22/11/09
Bexleyheath Friday - still an AA group!
First - the good news!
It seems that reports of the Bexleyheath Friday meeting's takeover by the local cult were exaggerated - a member of the cultwatch team has made further enquiries to establish a more accurate picture of the situation.
Certainly there has been some interference in the running of the group by an "opinionated" member from the Sidcup gang, and a certain amount of disruption due to the relapse of one of the group's members. However it remains an AA group ....
...now the bad news!
....but one in need of support. Currently the group is being kept afloat by people who are only recently arrived in the Fellowship, and who are appealing for longer terms members to join in their efforts to keep the meeting viable. So if you live in the Bexley Heath area, don't have a home group, and being mindful of the AA pledge - then get on down to:
BEXLEYHEATH
FRIDAY
20.00
United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, The Broadway
FRIDAY
20.00
United Reformed Church, Geddes Place, The Broadway
Cheers
The Fellas
12/08/08
The cult in North Kent
Here's a contribution from an AA member concerning the cult's activities in the area (names omitted)
Quote:
"hello there
i am an escapee of the sidcup cult, when i came into aa over 16 months ago now i asked for advice on sponsership and was guided towards the sidcup meeting, upon arrival at the next meeting a sponser had already been picked for me and i didnt even question it as i thought that maybe that was how things were done. fortunately however i do have a brain and as i began to recover i realised i was being controlled and broke free from this sponser and started attending mainstream aa meetings and got a mainstream sponser.
The reason i am writing this is after having read through most of your site and having read much both pro and con aa i have concluded that you are 'right on track' with what you are saying on this site.
I would also like to 'grass' on sidcup into action in that they actively recruit from mental health wards which i feel is awful. They hold closed meetings at both the bracton centre in wilmington, dartford at 8pm every tuesday night and at the queen marys mental health unit in sidcup every thursday night at 8pm. I am very concerned about this as the 'cult' policy of not taking people through the steps whilst on medication is dangerous enough without them deliberately targeting mental health patients.
Please please please will someone do something to stop this abuse before the aa name is held up to public ridicule because of these cruel ego maniacs"
And:
"Thank you for your reply, as you will understand i no longer attend sidcup or any of the'primary purpose' meetings as i have read that it is too dangerous to put myself in that situation.
i am friends with someone who attends that group and is under their influence but i am very careful not to take my advice from her. I have been told that members of the group bring patients from the queen marys to their thursday meeting and ONLY their meeting and do not tell them about the wider fellowship or take them to any mainstream aa meetings. It is also one of the 'rules of sponsership' that if a sponsee is on medication you cannot take them through the steps and are to activly encourage them to wean themselves off of prescription drugs before they can 'do the steps'.
I personally have witnessed a poor lass called J who was on valium and clearly has mental health issues being hospitalized to wean her off valium and then encouraged to avoid all prescription drugs so that she can 'recover' as a result of all this i was present when she started fitting during one of their hour long chairs and had to call other members from the meeting to take her to hospital. god forbid anyone should disturb their meeting because they are fitting constantly. last i knew of her she was being sponsered by a 'male' member of the group SS who also just happens to be part of the steering group or whatever they call it
Any information i find out i will cheerfully pass on and do make a point of making sure newcomers are given a where to find and point out the many meetings in their local area, i also tell them to be wary of anyone who tries to allocate them a sponser or who offers to take them through the steps without them first asking.
all the best"
So it' s business as usual. By the way the North Kent Intergroup Chairman has been made aware of this situation. Over to you.
Cheers
The Fellas
