27/03/10
Updates on cult groups: Essex - Chelmsford
ESSEX
Chelmsford: Recovery
Friday 19.00 Chelmsford Cathedral Learning Centre, The Cathedral Office, New St.
Chelmsford: Broomfield Hospital
Friday 19.00 Chelmsford Cathedral Learning Centre, The Cathedral Office, New St.
Chelmsford: Broomfield Hospital
Thursday 20.00 Medical Academic Unit, Broomfield Hospital, Court Rd
It's somewhat worrying to see that a cult group has set up in a medical unit - in some respects this might be an entirely appropriate location for this particular gang - but given their stance on the use of prescribed medication, and on counselling generally (ie. anti) we wonder if the hospital is aware of their activities. Maybe someone should have a word....
The Fellas
(usual thanks extended)
26/03/10
Updates on cult groups: Essex
Witham: Big Book Recovery
Sunday 18.00 Methodist Church Hall, Guithavon St.
Sunday 18.00 Methodist Church Hall, Guithavon St.
28/09/08
Cult experiences from Essex
A contribution from that area demonstrating the dangers of a 'personality driven' Fellowship.
Quote:
"Alan M does indeed have a brother called Steve and they are a fearsome looking pair. I suspect your information may be somewhat dated, though. Steve and Alan were part of the original group which started Goodmayes 'Altered Attitudes' in June 2001 and there were then a few other men (one of whom was Alan's sponsor) who could have passed for 'bouncers' at that time. However, Alan became a drugs and alcohol counsellor and at some point got involved with the Joys/Vision branches of the cult. He is known in many parts of London. I don't know when the Kent lot got involved. Alan remains very close to the Sidcup lot. Steve and the rest of the original Altered Attitudes group didn't like what was happening and left and, as far as I know, have little or nothing to do with him now. Steve sadly got involved with the awful John Mc C, a one-man cult, to whom I referred in my first message; he subsequently went completely nuts and has struggled to stay sober ever since. I have hardly seen him in the last few years. He's pretty scary, but in ways one might expect from a suffering alcoholic.
I would suggest that Alan (or Big Al as he is also known) is far more dangerous now than in 2001; he has learned to be far more subtle for one thing. He recruits (very selectively) from among his clients at work and is the undisputed guru of Barking Big Book Study and Goodmayes Altered Attitudes. There is only one way to interpret the Big Book and that is Alan's - and some of his interpretations are skewed to say the least. He has no sponsor himself. His sponsees are the ones who go to Intergroup these days. Alan has learned how to use other people to achieve what he wants. He has a girlfriend, Tracey, who is also one of his sponsees. He has done a fantastic job on her. She now tends to sponsor most of the women who come in. She does everything exactly the way Alan does - she even sounds like him when she shares. They constantly emphasise their "great discovery" - that alcoholism isn't really about drinking, it is a mental illness, and while you can be sober you can never, ever be sane; that the Fellowship at large do not want to know this, and every single thought, drunk or sober, in an alcoholic's head is part of the illness - unless one is 'close to God', because God is the only relief. Nothing you think is right; it has to be sick. Unless you are constantly taking inventory and admitting how mentally ill you are all the time, you are not working the Programme, according to them. If you are on prescribed medication and continue to take it, then you clearly do not trust God and are resisting their noble efforts to help you find 'Him'. Depressives can be hard to deal with; Tracey gets fed up and turns on them. Whilst she doesn't openly 'sack' them, she becomes colder, nastier and more and more unavailable to them until they give up and go away. To challenge any of this is merely to show them how very mentally ill you are. And Tracey is also training to become a drug and alcohol counsellor....as are at least two of her sponsees, now. She is all about 'smashing the ego', no matter what. If a woman happens to be more educated or better looking or to have achieved professional success, their ego must be in need of wholesale destruction. Quite a few women give up and leave. Or lie down underneath trains. So much for an all powerful, loving God who can restore us all to sanity."
I would suggest that Alan (or Big Al as he is also known) is far more dangerous now than in 2001; he has learned to be far more subtle for one thing. He recruits (very selectively) from among his clients at work and is the undisputed guru of Barking Big Book Study and Goodmayes Altered Attitudes. There is only one way to interpret the Big Book and that is Alan's - and some of his interpretations are skewed to say the least. He has no sponsor himself. His sponsees are the ones who go to Intergroup these days. Alan has learned how to use other people to achieve what he wants. He has a girlfriend, Tracey, who is also one of his sponsees. He has done a fantastic job on her. She now tends to sponsor most of the women who come in. She does everything exactly the way Alan does - she even sounds like him when she shares. They constantly emphasise their "great discovery" - that alcoholism isn't really about drinking, it is a mental illness, and while you can be sober you can never, ever be sane; that the Fellowship at large do not want to know this, and every single thought, drunk or sober, in an alcoholic's head is part of the illness - unless one is 'close to God', because God is the only relief. Nothing you think is right; it has to be sick. Unless you are constantly taking inventory and admitting how mentally ill you are all the time, you are not working the Programme, according to them. If you are on prescribed medication and continue to take it, then you clearly do not trust God and are resisting their noble efforts to help you find 'Him'. Depressives can be hard to deal with; Tracey gets fed up and turns on them. Whilst she doesn't openly 'sack' them, she becomes colder, nastier and more and more unavailable to them until they give up and go away. To challenge any of this is merely to show them how very mentally ill you are. And Tracey is also training to become a drug and alcohol counsellor....as are at least two of her sponsees, now. She is all about 'smashing the ego', no matter what. If a woman happens to be more educated or better looking or to have achieved professional success, their ego must be in need of wholesale destruction. Quite a few women give up and leave. Or lie down underneath trains. So much for an all powerful, loving God who can restore us all to sanity."
23/08/08
A contribution from an EX AA member - thanks to the cult in Essex!
Quote:
"Such are my feelings about AA at present that this is very hard to write - but I need to let you know that the personalities, influences and practices of both the Kent (aka Primary Purpose) and the Vision/Joys lot are very much at work in these groups also : Barking Big Book Study: The Way Out (Saturday 8pm); Goodmayes Altered Attitudes (Tuesday 8pm); Winchmore Hill Beginners (Friday 8pm - a 2 hour meeting at which no one bar "experienced members" is allowed to share)and to a lesser extent, Winchmore Hill: There Is a Solution (Monday 8pm). I have extensive personal experience of these groups and as a result, have now left AA (sober but appalled and hurt). Having read what you, the Orange Papers and All Addictions have to say about cults etc I am forced to conclude that much of it fits these groups and their so called sponsorship/organisation/treatment of newcomers etc. Barking and Goodmayes refer to themselves as 'Real AA', 'Strong AA' etc and are disparaging of 'fellowship' meetings which are 'sick' and full of people who 'do not know what they are suffering from'; (meanwhile other local AA groups refer to them as the Taliban...). There is only one thing worse and that is the persistent and pernicious activity of a man (Scottish, 'recovered alcoholic') who runs 12 Step weekends from Aylesford Convent (at a cost to participants) and his home in Herts. He has tried to attach himself to all of these groups at some point but at least they won't put up with his behaviour (coercive, abusive and potentially fatal to desperate men and vulnerable women) - but he is about the only thing that makes them look good. Hope this is of use."
02/06/08
Reports from Chelmsford (sources self-identified)
“Thought you'd be interested. We have little pockets of cultishness in this neck of the woods - two groups in Chelmsford and two in Southend - four groups out of 50 in the Essex intergroup, so eight per cent. But they haven't got much of a foothold yet (e.g. no IG oficers). But as we know, "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance", so we'll keep an eye on them!”
”The main Essex cult group meets in Chelmsford on Friday night (can't remember new venue, but not to be confused with mainstream Hall Street group). It uses an obscure text from Akron as its Preamble, is strong on sponsorship, tells newcomers they won't get sober unless they find God - of the group's understanding! - and has sandwiches and drinks after the meeting. Until recently it groomed newcomers who made their first contact with AA after being taxied to local meetings from the Chelmsford Priory treatment centre. Attendance at AA meetings was mandatory as part of the contract for problem drinkers at the Priory. However …. recently a new director has taken over and now patients are just encouraged to attend AA. They have to ask to go to a meeting and a taxi is ordered for them. This has resulted in a sharp drop in numbers arriving in the rooms from the Priory and my "spy" tells me the cult is getting agitated about their supply of converts drying up and has been holding panicky "conscience" meetings about how to infiltrate other groups.
The cultish activities centre around John C and his cronies. John C was "converted" by Dan B, an American AA member over here in the 80s, and their great hero is Clarence Snyder. Fortunately we have a critical mass of old-timers in this area who are a powerful counterweight to the fanatics. Also, a number of ex-cult devotees became disillusioned and uncomfortable with the hardline approach and now speak out against cult activities. Cult members started a group at Maldon a couple of years ago and applied for IG membership, which was refused when they had to admit to IG meeting that members were required to study the Big Book between meetings ... and bring paper and pencil to meetings so they could be "instructed" in the Programme!”
”The main Essex cult group meets in Chelmsford on Friday night (can't remember new venue, but not to be confused with mainstream Hall Street group). It uses an obscure text from Akron as its Preamble, is strong on sponsorship, tells newcomers they won't get sober unless they find God - of the group's understanding! - and has sandwiches and drinks after the meeting. Until recently it groomed newcomers who made their first contact with AA after being taxied to local meetings from the Chelmsford Priory treatment centre. Attendance at AA meetings was mandatory as part of the contract for problem drinkers at the Priory. However …. recently a new director has taken over and now patients are just encouraged to attend AA. They have to ask to go to a meeting and a taxi is ordered for them. This has resulted in a sharp drop in numbers arriving in the rooms from the Priory and my "spy" tells me the cult is getting agitated about their supply of converts drying up and has been holding panicky "conscience" meetings about how to infiltrate other groups.
The cultish activities centre around John C and his cronies. John C was "converted" by Dan B, an American AA member over here in the 80s, and their great hero is Clarence Snyder. Fortunately we have a critical mass of old-timers in this area who are a powerful counterweight to the fanatics. Also, a number of ex-cult devotees became disillusioned and uncomfortable with the hardline approach and now speak out against cult activities. Cult members started a group at Maldon a couple of years ago and applied for IG membership, which was refused when they had to admit to IG meeting that members were required to study the Big Book between meetings ... and bring paper and pencil to meetings so they could be "instructed" in the Programme!”
