A little while ago someone suggested to us that we produce a synopsis of what this site is all about. So here goes....
First we refer you to the Some Background page of the site - that pretty well sums up what our aim is. But since our efforts are increasingly directed towards helping to ensure newcomers to AA are not misled about either the Fellowship or the programme, it makes sense that they be as well informed as possible. And so to that end...
Firstly - the reliable sources of information:
The first online resource available to anyone new to AA is the official website (Great Britain):
Note: there is NO other official website for the Fellowship in Great Britain.
Apart from all the useful (and non-controversial) information made available here (eg. listing of conference approved literature (including the AA booklet on sponsorship), meetings, general stats etc) there is an online version of the book Alcoholic Anonymous (4th ed). We draw your attention to this book specifically because it is described as the "basic text of our Society". It contains a detailed description of the 12 Step Recovery Programme together with a listing (in both short and long forms) of the guiding principles of our Fellowship - the 12 Traditions. In our view anyone with a thorough grasp of its contents will gain a good understanding of how to stay sober, and, furthermore, how to relate to other members of AA. This publication (together with other conference approved works) forms the basis upon which ANYONE may recover if they wish to use the method described.
And now the unreliable sources of information:
Unfortunately there has developed within AA a movement which we describe as a "cult" whose members represent an extremist and dogmatic tendency, and who advocate both a programme of recovery and a form of fellowship, which bear little resemblance to anything contained either in the above text, or the principles contained within the Traditions.
These extremist groups and members have sought through a variety of means to propagate a message which cannot be reconciled with these guidelines. Their methods include the introduction of literature (pamphlets, books, worksheets, websites etc) which purport to represent the AA programme but which diverge widely from its principles. These misrepresentations vary from - shall we say - an 'over-creative' interpretation of AA literature to downright lies. This warped perspective had led, amongst other abuses, to discrimination against dual diagnosis members (see below), those who are prescribed medication as a means of managing their co-existing psychological problems (however these may manifest), on the ground that such people will be “unable to recover” whilst they are still using these prescribed drugs. There is evidence, too, that newcomers are being put under pressure to discontinue other therapies such as counselling, this also being regarded as some kind of “obstacle” to recovery. One of the main mechanisms by which these “suggestions” are conveyed is via sponsorship, a function which has become devalued in the hands of cult members, shifting from a form of service determined purely by the principle of “enlightened altruism” to that of a manipulative and abusive power relationship (or even its mildest manifestation - co-dependency). We refer you to the chapter “Working with Others” in the book Alcoholics Anonymous as a guide to how AA members should relate to someone new to the Fellowship, and how they might introduce them to the recovery programme
The rationale for this authoritarian perspective is founded upon assertions (usually unsubstantiated) that AA has "lost its way", the AA message has become "diluted", and that this is reflected in falling recovery rates, and a retardation in the growth of AA membership. A number of "explanations" are advanced in support of these views. These are variously:
1) that AA has strayed from its fundamental principles (here reference is frequently made to the Oxford Group (previously known as "a First Century Christian Fellowship") - a movement set up in 1921 and attended by some of those who later came to form AA. The 12 Step programme is, in part, derived from some of the principles proposed by this Christian movement. Note: according to AA traditions we are not allied with any outside organisations, which would include such religious institutions, past and present.
2) that recovery rates have fallen since the early days of the Fellowship, and this is a direct consequence of a “diluted” AA message. Here reference is usually made to that section (misquoted) of the Foreword to the Second Edition of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous":
"50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement."
From this it would appear that a 75% recovery rate was the norm at the time, and the cult then goes on to contrast this with the alleged extant low recovery rates (again usually misquoted or misinterpreted) as a support for their argument. However, they usually omit (and we believe quite deliberately) a small but key qualification to these figures, a short phrase which precedes the above quote viz. "Of alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried,.....". From this it is quite clear that the above percentages refer only to those who "really tried...", and not to every single person who ever came to AA. And so, for the sake of argument, if one were to estimate that only 20 per cent of those who attended AA fell into the "really tried" category (however one might define "really tried" - a problematic area in itself) then this would mean that the 75% rate would apply only to this subset of 20% ie. 15% of the total population. (We refer you to here for a more detailed analysis of recovery rates). From this study we can discern no evidence that recovery rates have fallen over time and therefore their argument fails.
3) that the AA message has become "diluted" because more AA members come into the Fellowship via treatment centres and therefore AA meetings have turned into "group therapy" sessions rather than occasions where the AA message is communicated. We refer you to the AA preamble which is generally read out at the beginning of any AA meeting (if something else is read out at the commencement of the meeting then perhaps you're not in an AA meeting). This starts as follows:
"ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism."
This would seem to be a fairly unambiguous statement as to the purpose of AA, and, therefore, the goal of any meeting which uses this preamble. It does not, however, dictate how this message should be carried ie. style, content, format, with or without artistic licence etc - this is left to the discretion of those who attend the meeting. It is, however, the responsibility of those who have found a solution to present this to those who have not as yet found it, but again the fashion in which this takes place is very much up to the individual. Some guidance on this is given in the book 'Alcoholics Anonymous', in the chapter "Working with Others". We leave it to you to read this section if you wish, and draw whatever conclusions you will. None of these suggestions, however, includes a dogmatic approach, or assigns to any member of AA the right to direct, control, threaten, manipulate, or otherwise abuse any other member of AA - “no lectures to be endured” etc.
4) that attendees at AA meetings might not be “alcoholic” but rather "problem drinkers", "alcohol abusers", "alcohol misusers" etc. and therefore they do not need to apply the principles of recovery so rigorously because they do not face the same consequences as "real alcoholics", and therefore their message of recovery does not carry the same weight. This may well be the case but since one of the more significant factors which stands in the way of recovery is that of denial it is probably better that AA is open to anyone who thinks they might have a drink problem rather than seek to pre-screen those who do not neatly fit the "profile". There are, moreover, problems consequent upon such a policy ie. who decides who is an alcoholic? We prefer the current approach - self diagnosis.
5) that the AA message has become "garbled" because there are more people joining AA nowadays who are dual addicted - in other words, they may introduce matters relating to addictions other than alcoholism to the content of the meeting. However, if they have a “desire to stop drinking" they are eligible for membership, and this solely upon the basis of a self diagnosis. Again we refer you to the preamble, which clearly states the purpose of AA, and which we repeat, is read out at the beginning of every AA meeting.
6) that the message is becoming "distorted" by those members who attend the meetings who are "dual diagnosis" ie. dual diagnosis refers to the situation where an individual has two conditions to deal with: an addiction and a co-existing psychological (serious) disorder. Again we refer you to the Preamble. Furthermore this matter is dealt with directly in Chapter Five: How it Works. We leave it to you to discover the relevant section.
All of the above alibis are variously employed to justify the dogma propagated by advocates of the cult programme, and their members' controlling sponsorship styles. This intrusive approach is further rationalised under Step Twelve: “.....and to practice these principles in all our affairs”. This statement indicates that recovery extends far beyond merely observing physical abstinence from alcohol but includes an entire transformation of one's life style. However, there is nothing to suggest in any of the AA literature that this requires the services of an overseer (human power) to manage the process. Indeed, the cult, through its elevation of the sponsorship role to a form of what can only be described as 'idolatry”, subverts that most important principle of AA – a reliance upon “a Power greater than ourselves”, and, furthermore, as it is made abundantly clear in the second of the three pertinent ideas listed in Chapter Five: “b): That probably NO HUMAN POWER could have relieved our alcoholism” (our emphases).
We mentioned that the official AA website includes a meeting search engine. There are no vetting procedures (quite rightly) to determine which meetings should be included in these searches. However, a number of those included in the list are what we describe as cult meetings run by cult groups, those who advocate the approach indicated above. The aacultwatch site carries a list of some of the identified cult meetings so that AA members may have some kind of forewarning of what to expect should they choose to attend one.
We would remind all AA members that there is only ONE membership requirement – a desire to stop drinking, and that is determined by the individual concerned, and NO ONE ELSE.
Finally:
- Using prescribed medication is NOT an obstacle to recovery. Dual diagnosis members are just as capable as anyone else of recovering.
- Receiving counselling is NOT an obstacle to recovery.
- How you arrive in AA is not important (whether it be via prison, hospital, detox, treatment centre, off the street, your mansion in Mayfair etc – it's WHY YOU STAY that counts!
- Sponsorship is neither necessary nor essential for recovery – see the Appendix 'Spiritual Experience' for the “essentials” - we would go so far as to say that in cult hands 'sponsorship' is a major hindrance to finding a solution to the alcohol problem.
- No one is OBLIGED to do ANYTHING by ANYONE in AA.
- If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself lumbered with a sponsor who thinks otherwise then say “bye bye” and find someone sane!
Cheerio
The Fellas
