that we would certainly uphold hisright to free speech. But we added that he ought to uphold ours, too.We assured him that if his “lectures” went on air, we wouldadvise every A.A. group of the circumstances and ask them to writestrong letters… ... … letters of a kind the sponsor might notlike to receive.” (A.A. comes of Age page 131)”

Comment:The emphasis in this section is clearly upon the moral responsibilityof “leaders” to LEAD (by example), to have the COURAGE to SPEAKOUT when they witness corrupt practices, to CHALLENGE those who wouldabuse their power, and finally to DEFEND AA and its principlesagainst those “personalities” who would subvert our fellowship. However we would go further than this and argue that it is the dutyof every AA member to actively uphold our traditions, and that whenthey witness evil they should oppose it; failure to act, to look theother way, is no longer an option. Cult leaders have demonstratedtime and time again their utter contempt for our principles. They aremore than willing to set these aside or indeed pervert them inpursuit of their sole aim: personal power. Their victims constitutethe most vulnerable section of our fellowship - the newcomers. We aremanifestly failing in our duty of care to these and if we continue todo so why should we expect others to place their trust in us; wesimply would not deserve it. The writing is very clearly on thewall. If we do not learn from the lessons of the past then historywill surely repeat itself..... Either we shape up or ship out!

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

WHAT PURPOSE DO CULTS SERVE?

2012-01-17T08:26:00.002Z

Howdoes "group think" affect an individual? If we see amugging on the street, studies have shown that we are more likely tohelp if we witness it alone rather than in a crowd. Why is that?Because unless trained otherwise, we look for someone else, perhapssomeone more trained, to handle the situation, to take responsibilityfor what is occurring. Look at any culture and generally speaking,there are far more followers in this world than leaders.

Cults exist because most people want to feel part of something bigger. However, by virtue of their association with a cult, members who started out feeling uncomfortable with the cult/group—perhaps they didn’t want to be perceived as "different" or were asked to forsake unbelieving family members early on, or didn’t want to be part of the cult’s aggressive sales force—soon find that they end up feeling uncomfortable with everyone outside the group. The need to fit in never really dissipates, for involvement with the cult creates its own brand of exclusion. That’s the oxymoron of cults. The table which I created below shows it better than I can perhaps explain it. Desire of Cult Member	Reality
To feel accepted/ experience unconditional love. Have a sense of community and purpose.	While seeking acceptance, the cult member ironically forfeits acceptance by up to 99.99% of "mainstream" society while embracing the less populated cult world. Their attempt to "fit in" is severely misaligned. A cult member never fully feels a sense of belonging or a sense that they can trust anyone—other cult members or nonbelievers. Tattling is prevalent in cults and members are often turned in for perceived "sins." The cult is never at fault and unconditional love does not exist. Just as an abusive husband tells his wife, "You forced me to hit you," members are taught that it is their weakness that forced the cult to get "rough" with them and put them on notice. They are taught that this is love. Like an abused child seeking acceptance from its parent, or a wife cowering to her abusive husband, the cult member is taught to meekly return to the "fold," only to be emotionally or physically abused again and again and again. Acceptance in a cult is an illusion.
To feel special. To be "chosen," as having the "way" or "the sole truth" as part of an elite group.	As mentioned above, the cult member becomes an outsider to society and their biological family as soon as they become involved with a cult. Their involvement can’t help but be viewed as dangerous by all who truly love them. But the more a loving family member tries to engage the cult member, the more they (the cult member), propelled by a cult-induced fear, push their loved ones away. This behavior perpetuates and embellishes the delusion that they are special and that others just "don’t get it." This act of estrangement follows two of the eight points of mind control described by cult expert, Robert J Lifton: a) Milieu Control and b) Demand for Purity. In addition, cults use coercive persuasion/ subtle mind control, fear and repetitive busy work/indoctrination practices (studies/classes, etc.) to keep their followers involved, believing that they have some exclusive right of passage to something greater. Uniqueness and feeling special in a cult is also an illusion because the opposite is accomplished: you actually become a cookie-cutter clone and any individuality and talents you may have possessed prior to membership become exploited by the cult leader(s) solely for their benefit.

Source:What Purpose Do Cults Serve

Cheers

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

(ourusual thanks extended)

A Minority report (continued)(1)

2012-01-14T08:52:00.000Z

“Onecan only take an informed guess from the words of Bill W. in thearticle about “Our promoter friend” who turned “alarming poser”(AA comes of Age page 130-131), how he and those trustees would haveresponded to the rise of the figurehead Joe McQ; who elevated himselfto "teacher" and author of the book “Carry This Message –guide to Big Book Sponsorship;” which carries his “message.” -a “strange mixture of AA and his own religious ideas” (AA comesof Age page 130) and his treatment centre Recovery Dynamics program.

Thefollowing are extracts from “Carry This Message – a guide to BigBook Sponsorship”, by Joe McQ:

“Assponsors we know, there are certain things we require of a sponsoree[sic]… … … he has to carry out his assignments and do thethings you ask him to do” (page 25).

“…… weare working with an undisciplined person. Assignments should begiven, and the sponsor should make it clear to the person thatassignments have to be done by a specific time…..there are certainthings we require of a sponsoree [sic]… … He has to carry out hisassignments and do the things you ask him to do … … Dr. Bob said‘Get down on your knees.’ And they took step 3… … But analcoholic can do just about anything you make her do. If you insistthat she do certain things, she’ll get them done. She has to gofrom the undisciplined to the disciplined… … At our treatmentcentre, Serenity Park, we require all the clients get a sponsorwithin the third week… The sponsor teaches discipline… …everything is working on this undisciplined person… …. Anundisciplined person may fight discipline, but it has to be enforcedto help the person….” (Pages, 26, 27) You can’t just say to thesponsoree [sic] ‘go start on your inventory’ because it mighttake him a month, maybe two. Create a schedule by saying somethinglike, ‘We are going to work on resentments for two days’ then dothe other inventories similarly, with a schedule for each one whichdoesn’t allow the sponsoree [sic] to skimp, but moves him or heralong at a good pace….(Step Four assignment). You need to move yoursponsoree [sic] along pretty fast…. but you need to keep thesponsoree [sic] busy and keep her moving… you should just move himright on through them bam, bam, bam, bam. Keep the momentum…..” (Page65)

“Rememberthat all the people in our fellowship groups are not reallyalcoholics… … … They aren’t really alcoholics – because analcoholic can’t do that. They don’t usually stay; they just comein an out of our fellowship. But they don’t have a message toshare…..” (Page 65)

TheOnline Oxford dictionary definition of brain wash:

verb[withobject]

pressurize(someone) into adopting radically different beliefs by usingsystematic and often forcible means: peopleare brainwashed into believingfamily life is the best (asnoun brainwashing)

victimsof brainwashing http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/brainwash

Extractsfrom “The Steps we took”, Joe McQ. of the ‘Big Book StudyTapes’:

“Thereis a story in the Bible how all this conflict began. The Garden ofEden story… … the Bible says ‘we are God-like’… … So hecreated Adam and Eve and put them in Serenity Park…. One day asnake came up to Eve and he said… … ‘Hey Eve you’ve got selfwill’… … Eve had never heard such a thing so she said ‘What’sthat?’… … So the snake ran it down to her. He said ‘You cando whatever you want to!’ She couldn’t wait, she rantotell Adam, ‘Adam, Adam we’ve got self –will.’ He probablysaid ‘What in the world is that?’ So she explained it to him……” (Page 40, 41)

“Ithink one of the mistakes many people are making today is this: notonly as individuals, but groups of people, get together and talkabout their problems. They never seem to talk about what to doaboutthem… … … There is no growth in this way of doing; in fact theyjust magnify their problems. I call this ‘group sickness…’(Page 128)

“Ithink Jesus may have been teaching the principle of the first stepwhen he said ‘deny thyself.” (Page 19)

“Step1 opens the door to Step 2. I like to use the parable of the prodigalson (Luke 15:11-32) (Page 24)

“TheBible says, ‘…ye shall know the truth and the truth shall makeyou free.’(John 8:32).” (Page 25)

“Davidsaid in the 23rd psalm, ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ (Page 53)

“It’slike in the Bible, where it says there is time for everything.(Ecclesiastes 3:1).” (Page 64)

“Jesussaid, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.”(Page 124)

“Ilove the passage in the Bible that says, ‘ Thou shalt not be afraidof the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor forthe pestilence that walketh in the darkness; nor for the destructionthat wasteth at noonday.’(Psalms 91:5-6)

“Ialso like the story of David the little shepherd boy and the giantGoliath.” (Page 146)

“..Thatthey might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly(John 10:10) (page 155)

“Whenwe finish step 9 we get the promises.” (Page 123)

“SinceBill didn’t have the capacity to write like a great expert inspiritual things, he laid out a beautiful, simple daily exercise.”(page 137)

Thisprogram may well have worked in his treatment centres. But by mixingthis outside enterprise inside A.A. and by placing the books in thehands of the still emotionally suffering alcoholic sponsors whobarely understand how irrational they are, the dictatorial,judgemental and disciplinarian terminology he used therein, has nowleft A.A. with the legacy of a cult following and an abusive style ofcoercive sponsorship from which it will take a lot of effort torecover. - A legacy of the violation of Traditions four (long form)six and twelve.

Adisaffected alcoholic tells his story:

“Thanksfor this forum guys and gals. I am having grave difficulties with AA,as my experiences with it are not good, and I have been looking for asite to confirm my prejudices. I thought I had found it in the OrangePapers, but methinks that the author doth protest too much, and I ambeing turned off this site. I have been subjected to theprimarypurpose group by my sponsor whilst in treatment, and this was thetipping point for me. However, I was judging AA - all AA by therantings of Chris R. Now I see that there ARE moderates in AA, peoplelike yourselves, because whilst I realise that AA is not for me, I dorespect the argument that it IS good for some people, and I lookforward to reading the posts in this forum”. (aacultwatch forumsubject entitled “AA cult.”)

http://www.aacultwatch.co.uk/

In1941 the good news was written in the press and A.A. began to takeoff:

“Becauseof the absence of figureheads and the fact there is no formal body ofbelief to promote, they have no fears that Alcoholics Anonymous willdegenerate into a cult.” (The Jack Alexander article about AA, page23)

http://www.aa.org/pdf/products/p-12_theJackAlexArticle.pdf

Wewonder if the co-founders of AA would say the same thing if they werearound today. Today our public image is not so good:

1998:The Independent: "Cult or cure: the AA backlash" ----"Alcoholics Anonymous is under attack. Those who have beenthrough its mill claim it is `authoritarian' and `fascistic', employsbrainwashing techniques and is cultlike in its attitude to members.Ursula Kenny talks to the disaffected who have rejected its road torecovery...."

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/cult-or-cure-the-aa-backlash-1160113.html

2009:The Independent: "Tom Shone takes on the all powerful cult ofAlcoholics Anonymous"

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/toby-young-tom-shone-takes-on-the-allpowerfulcult-of-alcoholics-anonymous-1739892.html

WashingtonPost: “AA Group Leads Members Away from Traditions” by MarcFisher, July 22, 2007:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2007/07/midtown_group_aa_group_leads_m.html

Newsweek:A struggle inside AA, by Nick Summers, May 6th, 2007:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2007/05/06/a-struggle-inside-aa.html

CultHelp and information library:

http://www.culthelp.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4960

Thepublic debate moves on from the press into various A.A. member’swebsites and forums and non-AA related websites, including the parenttoddler website mumsnet.com. - The disaffected A.A. members postingtheir experiences:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090817093018AAgtZ3F

http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-clancy_i.html

http://www.moonmac.com/Cult_Called_AA.html

http://aacultwatcharticles.blogspot.com/2011/12/sussex.html

http://www.positiveatheism.org/rw/ofcourse.htm

http://mrsponsorpants.typepad.com/mr_sponsorpants/2009/05/morality-is-not-recovery-custom-is-not-tradition.html

http://stinkin-thinkin.com/why-i-left-aa-stinkin-thinkin-stories/

http://www.wheremostneeded.org/2007/05/aa_group_accuse.html

http://stop13stepinaa.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/critics-say-washington-aa-chapter-is-cultlike-newsweek

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/903392-to-consider-aa-a-dangerous-cult?msgid=26029338#26029338

Therecan be little doubt, there is evidence that coercive sponsorship isbeing deployed by a minority of groups in A.A. and this is beginningget A.A. the reputation of being a cult. To avoid further loss ofpublic confidence in A.A. and if vulnerable people are to beprotected from abuse, then we need to see more examples of the SantaMonica pro A.A. Tradition elder statesmanship of 1958. (Concept IX inaction). --In this modern World however, to be of effect to meet thepresent day needs of the fellowship, this needs to be bothcommunicated and operating throughout the A.A. World ServiceStructure, top to bottom, as soon as possible.”

Comment:

Promptedby the Minority report a member of the aacultwatch team was delegatedthe job of locating a transcript of the Joe and Charlie product andgiving it the “once over”. Apart from a heavy ladening ofChristian exegesis (something not to be found explicitly demonstratedin conference approved literature and which would be quite contraryto AA traditions by the way!) they did come across the followingquote under the section dealing with Step 12:

“Wedon’t want to go through this next chapter(Working with Others) we don’t have the time, but I [Joe or Charliepresumably] do want to look at two or three things in it verybriefly.”

andtrue to their word they did indeed very briefly consider thissection. This would go some way to explain the dogmatic sponsorshipstyle advocated above which is nowhere demonstrated in Chapter 7Working with Others. Interestingly these two it would seem are asguilty as those they criticise, of approaching the programme“cafeteria style” ie. take what you like and leave the rest. Inthis instance in their so-called Big Book study they have managed toomit virtually an entire chapter. Not bad going! Now what's the wordfor this? Ah yes! Hypocrisy!

Cheers

TheFellas (Friendsof Alcoholics Anonymous)

PSFor more coverage of the Joe and Charlie epic insert “Joe andCharlie” in the local Google search on the aacultwatch site.

A Minority report (continued)

2012-01-12T08:43:00.000Z

“SECTION1

Analysisof past and current events, USA, Canada, UK

Thefollowing is an extract from A.A. Comes of Age. Bill W’s responseto protect A.A.’s public relations by thwarting the plans of apotential figurehead with a “wonderful vision” and his “message”.Today one only has to replace the word “radio” with “website.”An example of TraditionTwo and ConceptIX in action:

“An oldstory, revealing several aspects of A.A.’s public relationsproblem, comes to mind: One of our pioneer members conceived the ideaof starting a group in his city by radio….. So our promoter friendconstructed a series of ‘Twelve Lectures on Alcoholics Anonymous.’These were a strange mixture of A.A. and his own religious ideas. Hesoon put them on air with all the vigour of a Chautauqua orator.Contrary to our expectations, he got a modest result. Inquiries camein and he started a group. Now flushed with success, he was smittenwith a wonderful vision......... We advised him that the trusteesfelt his message inappropriate for national consumption. So he wrotea hot letter to this effect: ‘To hell with the trustees, the worldis waiting for my message. I’ve got the right to free speech andI’m going on air whether you like it or not.’ This ultimatum wasan alarming poser. It looked like promotion, professionalism, andanonymity-breaking all in one package…. every ad man and salesmanin Alcoholics Anonymous would soon be selling A.A.’s wares,willy-nilly. We would loose control of our public relations.………….We assured our well-meaning friend that we would certainly uphold hisright to free speech. But we added that he ought to uphold ours, too.We assured him that if his ‘lectures’ went on air, we wouldadvise every A.A. group of the circumstances and ask them to writestrong letters to the sponsoring life assurance company, letters of akind the sponsor might not like to receive. The broadcast never wenton air.” (AA comes of Age pages 130-131)

Thefollowing is another example of Tradition Two and Concept IX inaction; an A.A. committee taking an uncompromising stand against apower driving leader in 1958. This action split the A.A. group, thusprotecting A.A. from wider disunity and subsequent bad press. True toTradition Two, the prediction that the “arch deacon” would eitheraccept the group conscience or wind up drunk came eventually, butonly after 20 years. The subsequent history of Synanon shows that acult run by an alcoholic can be very successful with long-termviability. The group’s leader Chuck D (who incidentally was to someyears later appoint himself Pope, and his wife, High Priestess of thecult Church of Synanon), recalled his 1958 not so spiritual baptismwith concept IX, wonderfully executed by A.A. trusted servants.

Theyintuitively knew how handle situations which seem to baffle us today.

“It happened right inthe middle of an A.A. meeting. Our whole gang had taken over theSaturday night meeting of the Santa Monica A.A. group at Twenty Sixthand Broadway and built it up from its attendance of ten people to anattendance of about forty five or fifty. There was some objection onsome issue by the members of the Board of Directors of the A.A. club.I recall the leader stopping the meeting. They didn’t like us. Thealkies didn’t like the addicts, and they didn’t like me inparticular…and they didn’t like my gang because they were mostlyaddicts. They made things difficult for us. I remember getting up inthe meeting and saying, ‘All right, let’s go home-the hell withthis.’ So the whole meeting got up, and we all got into ourautomobiles and came down to the club, and we never went back to A.A.again.” (From the Desk of Juan Lesende: How Drug Abuse TreatmentTurns into Mistreatment By Juan E. Lesende - September 18th 2009)

http://www.treatmentsolutionsnetwork.com/blog/index.php/2009/09/18/from-the-desk-of-juan-lesende-how-drug-abuse-treatment-turns-into-mistreatment/

Wheredid it come from? Synanon Church and the medical basis for the$traights:

http://thestraights.com/theprogram/synanon-story2.htm

Wikipedia– Synanon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synanon

ChuckDederich Still Rules Synanon, but Now He Has 1,300 Subjects and a $22Million Empire -- By Barbara Wilkins--PEOPLE magazine's archive: October 11, 1976, Vol. 6, No. 15:

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20066985,00.html

DederickCharles E: (The link may show “no text available”, if so clickblue link “search for this page title”.

Searchresults may show “No page title matches”, If so click on the blue“Dederick Charles E link, about halfway down the page.):http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Dederick%2C_Charles_E .

FindingAid for the Mitchell-Synanon Litigation Papers, 1979-1989 Universityof Tennessee Special Collections Library,Knoxville, TN: http://www.lib.utk.edu/spcoll/manuscripts/1711.html

Wewonder how A.A. would have responded, if Chuck had decided to operatehis franchise as an autonomous group of A.A., for example “theSynanon group of A.A.” instead of going it alone. Or if the A.A.members had left the A.A. group all to Chuck by saying “Each groupis autonomous!” “Live and let live!” “Vote with your feet!”instead of having the backbone to stand and defend A.A. Tradition.Would the intergroups and GSO of the 1960s have continued to registerhis groups and how much damage would the extraordinary abuses thatwere to occur in his cult have done to A.A.’s public relations,were his cult to have remained in A.A.?”

Comment:Again largely self-explanatory. The above indicates how effectivelydirect action by clear-thinking AA members (who moreover have someknowledge of our guiding principles) can nip a problem in the bud.You will note moreover that the action came from the AA groups andmembers, and not from other parts of the service structure. Inaddition to the above we would cite Tradition Three here:

3.—Ourmembership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence wemay refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership everdepend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholicsgathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group,provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.

(ouremphasis)

Thisclearly demonstrates that those groups that possess outsideconnections may NOT call themselves an AA group. Moreover thedecision as to whether they are or are NOT so denominated is NOTsolely theirs to make. We refer here to Tradition Four (the muchmisquoted Tradition Four!):

4.—Withrespect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should be responsible tono other authority than its own conscience. But when its plansconcern the welfare of neighboring groups also, those groups ought tobe consulted. And no group, regional committee, or individualshould ever take any action that might greatly affect A.A. as a wholewithout conferring with the trustees of the General Service Board. Onsuch issues our common welfare is paramount.

(ouremphases)

Ifa group (or groups) acts in such a way (knowingly) and failssubsequently to mend its conduct it then becomes the responsibility(and indeed duty) of other groups to take the requisite action (whichmay include denying that group (or groups) the use of the AA name,this to ensure “our common welfare” remains “paramount”.

Moreoverthis principle extends not only to outside affiliations but evenfurther. See Tradition Ten:

10.—NoA.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicateA.A., express any opinion on outside controversialissues—particularly those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarianreligion. The Alcoholics Anonymous groups oppose no one. Concerningsuch matters they can express no views whatever.

Fromthis it can be seen that similarly those groups (and in this instanceeven an AA member) should abstain (but only insofar as they might beseen as implicating AA) from such conduct. Therefore those groupsthat espouse a particular religious or non-religious interpretation(atheistic, agnostic (see Toronto AA below), Christian, Buddhist,Moslem etc), or political orientation etc are in breach of thistradition. Note that the category of “controversial issues”relates to those “outside” the immediate purview of AA; this doesnot include the airing of controversial views WITHIN the Fellowshipand ABOUT the Fellowship. The intention of this tradition is clearlynot to stifle debate but rather to define its parameters within agiven context. Those members who seek to “shut down” all debateon “controversy” grounds have missed the point! Additionally theword “particularly” is employed which suggests that the list isnot exhaustive but intended to be exemplary and selective. Thereforeother issues too may be considered as being included within thiscategory.

Inthis connection we cite Tradition Three again (and as an example of abreach of Tradition Four):

3.—Ourmembership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence wemay refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership everdepend upon money or conformity. Anytwo or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may callthemselves an A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have noother affiliation.

Fromthis it can be seen that as stated in the short form of thistradition:

Three—Theonly requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking

Itfollows from this therefore that ANY AA member may attend ANY AAmeeting in the world without ANY further qualification. Those groupswhich seek to impose further qualifications on admission are in clearbreach of this tradition (amongst others). This would include theso-called “non-restrictive” meetings (generally women's only),the ethnically specific meetings, gay/lesbian meetings, youngpeople's meetings etc. All of these run contrary not only to thistradition but also Tradition One:

1.—Eachmember of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole.A.A. must continue to live or most of us will surely die. Hence ourcommon welfare comes first. But individual welfare follows closeafterward.

Notethe word “whole”.

Finallyas an update to the above theme we refer you to a selection of linkscovering the Toronto Atheists ban:

Does religionbelong at AA? Fight over 'God' splits Toronto AA groups

Toronto's AAIntergroup Bounces Atheists After Spirited Battle

Toronto Banon AA Atheists Sparks Global Flap

Needlessto say (in our view) Toronto AA got it right!

Cheers

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PSSome of the links in the original report are not functioning. We haverenewed them here but members are advised otherwise to use the linkdetails in a search engine to discover the new location

Cult dependency – How it DOESN'T Work!

2012-01-09T07:14:00.000Z

“Hi….....,

Thanksfor your post mate, you have a good point. I will try to answer youas best I can.

Thereis a saying "The Truth will set you free". I certainlythink this applies to cult involvement. The Truth is the onething the Cult does not want to face. For example, in the Vision/Joyscult, the fact that the founder of the Cult movement in AA in thiscountry, David B, didn’t have a sponsor, and repeatedly lied aboutthis in his sharing right until his death. "I’m sober 22 yearsbecause I always do everything my sponsor says" he would to sayto the newcomer. Well, yes, when you sponsor yourself I guess you doeverything your sponsor says! lol. He used this confidence trick tolure and manipulate others into doing everything HE said. Thus thewhole cult practice of sponsor-control is based upon a lie. Once youknow this one fact alone, the entire Cult experience changes. Atleast it did for me. Self-evidently, a program founded upon a liecannot be “spiritual”. What I encountered at Vision/Joys waspsychological manipulation and bullying, not spirituality. That is atough truth to face up to, partly because it affects my pride. "Howcan I have been so dumb as to fall for it" and “what a wasteof my time, energy and good will”, were the questions that oftenwent on in my mind at that time. However I learned through the studyof Cults and their characteristics, and through the stories of otherswho had been involved in cults, that I was not alone.

Ratherlike alcohol or drug use, cult involvement satisfied a “need” or“emptiness” within me. It gave me a sense of euphoria (that is,“feeling good” via group approval, provided of course I followedthe highly demanding cult script) and security (being part of aseemingly protective gang).

Humanbeings need to feel secure and feel good, especially if we arevulnerable, depressive, addicted, or have had poor or insecureupbringings. This is why a lot of disaffected young people joingangs, and is also, by the way, why a lot of younger people tend tobe attracted to the cults/gangs within AA (you must have wondered whycult meetings tend to be dominated by young people and young men inparticular?). However when these natural needs forsecurity/belonging/self-worth etc become focused upon people, placesand material things, then they are founded upon straw. The program ofAA is a spiritual program, not a cult program. It suggests to us,simply, that what we should try to do is place an unreserved faithand trust in a Higher Power of our own understanding, not ahuman power, or thing. This is why reliance on groups andpersonalities is not spiritual at all, but psychological dependence,sometimes called co-dependency.

Howcan I really and inwardly be “happy joyous and free” –if my life is dependent upon the approval of a group, or a sponsor,or some other human agency? The kind of “happiness/freedom” -that a group gives me - is a fragile illusion, and is entirely feardriven. How can I be truly free if my every action has to be“permitted” by a sponsor, rather than my own conscience and faithin a Higher Power?

No,the only approval I need is from honestly consulting my ownconscience. It also helps to have and develop a faith and trust in aloving Higher Power of my understanding, and a willingness topractice spiritual principles (honesty, truth, humility, patience,tolerance, love etc) in my life. These themes are repeated again andagain in the Big Book and the other AA literature dealing with thesteps and program of AA. AA gives me the true freedom of being ableto choose my own Path in this regard. AA is not about co-dependencyon a sponsor/personality/group/whatever, but reliance on a HigherPower which is, as the Big Book puts it, goodness and love. Don’tjust take my word for it. Read the Book, it’s all there!

Oneof the sad things about cult involvement, in my experience, is thatis obstructs my developing a real relationship with my own HigherPower. In cults, the Higher Power is always trumped by “sponsor”approval. Therefore, during my cult involvement, I became a slave ofa man (sponsor), rather than a free child of the God my ownunderstanding.

“TheTruth will set you free…..” This is why I am currently goingthrough David C Icons website, exposing it piece by piece, because itis full of distortions and deviations from the AA program. AlthoughDavid C Icons talks glibly about “trusting a sponsor before hisHigher Power”, his pride just can’t come to terms with the factthat his guru - the sponsorless David B – was an arrogant liar whowas NOT to be trusted. So the advice given in the website ishypocrisy. All the other distortions and twists follow on from that.

Thanksfor your stimulating post …...”.

(extractfrom aacultwatch forum - with permission)

Cheers

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

A Minority report to conference 2012 (a serialisation)

2012-01-07T11:08:00.000Z

(Theentire report is available here. Note: Downloads may take a fewseconds to complete).

“ToAlcoholics Anonymous from Alcoholics Anonymous - A call for moralinventory and leadership in A.A.

Thisdocument comprises an analytical and critical survey of theFellowship in 2011, discussing the complex dynamics surroundingcurrent events occurring in the USA, UK and Canada and relating theseto past events and to AA Traditions and Concepts.

Thediscussion begins with two examples of active leadership, one by BillW. in the 1940s, the other by a committee in Santa Monica CaliforniaUSA, in 1958; it then moves on to include current events. The outcomeexposes a hazardous departure from Tradition, serious and growinginternal divisions and public concerns. It also exposes a widespreadand hazardous misconception in the application of A.A. Traditions.And a situation where neither A.A. Tradition, nor General Warrantiesof Conference are withstandingin today’s fellowship. This causes us to feel duty bound to placethis as a minority report before the UK General Service Conference2012.”

Comment:Largely self-explanatory. However (and briefly) the central thesisof the report is that the service structure of AA (and the Fellowshipat large) have failed repeatedly to actively uphold the guidingprinciples of the Fellowship, this inactivity resulting from aconsistent misinterpretation of these same precepts. In our view(and as a direct consequence) there is developing within our midst amovement that is wholly antagonistic to both the letter and spirit ofthese principles but which represents itself as being a legitimateexponent of the AA programme of recovery. Their directive,manipulative, dogmatic and indeed punitive methods have resulted onlyin an increasingly fragmented Fellowship and inflicted moreovercompletely unnecessary suffering on those who are most vulnerable, andwho have come to us for help: the newcomer. Their 'philosophy' ofrecovery runs directly counter to that of AA's, their methods foundedon a “revisionist” history of the Fellowship coupled with a grossmisrepresentation of the recovery programme. Moreover, and in orderto sustain their agenda, they rely upon unsubstantiated claimsconcerning AA recovery rates to lend both support to their oppressivemethods and credence to their arguments. These groups and theirmembers seek to 'institutionalise' their abusive methods within AA,their main instrument being the transformed role of the sponsor. This role (in their hands) has effectively supplanted the centralconcepts of “God” or “Higher Power” employed within theFellowship, the sponsor now taking the pre-eminent position. Thisapproach is enshrined in their statement: “Do exactly what yoursponsor tells you to do”. The dangers of this approach should beall-to-evident to anyone sufficiently acquainted with the basic text.(Note especially: Chapter Five: the “three pertinent ideas”; thesection on Step Three; and finally Chapter Seven – here you willsee a direct antithesis to the dogmatic methods espoused by theabove). As a direct result of these distortions newcomers have beendirected (or had pressure put upon them) to: discontinue prescribedmedication regimes (amongst other therapeutic interventions. This hadled in some instances to them taking their own lives); adoptparticular religious beliefs; sever links with family and friends(entirely inappropriately); undergo financial and sexual exploitationand so on. As a result of these kinds of exploitative conduct wehave labelled this movement a “cult” since they exhibit all thedefining characteristics of such; the term we think is entirelyapposite.

Seealso the following links for background to the above:

Primary Purpose/Back to Basics

AA recovery rates

Gresham's Law – a critique

Cult Awareness

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

The Emotional Pain Of Leaving A Cult

2012-01-06T08:42:00.001Z

Thefollowing is how former cult members and members of spirituallyabusive systems described how they felt when they finally left theirgroup. This may give you some insight into their pain and why thereare no easy answers for them.

It Hurts

ItHurts to discover you were deceived - that what you thought wasthe “one true religion,” the “path to total freedom,” or“truth” was in reality a cult.

ItHurts when you learn that people you trusted implicitly - whomyou were taught not to question - were “pulling the wool over youreyes” albeit unwittingly.

ItHurts when you learn that those you were taught were your“enemies” were telling the truth after all - but you had beentold they were liars, deceivers, repressive, satanic etc and not tolisten to them.

ItHurts when you know your faith in God hasn’t changed - onlyyour trust in an organization - yet you are accused of apostasy,being a trouble maker, a “Judas”. It hurts even more when it isyour family and friends making these accusations.

ItHurts to realize their love and acceptance was conditional on youremaining a member of good standing. This cuts so deeply you try andsuppress it. All you want to do is forget - but how can you forgetyour family and friends?

ItHurts to see the looks of hatred coming from the faces of thoseyou love - to hear the deafening silence when you try and talk tothem. It cuts deeply when you try and give your child a hug and theystand like a statue, pretending you aren’t there. It stabs like aknife when you know your spouse looks upon you as demonised andteaches your children to hate you.

ItHurts to know you must start all over again. You feel you havewasted so much time. You feel betrayed, disillusioned, suspicious ofeveryone including family, friends and other former members.

ItHurts when you find yourself feeling guilty or ashamed of whatyou were - even about leaving them. You feel depressed, confused,lonely. You find it difficult to make decisions. You don’t knowwhat to do with yourself because you have so much time on your handsnow - yet you still feel guilty for spending time on recreation.

ItHurts when you feel as though you have lost touch with reality.You feel as though you are “floating” and wonder if you reallyare better off and long for the security you had in the organizationand yet you know you cannot go back.

ItHurts when you feel you are all alone - that no one seems tounderstand what you are feeling. It hurts when you realize your selfconfidence and self worth are almost non-existent.

ItHurts when you have to front up to friends and family to heartheir “I told you so” whether that statement is verbal or not. Itmakes you feel even more stupid than you already do - your confidenceand self worth plummet even further.

ItHurts when you realize you gave up everything for the cult - youreducation, career, finances, time and energy - and now have to seekemployment or restart your education. How do you explain all thosemissing years?

ItHurts because you know that even though youwere deceived, you are responsible for being taken in. All thatwasted time ... at least that is what it seems to you - wasted time.

The Pain Of Grief

Leavinga cult is like experiencing the death of a close relative or a brokenrelationship. The feeling is often described as like having beenbetrayed by someone with whom you were in love. You feel you weresimply used.

Thereis a grieving process to pass through. Whereas most people understandthat a person must grieve after a death etc, they find it difficultto understand the same applies in this situation. There is no instantcure for the grief, confusion and pain. Like all grieving periods,time is the healer.

Somefeel guilty, or wrong about this grief. They shouldn’t - It ISnormal. It is NOT wrong to feel confused, uncertain, disillusioned,guilty, angry, untrusting - these are all part of the process. Intime the negative feelings will be replaced with clear thinking, joy,peace, and trust.

Yes - It hurts butthe hurts will heal with time, patience & understanding.

Thereis life after the cult.

Source:http://www.caic.org.au/leaving/ithurts.htm

TheFellas (Friendsof Alcoholics Anonymous)

PSOur thanks to our fellow member for sending in this quote

AA Service News – Winter – No. 149 – gets it wrong!

2012-01-05T08:55:00.000Z

The following extract from the above(under Report by the Alternate Chair of Conference 2012)

“The Committee also received a verylong Minority Report for consideration for presentation toConference. The Committee accepted the Report and thanked the memberwho submitted it. After reviewing it at the September ConferenceSteering Committee meeting, the Committee asked for a revision of theReport, which was received and subsequently reviewed at the Octobermeeting. Ultimately, the Committee felt that it could not bepresented to Conference in its present form, largely owing to itslength (over sixty pages with over one hundred pages of accompanyingbackground material) and because the Report referenced and linked toa large number of sources (websites, etc) that are outside ofAlcoholics Anonymous. The Committee however did feel that many of theconcerns and issues raised in the Report were reflected in some ofthe questions that were selected for the Conference agenda.Furthermore, the Committee’s response suggests that the member maywish to re-submit the Report in revised and condensed form forconsideration for Conference 2013”

(For a full copy of the reportdownload here)

Comment: A full copy of thisexcellently researched and thoroughly evidence-based study was sentto us (as a matter of courtesy since our website is included in thelengthy list of reference material). Unlike the aforementionedcommittee we had no problem whatsoever in reading the article in itsentirety and moreover were most impressed to observe the use ofproper citation and reference methods which provided all thenecessary background information throughout. We were also informedthat the report had a number of authors (all of whom are AA membersand had submitted their details to GSO York in confirmation of this). The reference therefore to a single member presenting the researchis wholly inaccurate and misleading and should be corrected as soonas possible. Moreover the stance of the committee in rejectingevidential sources on the grounds that this requires reference to“outside” sources indicates again the misapplication of therelevant tradition. At some point the Conference (and indeed theFellowship) will have to face up to the fact that AA does not operatein some kind of “bubble” but within the context of a widersociety, and one in which we will have to demonstrate not only ourrelevance as an inclusive treatment method for alcoholism but alsoour ability to act in a principled, responsible and accountablemanner. Our forerunners lay solid foundations on which to proceed,but unfortunately we have failed (and are failing) to build uponthis. It would not be an exaggeration to say that time is fastrunning out for AA not only in the UK but also in the US to takeaction. The alternative we leave to your powers of inference.

In light of the above we will beproducing a serialised version of the report over the next few weeks(together with some modest commentary on our part). We trust thiswill prove of assistance to those who find it relatively indigestiblein its present form, and moreover provide some additionalclarification (and expansion) of some of its central points. Finallywe urge all AA members to consider the arguments presented by itsAUTHORS …...and then take ACTION.

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of AlcoholicsAnonymous)

“Happy” Dennis, or Manic-Depressive Dennis? (Ealing)

2012-01-03T07:26:00.000Z

(SouthMiddlesex Intergroup)

Ithas been brought to our attention by a number of Ealing members thatDennis F (so called “Happy” Dennis) may not be as “happy” ashe makes himself out to be. According to a few ex-sponsees, Denniscan sound rather depressed when speaking on the phone. “He wasspeaking extremely slowly, and sounded like he was in a lot of pain”said one disillusioned ex-sponsee. “It was hard to make out what hewas actually saying, he sounded so miserable. I don’t trust himanymore” said another. “Some members of his family were inthe house when I visited him and they told me that he is certainlynot happy all the time….”

Athis meetings Happy Dennis is the ultra-happy attention-seekingcontrol freak. He speaks almost breathlessly fast and uses highlyexaggerated language. Here are some examples of his sharing - “I’mvery very very very very very happy…. and I’m even happier thanthat”. He displays a childish use of adjectives “I’msupercalifragilisticexpialidociously happy” and “the veryvery lovely gorgeous beautiful lovely stupendous marvelous fantasticBig Book etc…” And so he goes on, exaggerating and repeatinghimself (he repeats himself a lot). Yet at other times, when he isnot at meetings, he can hardly speak at all he is so “down”. He also disappears out of the country quite frequently, going toIreland, and no one is able to contact him there at all. Noexplanation is given as to what he is doing there or why he has togo. He just suddenly disappears off to Ireland with no explanation.His hapless sponsees are referred to a bewildered deputy, whileDennis is strictly incommunicado and absent from his home-groupssometimes for weeks at a time. Now Ireland isn’t exactly theother side of the world, so one is left wondering what is going on. Furthermore, this is the same man who sets up meetings, then abandonsthem. Then sets up more, then closes them down, without explanation.Then he sets up even more meetings, and then runs away to Irelandagain when Intergroup try to hold him to account over complaintsabout his outlandish behaviour. Strange indeed. However thereis one mental condition that may possibly explain the actions of thisbizarre and ridiculous man - manic depression, sometimescalled bi-polar disorder. Let us quote from the wikipedia article onthis illness.

Bipolardisorder or bipolar affectivedisorder,historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatricdiagnosisthatdescribes a category of mooddisordersdefinedby the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energylevels, cognition,and moodwithor without one or more depressive episodes. The elevated moods areclinically referred to as maniaor,if milder, hypomania.Individuals who experience manic episodes also commonly experiencedepressiveepisodes,or symptoms, or a mixedstateinwhich features of both mania and depression are present at the sametime. These events are usually separated by periods of "normal"mood;but, in some individuals, depression and mania may rapidly alternate,which is known as rapidcycling.Severe manic episodes can sometimes lead to such psychoticsymptomsas delusionsandhallucinations.

Formore information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder

Sothere you have it. Clearly, by any standards “happy” Dennisis a case for the psychiatrist’s chair. Of course we can allhave empathy for someone who is suffering from a mental illness.However, when this disturbed individual is playing at God, messingaround with vulnerable people’s lives - telling then what job theycan or cannot do; where they can or cannot live; what they can orcannot say in meetings; who they can or cannot have as a partner;what medications they must not take etc, then this is not anacceptable state of affairs at all. It is downright dangerous,irresponsible, and indeed, outrageous.

Finallylet us remind ourselves that Dennis F takes his inspiration anddirection, not from AA conference approved literature, but from awebsite concocted by his sponsor, David C – the infallible Icon.The infallible Icon knows nothing about psychology, and cares evenless, so poor old Dennis will not be directed to seek the treatmenthe clearly needs, and vulnerable newcomers in the Ealing area willcontinue to be confused, abused and manipulated by this dangerouslyunhinged man.

Comment:a case of the inmates taking over the asylum perhaps?

Cheerio

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

A master class in......arrogance! (and strictly for the anally retentive)

2012-01-02T05:21:00.000Z

We quote:(from a website)

A. TheChairperson: Qualifications, Responsibilities, and Attitudes

1. Issober, has done the steps as laid out in the Big Book, and candemonstrate this fact by their own words and example.

2. Iswilling to conduct the meeting according to the format. Is the "pointperson" of the BBSS group; is obligated to uphold the groupconscience from the chair; and be willing to explain the group'sfunction and goals to newcomers and visitors before, during, andafter the meeting. Must be willing to interrupt an individual who isoff the step and remind them of the purpose of the meeting, or mayhave to "question" them on various parts of the steps tosee if they have, in fact, done the work as described in the text.Keeps the time, and lets people know when their time is up. The mostimportant-as well as difficult-trusted servant position in the group.The chairman leads for a month at a time, and chooses the speaker foreach meeting.

B.Chairperson's Instructions.

As thebasic format for the group meeting, the instructions consist ofseveral parts, the first 3 parts being:

1. AAPreamble (from the AA Grapevine, June 1947):

ALCOHOLICSANONYMOUS is a fellowship of men and women who share theirexperience, strength and hope with each other that they may solvetheir common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. Theonly requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Thereare no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supportingthrough our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect,denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish toengage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes.Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics toachieve sobriety.

2. GroupPreamble, or the Group Conscience Statement:

It definesour group conscience, our mission, the way we carry our message tothe alcoholic who still suffers. It lays out the guidelines of themeeting. It makes clear that sharing at a BBSS meeting depends uponwhether a person has direct experience with the 12 steps as they arelaid out in the basic text.

3. TheReadings for the 12 Steps in the Big Book:

Also knownas the cycle, or step rotation, this is a rotation of readings. Thechairperson announces the step, and pages in the Big Book that willbe used as a topic for the meeting that night. The chairperson startsthe reading by asking people to read, a paragraph at a time, goingaround the tables or the room. (The readers do not identifythemselves at this point in the meeting )

C. TheSpeaker.

This isalso a person who is qualified to share by having experienced the 12steps as they are laid out with the help of another person who hasdone it this way. They have done the 3rd step with their sponsor, oranother person. They have done the 4th step exactly as the Big Booklays it out, are easily able to describe all three parts, and arewilling to speak on examples from their own inventory. They have donesteps 6 and 7 after they finished their 5th step. They have made somesignificant 9th step amends, and are practicing steps 10, 11, and 12on a daily basis. The entire talk generally lasts around 20 minutes.

D. TheMeeting Itself

Usuallylasts an hour and a half with no break. It's divided into three basicparts: the reading, the speaker, and discussion of the step beingstudied.

1. Who CanShare.

Onlypeople who have completed their 4th step and are on 9-12 may shareduring the meeting. Most people who have been through the processqualify by introducing themselves, and saying that they have done the12 steps as they are laid out in the Big Book with a BBSS sponsor,and have done the steps this way, or something to that effect. Thisdifferentiates them from those AA's who are not familiar with theBBSS process. Each person shares their experience with the step forup to 5 minutes. The chair keeps track of time and usually holds up ahand when time is up.

2. What toDo When Unqualified People Try to Share:

It is theresponsibility of the chairperson to determine whether a person isqualified. The chairperson must listen carefully to what the personis saying about the step and try to determine whether the person'sexperience is consistent with the directions in the text. Somewarning signs are that someone is at a BBSS meeting for the firsttime; mentions other methods, other 12 step literature, talks aroundthe step and won't get to the point; is unfamiliar to the group andis not familiar with BBSS meetings; is visiting from another group;is a popular and well respected oldtimer, but speaks very little oftheir own step experience, or how exactly they did the steps.

Asdescribed earlier, the chair must interrupt a person and ask them ifthey have "done this step the way it is laid out on thesespecific pages in the book Alcoholics Anonymous?" There are manyapproaches to this. Most successful approaches are direct, but alwayscourteous and polite, and start with "Excuse me..." If theperson says they have done it this way, or if there is still somedoubt, the next step is to ask them if they would mind answering afew questions to satisfy the group. If they have done the steps,especially the 4th step the way it is laid out, they shouldn't mindtoo much if they are asked some questions related directly to thebasic instructions for the 4th step, such as, "Can you pleasetell me what the main parts of the 4th step are?" and "Whatare the 4 main defects in the 1st part of the inventory? " or"How did you do your turnarounds?" and "How did you doyour sex inventory?" These are not meant to embarrass theperson, but to see if they are qualified to share. It is not fair toask other people to pass and listen who are writing their 4th stepsfor months on end, and let people with questionable experience get byand water down the meeting. This weakens the group, and willfrustrate qualified people who have had the experience, and do notwant to hear (or for their sponsees to hear) about other methods .

If thechairperson fails to do this at meeting level, a qualified personshould go up to the person in question directly after the meeting toexplain the format, and ask some of those same questions. This is alldone in an attitude of genuine concern, helpfulness, and lovingservice.

Whathappens if the person becomes angry and insists on sharing? It iswise to give them their 5 minutes and let them have their say. But,at a later time, they still need to demonstrate that they have hadthe experience, if they want to participate on a sharing level. Ourinventories have shown us that outbursts of anger are oftenself-seeking strategies to protect our security, self esteem,personal relations, ambition, and pride are designed to get us thethings that we want.

II.Summary

We haveprovided clear and basic suggestions for how to have a BBSS meeting.Big Book Step Study meetings work. They work by being very structuredand specific, providing clear-cut directions on how to recover fromthe disease of alcoholism. They work by putting the principles of AAahead of our own (and other people's) personalities, and by keepingone aim above all else: carrying the AA message to the alcoholic whostill suffers-no matter how long they are sober.

Ourexperience is not the last word, but it is distilled from manyaccumulated years of starting and participating in BBSS groups in ourareas. We have written this in anticipation of the basic stumblingblocks which one may encounter when trying to start a meeting andfellowship of this type within AA. We welcome the comments andexperience of other BBSS folks, as well as the questions of those whowant to do the steps this way, and do likewise with still others. Onefinal word. It is essential to have done the steps this way in orderto have the experience, faith, and courage it takes to pass it on. Asit says on page 164 of our book: "But obviously you cannottransmit something you haven't got."

Comment: Personally we would only give our name, rank and number at thesemeetings – and after that not even the time of day!

Cheerio

The Fellas(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Time to grow up perhaps!

2011-12-31T07:53:00.004Z

"Cultbehavior reflects the wish for a loving, accepting sibling group thatis protected and cherished by a powerful, omnipotent parent. Theproblem with such a wish and its accompanying fantasy is that nohuman being can fill the role of the superparent, and adults cannever again be children. To preserve the fantasy, reality must bedistorted, because of .this distortion, cult behavior results in aloss of realism. In the more extreme cases, the consequences can bedrastic. Diminished realism is a problem in any situation, however,and for this reason, cult behavior is costly no matter where it takesplace: affecting business decisions, governmental deliberations,day-to-day relationships in the community, or the practice ofpsychotherapy. Fortunately, awareness of these cult behaviors offersprotection from their influence. Psychotherapists can foster thatawareness, benefiting patients, themselves, and society. "

http://www.deikman.com/former.html

Cheers

The Fellas(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

thanks tothe AA member who drew this article to our attention

The Sponsoring Game

2011-12-30T06:14:00.001Z

We're surethis is going to catch on!

Click here (for pdf file)

Cheerio

The Fellas(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Our thanksfor this creative piece from an AA member

It isn't just currencies that devalue!

2011-12-29T08:18:00.000Z

"Devaluingof the outsider is part and parcel of everyday life. Depending onwhich group we designate as the outsider, our scorn may be directedat “liberals,” “Republicans,” “blacks,” “Jews,”“yuppies,” or “welfare bums”: however the outsider isdesignated. Such disidentification can authorize unethical, mean, anddestructive behavior against the outsider, behavior that otherwisewould cause guilt for violating ethical norms. Devaluation of theoutsider is tribal behavior and so universal as to suggest a “basiclaw of groups”: Be one of us and we will love you; leave us and wewill kill you.

Devaluingthe outsider reassures the insider that he or she is good, special,and deserving, unlike the outsider. Such a belief is a distortion ofreality; if one considers the different circumstances of eachperson’s development and life context, one is hard put to judgeanother person to be intrinsically inferior to oneself. Certainly,actions can be judged, but human beings are one species, at eye levelwith each other."

http://www.deikman.com/former.html

Cheers

The Fellas(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Our usualthanks to our AA contributor

Withdrawal symptoms – breaking a bad habit!

2011-12-28T07:33:00.000Z

"One way to clarify the confusion is to help thepatient see clearly the problems that she had hoped "enlightenment",and membership in the group would solve: These problems may includeloneliness, low self-esteem, the wish for the admiration of others,fear of intimacy, fear of death, and the wish for invulnerability.Indeed, membership in the group may assuage loneliness and providethe support and closeness that the patient had not experiencedpreviously. Memories of such good experiences may occasion acutefeelings of loss in the ex-cult member and give rise to doubtsconcerning whether or not leaving was the best thing to do.http://www.deikman.com/former.html"

Our thanksto this AA member for their contribution

Cheerio

The Fellas(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Santa is an alcoholic!

2011-12-25T05:38:00.003Z

“SANTACLAUS is an alcoholic. That stark pronouncement may make strong menblanch and little children whimper, but every fact at our commandpoints to its truth. Consider the evidence.

Item: Thisoddly behaved old man has a red nose and a flushed face, and prancesaround shouting, “Ho! Ho! Ho!” at total strangers. That “Ho!Ho! Ho!” bit is suspicious in itself. As we recall, the completequotation goes, “Ho! Ho! Ho! and a bottle of rum!” Or somethinglike that. Now why does Santa leave out part of it? Why is hereluctant to mention the rum? We believe it is just an alcoholic’sunwillingness to talk about anything related to a drinking problem.

Item: Thischap is unshaven and long-haired, and goes about in an old red suitwhich is completely out of style. It even has fur on it. Surely, thisshows that he has no regard at all for his personal appearance, andalso that he apparently doesn’t earn enough to keep himself inrespectable attire. (Or is blowing his wages for you-know-what.)

Item: Onthe subject of money, here is a gent who can’t make ends meet, yetthrows away what little he has and goes into hock up to his eyes,besides. Sure, on occasion you and I have bought drinks for the houseduring a blast, or flowers and toys for the wife and kiddies afterone; but this profligate madman hands out goodies to everyone in theworld. Only a dyed-in-the-wool alcoholic could toss it away likethat.

Item: Byall accounts, Santa Claus works only one day a year, which is sort ofa record, even for someone on the sauce. There’s been mention ofcertain elves who are reputed to work for him, but we can’t verifythat they exist, nor, if they do, that he pays them anything. Why hisbusiness doesn’t go to pot, we’ll never understand–unless it’sMrs. Claus who holds things together, as the wives of boozers oftendo. Of course, she may have money in her own name. Anyway, it remainsundeniable that December 24 is S. C.’s only workday. What he doesthe other 364, we leave to your imagination.

Item:Speaking of Mrs. Claus–how come Santa never takes her out? Is itthe problem drinker’s typical disregard for the happiness of hisfamily, or does she just refuse to be seen with him in public?There’s something awfully wrong in a household when man and wifenever socialize together.

Item: Onthe topic of work, how does our subject go about it? On those longtrips he takes, does he sensibly drive something like a Ford or Chevyvan? No, he uses a sleigh drawn by reindeer, of all things. Horses wecould understand, if he chooses to cling to the old ways; but only adipso would dream of dashing across the tundra behind a herd of deer.

And don’tforget this–it’s common knowledge that he’s loaded when heleaves home. When he arrives at a house, does he use the front door,as any moderate two-beer drinker would? No, he climbs down thechimney! Typical alcoholic insanity.

There itis, all spelled out for you, so make your own decision. We’ve madeours. This S. Claus is definitely a candidate for the club. A fewkind souls might consider him only a periodic lush, since he seems tohang one on just once a year; but in our own opinion there’s a lotof steady, secret guzzling going on up there at the North Pole,culminating in that mad moonlight jaunt on December 24.

At anyrate, you good AAs from Alaska and northern Canada please keeplistening for your phone to ring. Somewhere, some time, late atnight, a voice may say, “North Pole is on the line. Will you accepta call, collect?”

J. G.T.
Negaunee, Michigan

A Letterfrom Santa Claus
(Volume 27 Issue 7,December 1970)

Editors AAGrapevine 468 Park Avenue South New York, N.Y. 10016

SIRS:

I’m aneasygoing fellow and can take a joke as well as the next guy. I amsensitive about a few things, however, and you hit on one of them inyour December 1969 issue. Some nincompoop had the gall to accuse meof alcoholism!

I am notnow, nor have I ever been, an alcoholic. You’ll never see mewallowing around in the gutter with those guys. Why, I don’t eventake a drink in the morning. Sure, I have a shot now and then withthe elves, just a sociable glass–but a lush I’m not. I haven’tbeen snockered now for, oh, two or three weeks. I wouldn’t havegotten drunk then, either, but Mrs. Claus, got on my nerves. Shekeeps pestering me about the booze, as if I was some kid who couldn’thandle it. That’s why I don’t take her out often–I have oneshort one and she’s in a dither. Who wants to put up with that whenhe’s trying to have a good time? Never thought of that, did you?You guys are always quick to judge, never look at the other side ofthe coin.

I can takeit or leave it alone. Generally, I prefer to take it. Who doesn’t?But when I want to quit, I’ll quit. Up here at the Pole, I have todrink a little now and then. This is a desolate place. Aren’t Ientitled to a little cheer? I don’t begrudge anybody else theirentertainment.

To beabsolutely honest, I’ll admit I have had a bit of trouble in thepast. But now I’ve wised up and started to control my drinking.I’ve switched to beer and table wines–you fellows ought to knowthey’re harmless enough. If the problem should come back, I’lljust clamp down a mite harder. Self-control, that’s what it takes,just like with smoking. I used to smoke a pipe, but I’ve quit. If Ican quit smoking, I can quit drinking, right? But for now there’sno need to.

I’llclue you in on what prevents a good, two-fisted drinker from turninginto an alcoholic. A steady job. In spite of what that article said,I get out almost every day and work. Keeps my mind off the liquor. Igo over to the elves’ workshop and give them pointers on speedingup production and improving their workmanship. I may have to quitgoing over there, though, because one or two of the elves act as if alittle friendly advice is an insult or something. Maybe I’ll get ahobby instead.

Everyoneknows I’m a great guy–not a coward hiding behind a bottle. Don’tI stay up all night making my deliveries to all the tots atChristmastime? Not many people would do that, now would they? No, I’mokay–I’ve got my thinking straight. I don’t need any of youalkies telling me I need help with my drinking.

Just toshow you I don’t hold grudges: If you’ll print a public apologyfor slandering me, I’ll tell my lawyers to go easier on you incourt. What’s more, if you loosen up long enough for one goodfling, I’ll let you come to the big New Year’s party I’mholding. Bring your own booze, preferably sloe gin or whiskey. It’llbe your last chance to see me drunk, because after New Year’s I’mtapering off and may eventually quit altogether. Who knows?

Soberly,

SantaClaus”
**********
Permission to reprint The AA Grapevine,Inc., copyrighted material in this publication does not in any wayimply affiliation with or endorsement by either Alcoholics Anonymousor The AA Grapevine, Inc.

Merry etcetc - Ho, ho, ho – and all that. Have a sober one!

Cheerio

The Fellas(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous …. and Santa Claus)

(ourthanks to the AA member for pointing us in the direction of theabove)

Treating Former Members of Cults

2011-12-23T08:48:00.000Z

"People who join cultsdo so for two principal reasons: (1) They want to lead a meaningful,spiritual life and (2) they want to feel protected, cared for, andguided by someone who knows what to do in. a confusing world. Thefirst motive is conscious and laudable; the second is unconscious ornot recognized for what it is. Therein lies the problem: The wish tohave a perfect parent and a loving; supportive group lies concealedin the psyche of even the most outwardly independent person. When theopportunity arises to gratify that wish, it powerfully influencesjudgment and perception and paves the way for exploitation by a cult."

For the full article: http://www.deikman.com/former.html

Our thanks to the AA member who referred us to this

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Our “Thug of the Month” award goes to …....... Harry K (East Kent)

2011-12-20T07:10:00.001Z

Yes.It's that time again - our national awards ceremony! And the winnerstanding head and shoulders above all the competition is Harry K –Thug of the Month! Indeed we have been quite inundated with votes forthis particular candidate and we can no longer in all conscienceignore their many calls for his elevation to this quite prestigiousposition. The previous holder of this entirely ignoble title was ofcourse Glynne M (West Kent) the erstwhile secretary of thatintergroup (which still apparently has not learnt the lessons of thepast with a significant number of cult members infesting theirservice structure) for her outstanding performance as the “IncredibleHulk” demonstrating at every opportunity her proclivity to bullyher way to the desired result regardless of the consequences. Howeverwe feel that Harry K by far outshines her rather meagre efforts inhis campaign to “reform” single-handedly the entire fellowship inthat part of the country. He cuts a most dashing figure (or so we aretold) and can always been seen clutching his no doubt well-thumbedcopy of the Big Book which he brandishes frequently (andenthusiastically) in the direction of any hapless member who straysinto his path. His prophetic abilities moreover are quite beyonddispute (although so far unproven) as increasing numbers of thebrethren have had their “fortunes told” with the usual predictionthat if they fail to follow his “directions” they willundoubtedly be cast into the pit of hell there to reside for alleternity. Brow-beating, lecturing, hectoring, finger-wagging,cross-sharing all form part of Harry K's formidable armoury for“carrying the message” to anybody whether they need it or not.Harry's has a number of bases of operation from which he operates andwhere he instructs the heathen in the “True Way” (with occasionalforays elsewhere amongst the “ungodly”) most notably thefollowing:

Dover

Mondayat 7.30pm
Rear Room
Our Lady of Dover RC Church
RooseveltRoad
Dover
All meetings ‘Open’
Contacts: Harry K…..Harry A

HerneBay

Wednesdayat 7.30pm
The Retreat, RC Church
2 Clarence Road
Herne Bay
All meetings ‘Open’
Contact: Harry K …....

(Bothmeetings incidentally have an outside affiliation – with the Primary Purpose movement - and therefore properly may no longer callthemselves AA meetings – according to Tradition 3)

Additionallyhowever he has recently “taken over” the role of “guru inresidence” at the Westgate meeting:

WESTGATEMORNING BIG BOOK STUDY SUNDAY Meeting

10.00Disabled Access: Full wheelchair access.

Allmtgs 'open'.

Westgate& Westbrook Residence Association, 21 St Mildreds Rd

Althoughthis is referred to as a Big Book study meeting attendees shouldrather expect to have to endure a solo discourse by Harry K (possiblyassisted by his second-in-command Harry A) their success or failurebeing adjudged according to how closely they follow Harry K's uniqueinterpretation of the recovery programme. In this connection it doesseem however that Harry's edition of the Big Book is missing onechapter which would account no doubt for his rather “bombastic”and authoritarian style of communication: Chapter 7 – Working WITHOthers. It is quite evident from his methods that he cannot have fora single moment even glanced at the aforementioned chapter nor haveany clue as to its existence. We can only account for this by itsentire omission from the tome in his possession. Nevertheless we haveno doubt whatsoever (and given his almost universal popularity) thatwe are sure to hear MUCH MORE from – and about - Harry.... adinfinitum!

Cheerio

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Cult leader - narcissist?

2011-12-17T11:19:00.001Z

Takethe test and see if you've got what it takes to become a cult leader!

Rememberthe essentials! Honesty, willingness and open-mindedness

http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/narcissistic.htm

Cheerio

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Alcoholism, moral issue or disease?

2011-12-10T09:47:00.001Z

Seearticles section

AA Literature

2011-12-09T15:29:00.001Z

AAconference approved literature section has been added to the site

Articles section

2011-12-09T12:45:00.001Z

Weare progressively adding articles to this section of the site. Some (the longer ones) are in pdf format (and do take a little whileto download). Others are in html format (webpage format) whichare accessible almost instantly. In the longer term we hope to makeall available in both formats

Cheerio

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Just in case you hadn't noticed......

2011-12-07T19:02:00.001Z

Yep we've shifted our main websitedomain name to the blog. So if you click on "aacultwatch"you'll be getting the blog from now on.

Reasons why you ask?

1) Sloth - the blog format is anatural for our Stop Press section - we've only just noticed! Themore static sections of the site can be placed on pages appended tothe blog so no changes there ... so less work!
2) Greed - the blog costs nothing andthe domain name is cheapo cheapo! Website hosting costs via Microsoft wereabout to go up by a large percentage... they've already got quiteenough money!
3) Anger - we had a big argument anddecided to make the move
4) Gluttony - we wanted more ofless.....
5) Envy - we suffer from lowself-esteem and we just had to have a proper blog all to ourselves -well why shouldn't we ......eh eh eh!
6) Pride - well we are pretty damngood when we come to think about it!
7) Lust - ooooh - what a sexy blogyou are!!

Not bad eh? The full set!

Plus we couldn't really see the pointin so much unnecessary duplication

As for the almost unmentionablycack-handed way we went about it ..... now you see us now youdon't...... let's just put it down to sheer amateurishness - plus wedidn't ask our sponsors before we went and gone and done it! Wellll..what do you expect?

But seriously we'll be making somechanges to layouts and so on and so forth - plus revising dead links,downloads, moving sections, adding stuff, subtracting stuff etc etc.We'll also be taking the opportunity to make the blog as userfriendly as possible. So bear with us for the new few days....weeks.... months.... years...... All will be revealed

Ciao

The Fellas (Friendsof Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS If you get any resentments becauseof all of this you know what to do don't you??

The Minority report ends up in Australia!

2011-12-04T09:42:00.001Z

“Hi there,

After writing the below I notice Wayne B gets a mention in your "A Minority report to conference 2012."

I went to his workshop last year, more than a few were on the verge of relapse after it. This group has become increasingly noticeable in Perth, Australia. Headed by Wayne Butler from the USA, his company through which this runs is The Last Mile Foundation …... Locally they brand themselves as having "Emotional Sobriety."

They breach lots of the traditions, and they have grow through local members not knowing or turning a blind eye to it.

They have their own "big book" and "12 step guide", known as the Step n' Ahead Workbook. They have a pyramid type sponsorship structure. All follow the same directions, HP is my sponsor and you're either willing or not. Never question your sponsor, no medication, no other therapists. They are told they have to have 5 sponsee's and actively recruit and target newcomers. Its very much an ego, personality type group that sees itself as the true AA. Most original members are those who were in AA, didn't work the program were about to leave/drink, then found this extreme version.

I personally have no issue if a member wants to go the extreme route, but it is the targeting of the newcomer that is the concern. The slanting and twisting of the big book, and the controlling cult like behaviour that goes on outside the rooms. ….......

many thanks”

An AA convention? We think not!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

(Our thanks to our reporter in Perth)

Akron AA Intergroup leads members away from Traditions

2011-12-02T16:10:00.006Z

News Special!

Akron AA Intergroup Leads Members Away From Traditions (AA’s officially going Religious Big Business)

Shop online for all your pre-tradition goodies at https://shop.akronaa.org/ -- Your friendly online 12 step store. Note the Absolute absence of any AA Conference approved literature, not one item, absolutely zilch. But then you wouldn’t expect an AA intergroup to muddle up outside products with conference approved literature in the same shop and then call the shop AA would you? Now that would be against tradition six and one hell of a hodgepodge wouldn’t it?

· Audio · Bookmarks & Souveniers · Coins · Gift Certificate

· Historical Pamphlets · Postcards · Prayers & Cards · Reproductions

· Video

Handles & Hodge Podge $1.25 Four Absolutes (Asian) $ 1.50 Bill & Bob Coin $2.25 Camel Story $2.25 Evening Prayer Magnet $2.00 My Quiet Time $0.20 The Four Absolutes $0.50 If God Spoke To AA $0.20 Gallery Prints: Box $10.00 Gift Certificate $5.00 to $50.00

Gift Certificates from $5.00 to $50.00 can be purchased for friends, sponsors, or sponsees.

Best sellers: Postcard Man On Bed $ 0.75 (Postcard of the stained glass window of The Man on the Bed at the Akron Intergroup Office) Founders' Day Postcard $0.50 (This 4″x6″ postcard contains a collection of photographs from the 75th Anniversary Founders' Day held in June of 2010)

And much much more….

Shipping Policy We ship most in-stock items within 48 hours (Monday - Saturday, excluding holidays), and on occasions when we can't, we'll let you know.

Shipping Fees Our shipping charges are based on standard UPS or U.S. Mail rates (where applicable), which are based on package weight, size, and distance.

Rush Delivery At this time, 2-Day Express Delivery and Overnight Express Delivery options are only available for phone orders.

International Delivery Akron Intergroup does not currently offer international shipping directly from our online store. Please call 1.330.253.8181 to place an order outside the United States.
(Shipments outside the U.S. are subject to extra shipping, handling charges, and fees. Each order is processed individually. Duties and value-added taxes may be required and are the responsibility of the customer.)

Return and Exchange Policy All sales are final.

Conditions of Use All items in our store are subject to copyright... They are intended for personal use only and may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the copyright holder. Call or email Akron Intergroup for more information.

How to Send Gift Certificates

To send a Gift Certificate you need to go to our Send Gift Certificate Page. You can find the link to this page in the Shopping Cart Box in the right hand column of each page. When you send a Gift Certificate, you need to specify the following. The name of the person you are sending the Gift Certificate to. The email address of the person you are sending the Gift Certificate to. The amount you want to send. (Note you don't have to send the full amount that is in your Gift Certificate Account.) A short message which will appear in the email. Please ensure that you have entered all of the information correctly, although you will be given the opportunity to change this as much as you want before the email is actually sent.

Comment: For once our jaws have dropped, we’re absolutely speechless. Whatever happened to Tradition Six? Note the absence of promotional gimmicks at New York intergroup: http://www.nyintergroup.org/ ….Not the first time New York’s shown the Akron boys the AA way is it? Remember 1937?

Our usual thanks to the AA member for bringing this enterprising, traditions deviant intergroup to our attention. Were sure they’ll appreciate the extra promotion. More on Akron Sentimental Gimmicks Inc. coming soon… Once we get past their Christmas specials, we can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2012.

Cheers,

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

So whatever happened to the Midtown (Washington DC area) cult groups – still in business?

2011-12-01T10:41:00.001Z

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2007/07/midtown_group_aa_group_leads_m.html
July 2007

“Midtown Group: AA Group Leads Members Away from Traditions

When Kristen was 17 and drinking out of control, her psychologist referred her to an Alcoholics Anonymous group that specialized in helping the youngest drinkers. In the Midtown Group, members and outsiders agree, young people could find new friends, constant fellowship, daily meetings, summer-long beach parties, and a charismatic leader who would steer them through sobriety.

But according to more than a dozen young people who structured their lives around the group, the unusual adaptation of AA that Michael Quinones created from his home in Bethesda became a confusing blend of comfort and crisis. They described a rigidly insular world of group homes and socializing, in which older men had sex with teenage girls, ties to family and friends were severed or strained, and the most vulnerable of alcoholics, some suffering from emotional problems, were encouraged to stop taking prescribed medications.

Kristen, now 26, said that for eight years, she was "passed along" from one middle-aged male leader of Midtown to another. She said her sponsor urged her to have sex with Quinones -- widely known as Mike Q. -- as a way to solidify her sobriety and spiritual revival. Kristen, who spoke on the condition that her last name not be used in keeping with AA traditions, also recalled helping to persuade other teenage girls to sleep with older men in the group.

"I pimped my sponsees out to sponsors," she said, referring to the AA members who agree to watch over a fellow member's sobriety. "I encouraged them to sleep with their sponsors because I really believed that this would help with their sobriety."

Rianne McNair, who left Midtown in 2005 after three years in the group, said, "Several of my friends had sex with Mike Q. One of my friends went to the beach house, and her sponsor assigned her to Mike Q.'s bedroom. The younger girls looked up to these guys; Mike is idolized, like, 'I got invited to Mike Q.'s house for dinner tonight. Can you believe it?' "

Midtown, also known as the Q Group after its leader, has expanded steadily to about 400 members since Quinones assumed leadership in the 1980s, but appears to be reaching a turning point. Quinones, a 63-year-old real estate agent who grew up in Baltimore and served in the Army in Vietnam, is fighting an advanced case of prostate cancer, according to group members, friends and relatives. He did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

In response to questions raised by some parents, therapists and churches where Midtown held meetings, the group this spring issued a statement denying improper acts. "We cannot be all things to all people . . . " the statement said. "We do not condone underage sex. While we are not the arbiter of other people's sex conduct, underage sex is illegal and our experience shows that it can endanger your sobriety.

"We cannot tell you what to do with regard to taking medications such as anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, etc. While we have no opinion of medication in general, based on our personal experience, many members of the Midtown Group do not sponsor people who take mood-altering medication."

Outside Quinones's house, young Midtown members who often hang out around the front steps declined to talk to a reporter. A senior member of the group, who is close to Quinones and who spoke on condition he not be named because of AA's tradition of anonymity, said, "Anyone who has anything positive to say about the group is going to respect AA's policy of dignified silence in the media."

Montgomery County police said they are looking into allegations of underage sexual relations. But they said the women who have come forward have told of relationships that took place when they were 16 or 17; Maryland law considers women 15 and younger to be underage. Many of the allegations were aired in Montgomery County District Court in a domestic relations civil suit involving a member of the group.

"We interviewed 15 to 20 people, and they all said he's doing it. But it was all, 'It wasn't me,' " said Montgomery police Sgt. Ron Collins of the department's pedophile section. "Nobody's come forward with anything we could charge him with. The girls can be 16 or 17, and it's legal."

Controlled by Leaders

Over eight decades, Alcoholics Anonymous, a pioneer in the support-group model of treatment, has grown to attract about 2 million members in more than 100,000 groups.

Despite a stellar reputation and worldwide brand, it has never been more than a set of bedrock traditions. It has no firm hierarchy, no official regulations, and exercises no oversight of individual groups. Disgruntled former Midtown members discovered this in recent months when they tried to get the central AA office in New York to condemn Midtown's tactics and departures from the traditions, including a highly unusual practice of assigning older men to sponsor young women.

"The assumption since our founding was that groups that did not follow the traditions and concepts would fall away," said a staff member at AA's General Service Office, who spoke on condition of anonymity "because we are all alcoholics, and that is our policy."

The main office does offer "strong suggestions" for how groups should operate, including how to pair each member with a sponsor who shares confidences and helps the member stay sober. AA recommends that "it's best if a man sponsors a man and a woman sponsors a woman, so that there are not outside distractions," the staffer said.

In Midtown, Quinones and several friends, who are also long-time AA members, have taken on leadership roles that go well beyond the typical part played by organizers of meetings, according to local therapists, ministers and AA members. AA tradition suggests that "our leaders are but trusted servants," the New York staffer said. "They do not govern."

Quinones and other senior members have not only run two dozen weekly meetings across the Washington region but also organized ski trips and summer beach parties, helped young members find jobs at stores such as Nordstrom and the old Hecht's, and encouraged young members to live together in group houses in Gaithersburg, Rockville and Bethesda, members and ex-members said.

"It's like a prepackaged community," said David, 26, a former Midtown member who initially adored the group but now is highly critical of it. "You're thinking, okay, maybe I can stay sober for the rest of my life, but how do I have fun? I went to a different group, and it was 50-year-old men who went bowling on Tuesdays. That wasn't going to do it for me. At Midtown, everything is there for you. Here are your women, here are your dances every weekend, ski trip every March."

But some former members describe the Midtown life as overwhelmingly controlling. McNair said she was pressured to pay $950 for a share in a three-bedroom summer house in which 20 Midtown members slept, most of them on air mattresses on the floor. Kristen described being pressed to pay $1,200 for a summer house share in which she slept on the floor.

Some therapists who used to refer young people to Midtown and some pastors whose churches have hosted Midtown meetings say they have heard of too many disturbing practices to maintain a relationship with the group.

Ellen Dye, a clinical psychologist in Rockville, said two of her clients "suffered significant harm as a result of their involvement with Mike Q. and his followers." One young woman said she was assigned a boyfriend and encouraged to go off her antidepressants and cut off contact with Dye, the psychologist said.

Without her medication, the woman became acutely suicidal and was hospitalized, Dye said. When Midtown members learned that the woman was back on medication, she was ostracized and "was considered to have relapsed," Dye said.

That young woman told The Washington Post that her sponsor in Midtown refused to continue as her adviser if the woman kept taking prescription medications. The sponsor also directed her to stop seeing a therapist " 'because you need one clear voice -- your sponsor's,' " the woman said.

"These are very needy people -- they're young people who can be looking for a parent figure," Dye said. "Mike Q. plays that role. Midtown is doctrinaire and controlling. It's totally against the 'Big Book,' " the written traditions that guide AA groups. Now, Dye said, she warns clients and colleagues about Midtown and even has become reluctant to refer clients to any AA group.

After hearing about sexual relationships inside Midtown, Clancy Imislund, managing director of Midnight Mission, a Los Angeles non-profit group that serves the homeless, said he asked senior Midtown members about the allegations and found that "there probably have been some excesses, but they have helped more sober alcoholics in Washington than any other group by far."

Imislund, who speaks frequently to AA groups across the country, said he concluded that if sexual relations between older men and young girls "ever did take place, it's not taking place now. It had been an issue, but wherever you have a lot of young, neurotic people, they're going to cling to each other."

Although Imislund portrayed parents of young people in Midtown as "immensely grateful that this group has managed to get their children sober when no one else could," other parents said they were appalled to see the group draw children away from their families.

Barred From Some Churches

Cathy McCleskey became alarmed after hearing her daughter and other young people in Midtown talk about one practice after another that would not occur in most AA groups: They described being told by Midtown's leaders to stop taking medication prescribed by a psychiatrist, being permitted to visit family only in the company of other Midtown members and regularly cleaning Mike Q.'s house, mowing his lawn and doing his laundry. Her daughter had a male sponsor.

"On one hand, she was sober for nine months, and I was so glad that I thought, whatever's happening with this group is fine by me," McCleskey said. "But then, after about a year in Midtown, I got a call that she was in a mental hospital." McCleskey said her daughter remained there for four weeks, depressed and suicidal. The daughter is now out of Midtown and faring well.

McCleskey said she tried to get AA's local coordinating body to look into allegations against Midtown but was told that each group governs itself.

Parents and former members, armed with a recent Newsweek article on the control Midtown exerts over young alcoholics, approached several area churches this summer to ask them to bar the group from meeting at their facilities. A meeting held on Sunday evenings for nearly two decades at the Church of the Pilgrims near Dupont Circle left the church this year after ex-Midtown members provided "detailed and credible allegations," said the Rev. Ashley Goff, director of Christian education at the church. Midtown leaders told pastors they were being criticized unfairly by "disgruntled people who couldn't keep their act together," Goff recalled.

Even though some church members said Midtown had saved them from addiction, church leaders concluded that "this group crossed boundaries in very strong ways," Goff said. "Clearly, they were targeting young women who were in their first rehab program -- the most vulnerable people."

Informed that the church was "about to make a decision about asking them to leave," Goff said, "Midtown came to us and said, 'Oh, our group's gotten too big, and we're going to leave.' "

Goff added: "Our fellowship hall is huge."

At St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville -- the site of one of 20 or so weekly Midtown meetings across the region -- the Rev. Roy W. Howard said that after Midtown leaders refused "to give me an explanation of the allegations against them, I decided to ask them not to meet" at the church any more. St. Mark still provides facilities for six of the hundreds of Washington area AA groups not connected with Midtown.

And at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church in Northwest Washington, the Rev. Elizabeth S. McWhorter told congregants in May that although the allegations against Midtown "would have been difficult to prove or disprove," the group "will not be returning to St. Patrick's."

But at United Church of Christ in Bethesda, the Rev. Allison Smith said she concluded that "there was really no bite behind the charges," so "we've decided not to ask them to leave." After meeting with Midtown leaders, Smith said that "maybe there were some incidents of an older male taking advantage of a younger woman who was in recovery, and that's terrible. But was it a systemic policy? We really haven't found anything to back up those charges at the group that meets here."

When Kristen left Midtown, she was utterly alone. "Everyone in my cellphone was Midtown," she said. "I was 24, and I knew literally nobody. I had cut off my ties with my family at the direction of my sponsor."

"Eight years of my life was wasted," Kristen said.”

©Washington Post, By Marc Fisher July 22, 2007

Comment: Quinones is now dead.

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS Our thanks to our correspondent who pointed out this article

South East Region (GB) Annual General Meeting – update

2011-11-29T12:16:00.001Z

Well themeeting came and went and the usual efforts were made to avoid themost burning issue facing AA today – the cult within our midst! The event itself got off to an uninspiring start with attendeesdevoting an entirely disproportionate amount of time to discussingprocedural matters whilst studiously ignoring the blazing infernogoing on around them (Pass us the fiddle Nero. We can feel a goodtune coming on!). Eventually the matter got raised and was promptlyjumped on by one of the conference delegates who seemed to have amarked aversion to the “C” word. The matter disappeared only(and rather strangely) to be resurrected by that same conferencedelegate a little while later. Matters deteriorated even furtherwhen the anonymity of the minority report's author (supposed) wasbroken in a rather feeble (and subsequently failed) attempt to“personalise” the issue. This is a standard cult tactic wherebyattention to the substance of an argument is deflected by directingit rather to the proponent's alleged suspect motives and/orquestionable character – something along the lines of: “they'vegot a resentment”, “they're a dry drunk”, “they're a case ofuntreated alcoholism”, “they haven't got a SPONSOR”, “they'reOFF the programme” etc – fill in the blanks! It never seems tooccur to these critics that the authorS (yes – authorS – plural!) might have been galvanised into action rather by their revulsion forthe cult's activities both here in Great Britain and elsewhere thanby any trivial and indeed ego-driven ambitions (hence the anonymity). Still the cat has now been well and truly dragged screeching andwailing out of the bag and we doubt very much that it will bereturned to those confines for a very, very long time to come. Theminority report is here to stay (we can guarantee this) (for copyclick here). The reportitself will be distributed to all the region delegates and iscurrently being circulated throughout both Great Britain and NorthAmerica. We've got a sneaking suspicion (don't ask us how!) that itwill make its way eventually to every corner of AA. Additionally ourreaders might like to consider this selection of Grapevine articleson the subject. (Click here to download pdf)

Happyreading

Cheers

The Fellas(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Is Geoff in a cult? He doesn't seem to know!

2011-11-24T16:01:00.001Z

From time to time we mosey on down to the Road to Recovery cult group's (Plymouth franchise) website to see what the latest offerings might be, and indeed we're rarely disappointed by the high quality of dross which emerges almost uniquely from this collective. You cannot imagine therefore our surprise (and even distress) to discover that one of its members is not quite sure whether they are in a cult or not! Now generally speaking R2R members are pretty damn clear about who and what they are. After all they are reminded most eloquently from time to time by their erstwhile (or has he been reinstated? Maybe someone's lent him a pair of braces!) leader Wayne P (he who suffers from “falling down trouser” syndrome) ie. that their group stands at the very “heart of AA”, and that all the other groups in the area are actually crap! Oops sorry!... Or as they more diplomatically put it these latter (ie. AA members) practice the “Beano” version of the programme whilst the R2R gang use the Big Book method (although no one has quite worked out how the 'do exactly what your sponsor tells you' bit fits into this schema). Now of course we could give you the short (form) response to Geoff's (we suspect) mostly rhetorical question: Is he in a cult? The answer, of course, is yes. But not wishing to short-change our readers, and because this hardly seems like a satisfactory response to such a “genuine” enquiry, we will elaborate further. Firstly we will refer you to the numerous entries elsewhere on the site (both in the Stop Press section and also the Area news section (South West). Here you will find a detailed listing of the activities of this group over the last few years. Now we're not going to bore you with a review of these (life is too short after all ) but the highlights include: sponsorship idolatry, interference on prescribed medication issues (despite the disclaimer on the R2R website – this itself part of an ever increasing list of rebuttals to challenges made by local AA members to this cult group's conduct. It is interesting to note here that not another group in the area (or indeed the region) seems to find it necessary to issue such defences. Can't think why! How can a group be so misunderstood?), and that's not to mention (but we will anyway) Jon F and Alexis K's little performance at conference where they attempted to bully the General Secretary (see An Incident at Conference). Now how sober is that! We could add interference in personal relationships, jobs, finances, dress code and so on but we're not going to! The list, as they say, goes on (almost) ad infinitum …. in other words - just another bog standard cult group. But finally, of course, Geoff is not a member of a cult – How do you know, we hear you ask (in a chorus)? Because “he usually doesn't think so”! Doh!

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

PS. By the way Geoff if you are going to quote the traditions do TRY to get them right. Tradition Four (to which you refer) does NOT say “..... which itself can operate as individually as it likes, as long as it does not affect AA as a whole”. It actually says: “Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.”

PPS Oh nearly forgot! The answer to your question (long form): Yes you are in a cult group

The use of the Lord's Prayer in AA meetings.....

2011-11-23T10:55:00.001Z

“…... orwhy should we be so surprised when cult groups fail to abide by thetraditions (which they largely do) when we ourselves so blithelyignore them?

“Tradition 3.Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hencewe may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membershipever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholicsgathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group,provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.”

The AAPreamble:

“AlcoholicsAnonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share theirexperience, strength and hope with each other that they may solvetheir common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.

The onlyrequirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are nodues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through ourown contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination,politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage inany controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primarypurpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achievesobriety.

(our emphases)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_lords_prayer

Whilst notclaiming that a Wikipedia entry may be regarded necessarily as adefinitive source it does seem quite evident that the Lord's Prayeris in fact Christian in origin and forms a central part of Christianpractice. From this there follow some quite serious implications (iftaken together with the above tradition and preamble), which suggestthat any group that uses such a prayer demonstrates an outsideaffiliation and therefore (and according to that tradition) may noteven call itself an AA group. Its members may hold whatever views,beliefs etc they like (individually) but even if every member of thegroup were a practising Christian (of whatever denomination) thisgroup would still be in breach of this tradition. Moreover the prayerpresents a set of ethical precepts (and concepts) which may be quitealien to any non-Christian attendees and although a moral review is acentral component of the recovery programme (together with someindicated categories) there is no suggestion that such an appraisalshould necessarily comply with a particular religious tradition (eg.as outlined in this prayer). Finally, although AA and its programmeare undeniably derived (in part) from this tradition it could equallybe argued that Christianity itself is based upon necessarily “pagan”origins. Whereabouts in the time line therefore does AA establishfinally its foundations? In practical terms, and given the presentpublic debate about the supposed “religiosity” of AA (and itspossible negative impact on AA attendance), it is probably not veryhelpful for the membership (collectively) to engage in any practiceswhich clearly have a primarily “religious” (and denominational)component - rather it would be better to focus on those that may beregarded as essentially “spiritual” (and which would be inclusiveof all religions and philosophies).

Again referringto the above source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality

and inparticular the following:

“Spiritualitycan refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality;[1] aninner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/herbeing; or the “deepest values and meanings by which peoplelive.”[2] Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer andcontemplation, are intended to develop an individual's inner life;spiritual experience includes that of connectedness with a largerreality, yielding a more comprehensive self; with other individualsor the human community; with nature or the cosmos; or with the divinerealm.[3] Spirituality is often experienced as a source ofinspiration or orientation in life.[4] It can encompass belief inimmaterial realities or experiences of the immanent or transcendentnature of the world.”

None of theabove definitions come into conflict with AA's traditions and takentogether form an inclusive approach which avoids altogether anyproblems of affiliation (religious or otherwise).”

Think on that!

Cheers

The Fellas(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

(PS Our usualthanks to this correspondent)

South East Region (GB) Annual General Meeting & Conscience

2011-11-20T12:47:00.001Z

Well we should all be thinking (with gratitude) of those fine boys and girls who have already trudged the Road of Happy Destiny to Burgess Hill on this damp and foggy November morn to attend the South East Region Annual General Meeting and Conscience. Generally speaking such events pass by almost unnoticed by the fellowship at large but today we think the occasion is worthy of some modest comment. Indeed (or so we are told) there are a couple of items on the agenda which should be of interest to all AA members who are concerned about the current state of the fellowship in Great Britain, and have an interest, moreover, in where we might be heading in the distant and then not so distant future.

Firstly there is to be some discussion on the subject of what are referred to as “alternative groups” operating within AA in the South East region (and elsewhere). Now we know that some AA members have a tendency to come over all coy at the merest suggestion of any “controversy” within the fellowship (and would rather bury their heads in the sand and suffocate than face what is placed directly before them!) but we'll go for the “call a spade a spade” option and refer to them as “cult groups”. There! That wasn't so painful was it? It would seem this debate has been prompted by representatives of at least three intergroups that have been experiencing “problems” with CULT groups in their respective areas. South East Region itself is currently made up of 10 intergroups (as follows):

Brighton Area

East Kent
East Sussex
Mid Surrey
North East Surrey
Northdown
Solent
Southdown
West Kent
West Sussex

Of these we have received reports of cult activity (and groups) in at least six. We're pretty sure that if we looked really closely we'd find cult activity in every single IG. Perhaps during the course of the meeting some more of these will come out of the closet!

Secondly (or firstly – we don't have the AGM agenda to hand), and of greater interest perhaps (but directly related to the aforementioned), there will be some discussion of the minority report which has been submitted to the 2012 AA Conference (GB). This is entitled: "To Alcoholics Anonymous from Alcoholics Anonymous - A call for moral inventory and leadership in A.A.".

In summary this comprises the following:

“This document comprises an analytical and critical survey of the Fellowship in 2011, discussing the complex dynamics surrounding current events occurring in the USA, UK and Canada and relating these to past events and to AA Traditions and Concepts.

The discussion begins with two examples of active leadership, one by Bill W. in the 1940s, the other by a committee in Santa Monica California USA, in 1958; it then moves on to include current events. The outcome exposes a hazardous departure from Tradition, serious and growing internal divisions and public concerns. It also exposes a widespread and hazardous misconception in the application of A.A. Traditions. And a situation where neither A.A. Tradition, nor General Warranties of Conference are withstanding in today’s fellowship. This causes us to feel duty bound to place this as a minority report before the UK General Service Conference 2012.

Background

The grounds for submission of a minority report;

The principle of anonymity upheld.

1) The conference procedures are given in the AA Service Handbook for Great Britain section 10-3, 10-4. This can be accessed online at the UK GSO website:

http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/members/index.cfm?PageID=98&DocumentTypeID=21

Concept V explains the criteria and reasons for sending a minority report.

A minority report can be sent by any AA members, at any level in the service structure from A.A. group to Conference.

Concept V states that all minorities should be encouraged to file minority reports whenever they feel that a majority is in considerable error. That they should charge themselves with the actual duty to file a minority report if they consider the issue to be such a grave one that it could affect A.A. as a whole. The main function of a minority report is to protect against the making of a grave error and to restrain those in authority from unjust uses of their power. The well heard minority is therefore our chief protection against an uninformed, misinformed, hasty or angry majority.

The Conference steering committee will decide whether to put the contents of the report and any questions arising from it to conference for discussion.

2) “Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.” (Tradition 12)

It is AA Tradition that the names of those who make submissions of topics /questions to conference are kept confidential. The same principle of anonymity applies to minority reports. It also applies to officially published AA pamphlets and books, the authors are not accredited except for a few titles by Bill W. The names of authors of the report are not accredited since this, according to AA Tradition is irrelevant, the subject matter of the report is what is important. It was co-authored by a number of AA members residing in the UK.

In fellowship”

[Apparently the above has now been circulated to every region in Great Britain shortly to be followed no doubt by distribution to their respective intergroups. Indeed some intergroups are proposing to further disseminate the report to all of their constituent groups so important do they regard its implications for the future of the fellowship in this country (and elsewhere). A number of particularly enthusiastic supporters have even mailed copies to every area in the US and Canada (incidentally under the Traditions this is not only entirely appropriate but even required given the nature and scope of the problem under discussion)].

Finally, of course, a copy can be downloaded here

We trust that you will make the effort to read it – and then take action!

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Prescribed medication issues

2011-11-19T08:47:00.001Z

(extracts from I-Say – Grapevine online forum)

“Medications and AA

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2011-10-06 23:38.

I was on drugs when I joined AA and knew folks who talked like taking any drug, even aspirin, was tantamount to not staying sober. I did not feel I had to agree. I think that part of why AA worked for me was AA people are ordinary folks and non professional and because of this I felt free to only worry about what I could grasp as being true and/or helpful that they shared about such as the 12 steps and all that.

I already knew from experience that it was a very bad idea to take any homespun advice about going off my psychiatric drugs.

I did eventually taper off of the drugs with the help and support of several doctors. I was criticized for that because gossip had it I did not have the support of a doctor. It was true that the idea was controversial among my doctors and the busybodies who knew that were supposed to stay out of that outside controversy too.”

“Getting Off the Roller Coaster

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2011-09-20 15:31.

I just read this article in this month's Grapevine. It always scares me when AA's are told to go off their medications. I am a dual diagnosis with a diagnosis that, like my alcoholism, there is no cure for and will never go away. Thank God I have a sponsor who knows that this is an outside issue, and the tradition that states we have no opinions on outside issues, and always tells me to talk to my doctor.”

“Getting Off the Roller Coaster

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2011-10-03 10:43.

I, too, have a bipolar type II depression and anxiety disorders in addition to my alcoholism. I once had a member of AA tell me that Step 2 was my problem. That God was all or nothing and hinted that I needed medication because I hadn't fully "come to believe." I was devastated but admittedly I was also living in fear of my mental disorders. This fear proved that I did need to focus on steps 2 and 3 more than I was but I do not think that it means I don't need my meds.

The most confusing part of have a dual-diagnosis is that both of them share the same symptoms (anxiety, depression, obsessive thinking, highs and lows of mood, problems with interpersonal and work relationships, etc.) I used to find myself confused and asking "Is this my alcoholism or my bipolar?"

Fortunately, I now have a sponsor who understands what I am going through (my last one did not and told me I didn't need to go to counseling because I was too focused on myself as it was. Her answer was more service work at a time that I couldn't even get myself to take a shower on most days. I no longer resent her - she just didn't get it and she also didn't adhere to the Tradition of having no opinions on outside issues.)

I have learned that if I know I am practising the principles of the program in all of my affairs and I still feel depressed or anxious then it is my bipolar and I need to call my doctor about my meds. And honestly, I can't work my program very well unless my meds are working well first.

In my experience, clinical depression affects my mental and physical abilities to take the action needed to work my program. If I had diabetes and didn't take insulin when needed and went into a diabetic coma, guess what? I wouldn't be able to take the action needed to work my program either.

I can no more "will" myself out of depression than I could "will" my body to produce the proper amount of insulin. Who would tell a diabetic, "Well, if you really had faith in God then you wouldn't need those insulin shots." That is ludicrous!

Ah, but now I feel I am treading on giving my opinion on outside issues so I will end my comment here :)”

“I couldn't agree more

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2011-10-07 15:46.

Thank you for your post, it's well said and comprehensive. I can't stay sober if I don't treat my bipolar disorder and the hardest part is that some days the symptoms of bipolar disorder mimic that of alcoholism. Let's not even talk about how I react to trigger's of trauma. I've spent 12 years without a drink, switching meds, therapists, doctors and sponsors. But I always come back to my sponsor that understands about mental issues, and I now have a therapist who helps me look at MY BARRIERS to the step in the Big Book. He actually pulls it off the shelf and makes me read it out loud and then we discuss what that means to me today. I am so grateful for him. I gave my Psychiatrist the AA Pamphlet 11 - Medication and Other Drugs, as it suggests right in the pamphlet to do, and she was surprised, as none of her patients who she saw had ever done so. I had a major breakdown 6 months ago, but I didn't drink and I didn't drive my car off the road, because AA taught me how to ask for help. I have been in a dual diagnosis treatment center 3-5 days a week at a daytime outpatient program and often find myself educating the staff and other dual-diagnosed people about the principles of the AA program they like to write down on our treatment plans as treatment for alcoholism. It seems most of the clinicians I come across do not have too much knowledge about the true spiritual nature of alcoholism. Many clinicians still talk about medicating the other disorders with alcohol and drugs but don't really understand the spiritual depravity that alcoholics are experiencing because of the alcoholism, drinking or dry. The issue is a very important one that needs to continue to be discussed in forum's just like this. The founder's wrote the very prophetic "more will be revealed" and "we only know a little". The reason this topic is so hot is because there are better medicines to help the "manic-depressive, type of alcoholic, about whom a whole chapter could be written" It was the Grapevine that helped to form the traditions and be a cohesive voice for the fellowship and it seems that this is EXACTLY the forum we should continue to have this type of discussions.

Thank you and all of AA”

“The Roller Coaster article

Submitted on Sun, 2011-09-25 15:28.

I too just listened to this story and found myself getting concerned that the author was taking himself off meds. This is my experience: I suffer from both depression and anxiety. Someone told me as I was coming into recovery that my symptoms were likely caused by alcohol. This always sat under my consciousness and as I came closer to my 2nd year of recovery I decided that I should get off my meds as "they were a crutch" and "of course I could be sober on them but could I do sobriety without relying on them?" Dangerous thinking. I asked my doctor to move me toward stopping the medication. She put me on a program of decreasing doses. I got down to lowest dose and found myself getting depressed and anxious contemplating the next step: nothing. I talked to my sponsor who assured me that many people face need for medications in sobriety for diabetes, high blood pressure, and a host of other ailments-- did I now think that depression wasn't a valid ailment? I asked Higher Power to direct my thinking. I "remembered" that I come from a lineage of depression and that my paternal grandmother killed herself while committed to mental institution and my father had suffered from deep depression and numerous suicide attempts. So I called my doctor and relayed my fears and discomfort. I went back to the next to last dose. So yes, my dose is lower but I still take a medication that helps me keep my brain chemicals in balance. That was almost four years ago. Facing any diseases in addition to alcoholism doesn't mean we are not doing sobriety right. I am grateful for AA and that I am taking care of my body that I had abused for years before recovery.”

Comment: The role of prescribed medication is not only an outside issue for AA as such but also remains beyond the competence of most AA members (ie. apart from those who are additionally in possession of recognised and relevant medical qualifications). Otherwise it is very much the case – MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Some more on sponsorship (and the decline in fellowship numbers) from I-Say

2011-11-16T08:00:00.001Z

“I get so tired and sometimes amused by those who feel their way is the only way to work the program and others ideas are simply not worthy of consideration. When I came to the fellowship, thank God there were those around me who offered love and understanding despite of my early fumbling words. They allowed me to say what I felt at the time and helped me find a way to stay sober without the constant criticisms I see and hear from those who are so sure theirs is the "only" way to stop drinking. I was allowed to "grow" at a pace instead of being told how to do things another’s way which may have gotten me drunk. I was told by an "old timer" to get honest, I WAS honest at that time and was sad to hear that the same"oldtimer" died drunk doing things his way and not listening to anyone but his own voice. Thank God for those who listen and allow others to grow at Gods pace, not theirs.”

“Sponsorship is not a marriage!

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2011-10-07 22:11.

I was told to ask the Higher Power to draw my spirit to the person that was to teach me. I do not need or want a supervisor. My choices on my own didn't work out so well. But that prayer did. I needed someone to teach me how to live and work the steps. That is how I sponsor also. We can change sponsors whenever we want...even without talking to the one we are leaving if that is how we choose to do it. Just stop calling and go to different meetings.

Running someone else's life is inappropriate and has nothing to do with a sponsor's role in AA. My sponsor has 31 years and I am coming up on 22. I ask her advice from time to time, I do my 5th step with her and we pray together. She has done the same with me on occasion.”

“24 hrs a day, growth, "the course"

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2011-08-23 10:35.

I had not realized that there were so many practices by AA groups driving people away from AA, nor that anyone had conducted a world-wide study involving detailed interviews with those who came in and left as to what those practices were. Our traditions suggest that if I am unhappy with my local group's practices, I can call a group conscience to see if others share my concerns; and if they do, we can change how we do things, from what is read before meeting, to what is read during meeting, and whether we hold hands and say the Lord's Prayer at the end of the meeting. If the group does not agree with my views on the way a meeting should be conducted, I can vote with my feet. Personally, I am not a fan of chanting, holding hands, or the 24-hours a day book, and take every opportunity to share at meetings that I do not believe in a "god of anyone's understanding," but I recite the Serenity Prayer, the Lord's Prayer, and the Prayer of St. Francis when I find myself back at the center of a universe revolving around me. I might suggest reading the Traditions and a bit of other AA history to anyone who thinks they have "the answer" for themselves or AA”.

“My Sponsor is very hard on me.

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2011-08-04 00:32.

My Sponsor watches me constantly in meetings, she tells me not to wear certain clothes, not to get in my purse, yells at me all the time. She says I can't trust my thinking or my emotions. She will not let me clean up after meetings or put my name on the newcomer's phone list. I try so hard not to make a mistake,but I always do something wrong. I am on the second step and I keep asking her to help me move forward and work/do the 4th step. She tells me no! I have 14 months of sobriety and I feel worse everyday...I do not want to drink. Thank god for that!!! I am afraid to call anyone else in the program because I do not want to gossip or say anything that would hurt her or anyone else. I am so isolated...what should I do?

I hope everyone here is ok...today!”

[Reply to above]

“My sponsor is hard on me

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2011-08-05 06:42.

Where does it say you need a sponsor to take the steps? If you can read and write well enough to share here, you can read well enough to use the Big Book. (USE, not just read)

Dump that so called sponsor before you get drunk.”

“RE: Growth of Alcoholics Anonymous

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2011-10-04 04:47.

Our chairman of the board of trustees recently wrote in The FINAL REPORT NORTHEAST REGIONAL FORUM [US], concerning the membership numbers: counting numbers is challenging, they have been developed through scientific based surveys and are certainly valid for comparison from one year to the next. He writes that when we look at longer period of time, the lack of growth in membership is clear. Even though it is clear that our fellowship has lost over half a million members worldwide since 1992, and is stagnant at about two million, most AA members come up with reasons that satisfy any concern. I find that most alcoholics are good at denial or justification. The truth is that Alcoholics Anonymous has changed at the group level over the past three decades. Unless we reverse these changes we will continue to spin our wheels, failing hundreds of thousands of suffering alcoholics every year. We have 12 steps, 12 traditions, 12 concepts, and 6 warranties. The BLUNDERS we have made in AA number about 10. To correct these mistakes would cost us nothing in real cash. Our pride is what we must give up. The alcoholic EGO is powerful. I believe it is AA's greatest enemy. The mistakes (all which are reversible) have been covered on I-SAY over the past two years. I will not repeat them here. ENOUGH ALREADY!! ANONYMOUS”

Comment: Think on that!

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Sponsorship? We think not

2011-11-14T07:51:00.001Z

(extract from the Grapevine forum – I-Say)

“Sponsorship

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2011-10-07 05:40.

The sponsorship concept today, added to the incessant chanting, is one of the main reasons AA has become viewed by many as a cult. The general public sees us as a cult because that is what we have become. There are groups where members are told to get a sponsor before you leave the meeting today. Some groups actually assign sponsors to newcomers. Imagine an alcoholic telling another alcoholic what to do! And we have AA members who take a few classes and become AA guru's both in and outside the meetings. One of the very first impressions I had of AA was the sense of freedom I felt. There were no demands, no requirements at all. I was not even ordered to "keep coming back". I was allowed to listen and and become a sober member of AA without any fanfare. In Alcoholics Anonymous we all come together as absolute equals, newcomers, and oldtimers. We need the newcomer as much as he needs us. There is no system of hierarchy or patriarchy. But anyone who attends the AA meeting of today knows that this is only a theory. Today's AA is a system of preachers, teachers, advisors, counselors and guides. Many are under the umbrella of sponsorship. Let's lose that title.”

Comment: Perhaps now would be a good time to stop shooting ourselves in the foot!

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Childish and grandiose – or merely narcissistic? A cult member profile

2011-11-11T09:04:00.001Z

NarcissisticPersonality Disorder

Individualswith this Cluster B personality disorder have an excessive sense ofhow important they are. They demand and expect to be admired andpraised by others and are limited in their capacity to appreciateothers' perspectives.

Diagnosticcriteria for 301.81 Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Apervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behaviour), need foradmiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood andpresent in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) ofthe following:

(1) has agrandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievementsand talents, expects to be recognized as superior withoutcommensurate achievements)

(2) ispreoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance,beauty, or ideal love

(3)believes that he or she is "special" and unique and canonly be understood by, or should associate with, other special orhigh-status people (or institutions)

(4)requires excessive admiration

(5) has asense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especiallyfavourable treatment or automatic compliance with his or herexpectations

(6) isinterpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others toachieve his or her own ends

(7) lacksempathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings andneeds of others

(8) isoften envious of others or believes that others are envious of him orher

(9) showsarrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

AA Police!

2011-11-09T08:37:00.000Z

(eat your heart out Theresa May!)

See pdf for better view

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

(our thanks to our contributor for the above)

How it doesn't work!

2011-11-06T08:38:00.000Z

(Extract from the NATIONAL CLERGY CONFERENCE ON ALCOHOLISM, THE "BLUE BOOK", Vol. 12, 179-210, 1960. Q and A session with AA's co-founder Bill Wilson)

“ …...[AA]'s first step was derived largely from my own physician, Dr. Silkworth, and my sponsor Ebby and his friend, from Dr, Jung of Zurich. I refer to the medical hopelessness of alcoholism -- our "powerlessness" over alcohol.

The rest of the Twelve Steps stem directly from those Oxford Group teachings that applied specifically to us. Of course these teachings were nothing new; we might have obtained them from your own Church. They were, in effect, an examination of conscience, confession, restitution, helpfulness to others, and prayer.

Before the Twelve Steps were written, these ideas were circulated in some six "word of mouth" steps. I don’t remember that anybody in particular formulated these. If this formulation was the work of some one person, he merely stated in our language what we had already learned from the Oxford Groups. When the Twelve Steps were written, it was thought wise to further define and amplify these basic ideas. That is the substance of it, as well as I can recollect. I have no recollection of the person you have described.

In passing I should acknowledge our great debt to the Oxford Group people. It was fortunate that they laid particular emphasis on spiritual principles that we needed. But in fairness it should also be said that many of their attitudes and practices did not work well at all for us alcoholics. These were rejected one by one and they caused our later withdrawal from this society to a fellowship of our own -- today's Alcoholics Anonymous.

….....perhaps I should specifically outline why we felt it necessary to part company with them. To begin with, the climate of their undertaking was not well suited to us alcoholics. They were aggressively evangelical, they sought to revitalize the Christian message in such a way as to "change the world." Most of us alcoholics had been subjected to pressure of evangelism and we never liked it. The object of saving the world -- when it was still very much in doubt if we could save ourselves -- seemed better left to other people. By reason of some of its terminology and by exertion of huge pressure, the Oxford Group set a moral stride that was too fast, particularly for our newer alcoholics. They constantly talked of Absolute Purity, Absolute Unselfishness, Absolute Honesty, and Absolute Love. While sound theology must always have its absolute values, the Oxford Groups created the feeling that one should arrive at these destinations in short order, maybe by next Thursday! Perhaps they didn't mean to create such an impression but that was the effect. Sometimes their public "witnessing" was of such a character to cause us to be shy. They also believed that by "converting" prominent people to their beliefs, they would hasten the salvation of many who were less prominent. This attitude could scarcely appeal to the average drunk since he was anything but distinguished.

The Oxford Group also had attitudes and practices which added up to a highly coercive authority. This was exercised by "teams" of older members. They would gather in meditation and receive specific guidance for the life conduct of newcomers. This guidance could cover all possible situations from the most trivial to the most serious. If the directions so obtained were not followed, the enforcement machinery began to operate. It consisted of a sort of coldness and aloofness which made recalcitrants feel they weren't wanted. At one time, for example, a "team" got guidance for me to the effect that I was no longer to work with alcoholics. This I could not accept.

Another example: When I first contacted the Oxford Groups, Catholics were permitted to attend their meetings because they were strictly non-denominational. But after a time the Catholic Church forbade its members to attend and the reason for this seemed a good one. Through the Oxford Group "teams," Catholic Church members were actually receiving specific guidance for their lives; they were often infused with the idea that their Church had become rather horse-and-buggy, and needed to be "changed." Guidance was frequently given that contributions should be made to the Oxford Groups. In a way this amounted to putting Catholics under a separate ecclesiastical jurisdiction. At this time there were few Catholics in our alcoholic groups. Obviously we could not approach any more Catholics under Oxford Group auspices. Therefore this was another, and the basic reason for the withdrawal of our alcoholic crowd from the Oxford Groups notwithstanding our great debt to them.”

(our emphases)

Comment: Any of the above sound familiar? eg. “aggressively evangelical”, “coercive authority”, “specific guidance for the life conduct of newcomers” etc. It would seem that if the cult had been “running the show” back then AA would not even exist now. Think on that!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

The Plymouth Road to Recovery cult group in action

2011-11-03T06:32:00.000Z

“Hi Guys

I have recently returned to London after an extended stay in Wayne's World otherwise known as Plymouth....

I was already aware of the activities of the cult through experience in London but nothing had prepared me for what I experienced in Plymouth. The "Roadies", as they are known in AA proper, have an almost complete stranglehold on AA in that city. The meetings are the most central and best attended...row upon row of glassy eyed smartly dressed ranks of the "happy, joyous and free".... Stage management is very evident with strict control emanating from the top table and those who occupy the reserved seats at the front. The Chairs follow a set pattern as do those who are selected to "share" back. The "shares" follow the same script. The same spiel delivered in a monotone over and over. For someone used to the endearingly chaotic shambles of London AA it was all very surreal and highly disturbing.

I know you are more than aware of the various things that have gone on in Plymouth from other information I have read on the site. What really disturbed me though was the effect this whole thing was having on AA proper. The whole Roadie debate tended to dominate meetings. Roadies have infiltrated mainstream meetings and sit there expounding their set format message, the result is that half the room disappear outside and the rest stay in and get combative which totally dominates the sharing. So anyone needing to get support from a genuine AA meeting where identification is possible is likely to be disappointed. Roadies were miraculously managing to appear in the Chair at mainstream meetings with surprising regularity. Part of this is due to the fact that there was a mass walk out when the self styled cult leader Wayne fell off his perch (as is public knowledge, he got one of his sponsees pregnant despite his occupation of the moral high ground for some considerable time. Neither his wife nor his followers were best pleased by this.) Those people who walked out joined mainstream meetings or set up new ones under different names but their mindset is still firmly Roadie in character and so the poison continues to be spread.

Also mainstream AA is now almost entirely apathetic. Few people can be bothered to oppose Roadie nominations to Intergroup and so almost all service positions are now occupied by Roadie disciples. So, take the H&I position...Johnny is a through and through Roadie. He gets calls from well meaning treatment centres for example looking to have "AA" come in and talk to inmates... So the Roadie cavalry arrive, expounding the Roadie themes that treatment centres are bad and doctors know nothing. They offer to take clients to meetings - how very kind. No prizes for guessing which meetings they get taken to. One of the main treatment centres is Longreach, part of the Broadreach group. Now Broadreach as an organisation are no longer 12 Step and are seriously dubious about involvement with AA. Broadreach experienced problems with the Roadies some years back involving coercing people into leaving treatment. A new manager at Longreach, which deals with women with very complex needs, was keen to get AA back in. Unfortunately, she contacted the office and was put on to Johnny who of course brought in his friends from Roads. They started the down the well worn path of presenting their form of "recovery" as being the only thing that works.... The manager had acted in good faith and it was thanks to an AA member who works there and a client with a long involvement in AA that she was put in the picture and no longer giving clients permission to attend Roads meetings. Had they not been there, no one would have been any the wiser as they were seeing clients with no staff present.

There were other quite chilling developments going on. A newcomer arrived at a "mainstream" meeting but quickly became flustered and said she had to leave as she had come to the "wrong" meeting. It seems she was attending meetings as a condition of her probation. Somehow, the Roadies have managed to get the probation service to agree only to consider Roads to Recovery meetings as being "suitable" for those on probation.

There are many other examples including of course the old chestnut of medication. I was watching a woman with complex needs going rapidly into decline before my eyes after she responded to her sponsor's insistence that while on medication she was not sober. I challenged high ranking Roadies on this issue they said "all we do is tell people to go to their doctor and tell them they want to stop their medication". Even if this is all they are doing, and I know it does not stop there at all, it is still completely wrong to be casting any judgement whatsoever on people's use of prescribed medication. It creates a feeling that use of medication is a sign of moral weakness and this is often too much for people who are already prone to self stigmatise to bear and they give in to pressure, subliminal or overt. A lady I met in mainstream AA works at the A&E in Derriford hospital. She told me how often she sees the casualties of the Roadie dogma appearing after relapse and/or suicide attempts.

Ex Roadies also told me of how they were "shunned" when deciding to attend mainstream meetings. They reported receiving abusive phone calls and being harassed in the street.

Overall I found the Roadies to be quite sinister in character. They are well organised and they appeared to be using very successfully the standard cult techniques of seeking out vulnerable people and "love bombing" them, strategically placing their members in important positions in the AA structure and infiltrating mainstream meetings, They are a well oiled PR machine and operate using a level of control that is on some level very impressive but on another, deeply worrying.

Vulnerable people are being systematically put at risk by these people. Why is York allowing them still to use the AA name when they so blatantly breach the Traditions over and over again? Groups are indeed autonomous but not if there is a wider effect on AA unity. This has the potential to do lasting and irreparable damage to AA. It is already affecting AA's reputation with mental health professionals who are no longer suggesting to their patients that they might find help in AA. How much more damaging does it need to get?

A”

Comment: Some good questions being raised here – we wonder if they will elicit any answers - and more importantly any action! Whatever AA's response might be you can be quite sure that aacultwatch will not be sitting idly by. More to follow on this......

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

(our thanks to our reporter for their contribution)

Which Big Book? AA's or the cult's?

2011-10-30T13:57:00.000Z

AComparison of Step 3 from David C Icons so-called”big bookrecovery“ website

with thebook Alcoholics Anonymous

David C Icons/Jim W’s website	Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
This is a decision to go on with the program and the practical consequences are that we decide to do the other steps and try to behave in accordance with the spiritual principles of honesty, unselfishness, love and purity, (the 4 Absolutes of the Oxford Group cult) and that we will follow the guidance of our sponsors.	Not in the Big Book. No mention of having to follow the 4 Absolutes or having to follow the guidance of a sponsor, or any other person. N. B. Remember the words of the Big Book itself. “To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book.” (AA; page xiv - foreward to the 1st Edition.) In other words - if something isn’t precisely there in the book, it wasn’t meant to be there.
If we have followed all the suggestions given in the before, and are ready to follow all that our sponsor suggests further, then we can answer this question with a firm, ‘Yes’. (As we said before, for most of us, we learn to trust our Higher Power by first placing our trust in our sponsor.)	Not in the Big Book. No mention of having to follow a list of Daily Suggestions, or any other daily quota of tasks, prior to taking step 3. Again no mention of having to follow what a sponsor suggests or what anyone else suggests. No mention of having to “trust” any human being or human power, sponsor or otherwise.
And then we read out the prayer, while on our knees.	Not in the Big Book. No mention of any specific body posture required to say/read 3^rd step prayer, or indeed any other prayer found in the book.
This step was better done with a sponsor Misrepresentation of the Big Book. Taking Step 3 with someone other than a sponsor is not mentioned as an option in the website. Misrepresentation of the Big Book. Taking Step 3 alone is not mentioned as an option in the website. It must be done with a sponsor	Not in the Big Book. The actual text says “We found it very desirable to take this spiritual step with an understanding person, such as our wife, best friend, or spiritual advise. But it is better to meet God alone than with one who might misunderstand…” (page 63) (for example, a sponsor may not understand my conception of a God who does not require kneeling, or other matters pertaining to personal faith, custom and culture.)
We do not retake Step Three as we go through the programmer	Not in the Big Book There is no clear instruction in the Big Book that we cannot retake Step 3 if we desire to do so.
Omission of the fact that the Big Book says that many used the prayer, thus implying that there were those who did not, yet were still included in the fellowship (Many of us, but not all of us). Omission of the option of using another prayer, or different wording, is not allowed in the website. Again misrepresenting the actual Big Book text, which allows for individuals to follow their own conscience.	Many of us said to our Maker, as we understood Him… (page 63) The wording was, of course, quite optional so long as we expressed the idea.. (page 63)

(ourthanks to this contributor for their analysis)

Cheers

TheFellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

"To Alcoholics Anonymous from Alcoholics Anonymous - A call for moral inventory and leadership in A.A."

2011-10-27T06:51:00.000+01:00

Quote from an email currently in circulation (together with pdf attachment - see below for download link):

"To whom it may concern,

Attached is a copy of a minority report submitted for consideration by AA Conference (GB 2012).

Summary:

To Alcoholics Anonymous from Alcoholics Anonymous - A call for moral inventory and leadership in A.A.

This document comprises an analytical and critical survey of the Fellowship in 2011, discussing the complex dynamics surrounding current events occurring in the USA, UK and Canada and relating these to past events and to AA Traditions and Concepts.

The discussion begins with two examples of active leadership, one by Bill W. in the 1940s, the other by a committee in Santa Monica California USA, in 1958; it then moves on to include current events. The outcome exposes a hazardous departure from Tradition, serious and growing internal divisions and public concerns. It also exposes a widespread and hazardous misconception in the application of A.A. Traditions. And a situation where neither A.A. Tradition, nor General Warranties of Conference are withstanding in today’s fellowship. This causes us to feel duty bound to place this as a minority report before the UK General Service Conference 2012.

Background

The grounds for submission of a minority report;
The principle of anonymity upheld.

1) The conference procedures are given in the AA Service Handbook for Great Britain section 10-3, 10-4. This can be accessed online at the UK GSO website:

http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/members/index.cfm?PageID=98&DocumentTypeID=21

Concept V explains the criteria and reasons for sending a minority report.

A minority report can be sent by any AA members, at any level in the service structure from A.A. group to Conference.

The Conference steering committee will decide whether to put the contents of the report and any questions arising from it to conference for discussion.

2) “Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.” (Tradition 12)

In fellowship

......"

Comment: A useful analysis of the challenge presented by cult groups within the Fellowship both in Great Britain and North America

Enjoy the read!

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

(our usual thanks to our reporters)

Medications and AA II

2011-10-25T07:50:00.000+01:00

“Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 2011-10-09 08:13.

“Two months before I got sober I was hospitalized for two weeks, diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder/manic depression. I convinced my doctors that I was just an ACOA blowing off steam and got off of medication. I went on a wild bender and soon wound up in AA.

About 18 months into sobriety I was hospitalized again, this time for six weeks. Thank God for the support of my AA friends through that ordeal. My then sponsor accused me of 'chewing my booze'. I put her name on the "do not want to see list' and she wasn't allowed in to see me. I later fired her and got another sponsor.

I was discharged and have been on Lithium ever since (22 years). For me, managing my mental illness is crucial to my sobriety and staying sober is crucial to managing my manic depression. I have had only one hospitalization since and that was after breast cancer surgery. I was hospitalized for one week and had a second surgery, to clear the margins, during that stay.

My doctors, especially my psychiatrist, are wholly supportive of my sobriety and we work together to keep me healthy.

I used to carry around the pamphlet, 'AA Members Medication and other Drugs'. I'd read the section about AA having no opinion, that it's between the member and their doctors, at meetings, when so called old-timers would bash people for taking prescribed medications, painkillers, psych drugs etc. I know it was helpful to the confused member on medication. They came up to me after the meeting and thanked me. I have sponsored a few of them.

I have been sober for over 24 years and have been on medication for 22 of those years. I know that without my medication, my sobriety would be nonexistent today. And, staying sober allows me to manage my mental illness.

I am so grateful for the tools of the program, especially the Grapevine. Several years ago there was in issue called The Forgotten Chapter with stories about members with mental illness. I still have that issue and read it when I need to be reminded that I am not unique in AA.

Keep up the good work”

Above is an extract from the AA Grapevine site (the US based magazine) – the I-Say forum. This production is generally much punchier than Share (GB) with some really lively discussion both in the articles and in the forum.

Check out these links: http://www.aagrapevine.org/forums/i-say-forum and this link for editorial policy: http://www.aagrapevine.org/index.php?q=forum-policy

Comment: A shrewd member indeed, 'launching' their sponsor at the first sign of authoritarianism! Are you having problems with your sponsor? Are they getting a bit pushy? Have they become increasingly childish and grandiose? Are they becoming interfering and intrusive? Solution – show them the DOOR!

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Medications and AA

2011-10-24T11:38:00.000+01:00

“I was driven away from AA (or so I thought) by my first sponsor and first home group. I was taking a desperately needed antidepressant, without which I had already been hospitalized. My sponsor "fired" me and my home group said I couldn't do service work.

Despite this abrupt dismissal, I searched for AA's ideas about prescribed medications. To my relief, I learned AA had no policy against these medications; in fact, they allowed their use if used as prescribed. Only my doctor and counselor can advise me on medication use -- AA groups who prohibit participation in AA when the only requirement is a "desire to stop drinking" can do harm and -- sometimes -- force depressed individuals into suicide. This is not what AA is about ... AA should help and accept those who try to maintain sobriety.

I found most other groups I visited had no prohibition against antidepressants. In fact, when directly and honestly addressed, other members say they use them but are reluctant to admit it in AA rooms.

I have been sober and actively participated in AA meetings, speaking in hospital settings, and taking my medication as prescribed for more than 2 years now. I think my greatest service to AA is to declare my thanks for the AA stance on these medications. I do that, making no secret of my antidepressant use. I do a lot of service work and sponsor people, some of whom need medications to stay sober.

What could have happened to me when I was fired by my first home group and sponsor could have had a much different ending. If I had stopped my medication (as demanded by that sponsor), I don't know if I could have continued in AA, or if I would be alive today, for that matter.

We in AA should aspire to help other alcoholics. We are not there to dabble in matters that don't concern us. We shouldn't negatively affect others' sobriety with our laymen's "wisdom" on medications. People with treated depression can be productive members of AA; others who try to meddle in our lives do so at their own peril. If a life is lost because of meddling, I hope there is room enough in your amends -- and in God's heaven -- for you. Rejoice in having a sober AA brother or sister, regardless of the circumstances that brought them their sobriety.”

Comment: Above is an extract from the AA Grapevine site (the US based magazine for AA) – the I-Say forum. Maybe Share would like to introduce the same facility in Great Britain!

Check out these links: http://www.aagrapevine.org/forums/i-say-forum and this link for editorial policy: http://www.aagrapevine.org/index.php?q=forum-policy

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Newbury Design for Living (affiliated with the Wimbledon Design for Living group)

2011-10-22T12:04:00.000+01:00

It would seem that the above group is in a state of suspended animation. According to the online update the venue itself is closed although other sources indicate that this is not the case. However don't be at all surprised if it should resurface - properly rebranded of course! The Wimbledon branch however is still going strong although we might say that one of its attendees has been rather economical with the truth. Despite the fact that we were told by this person that only conference approved literature was on display we found on our last visit that alongside this was a whole load of other stuff - booklets, pamphlets, even CDs (no doubt the production of some eminent “circuit speakers” plying their trade), some of which carried the imprimatur of the Wimbledon Design for Living Group. But then of course variety is the spice of life! (assuming that there is no 'poison' intermixed!)

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

(our usual thanks to our reporters)