Alcoholics Anonymous may as well qualify as a mainstream cult. Factually, the AA organization, and other 12 Step offspring like Narcotics Anonymous (NA), are in fact evangelical religious sects, enjoying the same tax dodge as churches. A typical AA meeting is conducted in a formal liturgical method: by Mitch Bailey
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance — that principle is contempt prior to investigation. "HERBERT SPENCER** RARELY HAVE they seen a person who has thoroughly followed their path recover. Those who do recover are people who have recognized NA as a dangerous religious cult and will not completely give themselves to NA's sicko program. Their fellowship is constituted primarily of men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest. They are unfortunate. Although they have been brainwashed, they should still be held accountable for the behavior that has ruined so many lives. They are at fault; they were not born that way. They were systematically indoctrinated into believing that they are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. They were screwed the second they set foot into the church basement door. Most NA members suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, the program requires that they believe that they will never recover, many of the people who leave NA have recovered in large part, due to their capacity to be honest. Our stories disclose in a general way what We used to be like, what happened, and what We are like now. If You have decided You want to leave Narcotics Anonymous and are willing to go to any length to do it--then You are ready to take certain steps. At some of these We delighted. We knew that We could find an easier, more rational way. And so We did. With all the earnestness at Our command, We encourage You to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of Us have tried to hold on to Our old NA ideas and the result was nil until We let go absolutely. Remember that We deal with Narcotics Anonymous -cunning, baffling, deceptive! Continuing to go to those twisted meetings was too much for Us. There is Only One Person who has the power to overcome addiction and move on with life--that One is You. May you find Yourself now! Delusions and superstition had availed Us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We learned to protect and care for Ourselves with complete Self Determination. Here are the steps We took, which are encouraged as a procedure to deprogram Yourself:
1. We admitted We were "Not Powerless" over Drugs - that Our lives had become dominated by NA. 2. Came to understand that We were never as morally reprehensible as members of NA had led Us to believe. 3. Made a decision to turn and walk away from Narcotics Anonymous forever. 4. Made a scorching and fearless indictment against NA as an organization and it's individual members. 5. Admitted to Ourselves and another Human Being that We had been conned into joining a religious cult. 6. Were entirely ready to deprogram Ourselves from the self defeating rubbish We were taught at NA. 7. Educated Ourselves about cult indoctrination tactics in order that We may never fall into a similar trap again. 8. Made a list of all NA cult members who had harmed Us, and became willing to confront them all. 9. Called such people on their bullshit wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to indict Narcotics Anonymous and when we were wronged promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through scientific principles, empirical evidence, and Self Determination to improve our understanding of addiction; focusing on a rational understanding of Ourselves as the power to carry that out. 12. Having been awakened from NA's trance as the result of these steps, We tried to carry this message to the world, so that everyone might know the truth about the Narcotics Anonymous religious cult.
I feel term 'addict' is derogatory the and misleading. This nomenclature has been largely sustained by groups such as N.A. and all it's stepsisters (unfortunately these groups are the catch-all for people with these types of problems, often medically referred, and they have a very limited success, which they are happy to admit). But I digress, the point I am making is this, if 'addiction' is an 'illness' which N.A. are keen to point out, then why would you term someone as addict? If someone has cancer do we call them cancerers, or people with heart conditions heartics or heartitatics?
Perhaps the term 'substance abuse disorder' or 'addictive personality' but let us please separate the being from the issue. A human being cannot be an 'addict'.
Sincerely,
Suhknivas
We live in a society seemingly overwhelmed with addictions to various chemicals. An habitual user of drugs/alcohol is usually encouraged to seek "treatment" within the format of a program offering 12 Steps to sober living. Most heralded is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
Actually, the AA program is the pioneer of the "Treatment Age," started back in the 1930's by a few Midwestern businessmen having habitual unprofitable experiences with the booze bottle. Hence, AA has been lauded all over the world for aiding millions of problem drinkers in getting away from the bottle and into a new glorious life of sobriety. They do this by using a vast support system of meetings with other AA members to maintain their abstinence from alcohol, promoting a simple philosophy of taking life "day by day," and voicing curious slogans such as "let go, let God."
In "Mainstream Cults," Cardigan wrote of how respected, established religions such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have, in reality, all the properties of what meets a contemporary definition of a cult, with odious doctrines and practices. Just because a religious organization is open and living in mainstream America, and not hiding in a jungle drinking cyanide Kool-Aid, doesn't mean that it is not a cult. Just because a church group has millions of members, instead of a few dozen religious freaks armed to the teeth, does not mean it is a kind and humanitarian order.
Alcoholics Anonymous may as well qualify as a mainstream cult. Factually, the AA organization, and other 12 Step offspring like Narcotics Anonymous (NA), are in fact evangelical religious sects, enjoying the same tax dodge as churches. A typical AA meeting is conducted in a formal liturgical method: The attendees at said meetings must open by stating their names, and confess that they are alcoholics. The members chant the 12 Steps aloud as sanctioned by The Big Book -- the official "Bible" of AA. 'Twixt prayers and chants, each member is required to speak, usually a confession of any backsliding into "devil rum." Meek, depressed, and downtrodden individuals are often belittled and bullied by more aggressive members, especially if the individual is a female. Remember, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded by Midwestern businessmen from a different era, when women were looked upon as only fit to be housewives and doormats for the whims of the husband. (Rather like the views of many fundamentalists, today.) Women in AA, especially those perceived as having low self-esteem, are excellent fodder for predatory males in group sessions. Mental abuse is the norm for the downtrodden female, and actual cases of physical and sexual abuse have occurred. AA is trapped in a sexist and classist time-warp, and "uppity" women need not apply.
A problem drinker is encouraged from his/her first meeting to keep an open mind. Actually, what AA considers an open mind is anything but. An individual cannot deviate from AA dogma. A person conveying any differing opinion to those in The Big Book is castigated as being "in denial" by other members. Even relative social drinkers must confess aloud that they are alcoholics. The naïve and unaware initiates in AA are subjected to what I would call "Boot Camp Indoctrination." In the armed services, recruits arriving for basic training in their respective branches of the military are subjected to mental and physical torment to break down individuality to the lowest level, then re-tooled into a new military standard (see the movie Full Metal Jacket for an excellent portrayal of this). The 12 Step program requires a person to hit rock bottom before they can truly see the light about their "disease." One must forfeit any esteem of one's being -- "let go, let God." No other treatment for their drinking problem is condoned. Alcoholics Anonymous is the only path to recovery, no glimmer of heresy is allowed. Just like religious fundamentalists, only their way can lead the AA member to the Promised Land of sobriety.
Nearly every person in the 12 Step program has a "sponsor." In theory, the sponsor is there to aid an individual's path to recovery, to be a shoulder to cry on at any time of the day or night if they are tempted to go out and drink. The reality is that said sponsors are to act as the Praetorian Guard of the AA Empire. Their job is to keep the AA membership in line, bully and coerce the members. The AA participant must not associate with drinkers, and/or those who are critical of AA. Former members are often treated as apostates and shunned.
Now if the above paragraphs do not describe a religious organization with a blatant cult panache, I don't know what would. I really can't think of a better description for a mainstream cult.
AA's glittering reputation of helping problem drinkers is without any foundation. The failure rate of the organization is severely high -- fewer than 5% of AA initiates remain in the program after thirty days. Any other business or trade with a futility rate such as this would be run out of town on a rail. Alcoholics Anonymous' 12 Step dogma simply does not work! A benevolent alternative to the 12 Step edifice can be found at Rational Recovery. RR treats the problem drinker as an individual with a behavior problem, not as a low, diseased freak in need of a Higher Power, as AA does. According to statistics compiled at RR, a whopping 70% of abusers of drugs and alcohol who quit permanently do so of their own free will. The human being with a chemical problem is actually not "powerless" to deal with it, as AA insists. Rational Recovery helps the chemically dependent to modify their behavior patterns that keeps a person under the yoke of drugs/alcohol to refrain from abuse without a reliance on God or a Higher Power.
One may ask, then: What keeps AA and related 12 Step programs functioning? Why, your good ol' state and local governments, that's what!
Those unfortunate people charged/convicted of driving motor vehicles under the influence of alcohol are often required by their respective court systems to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as a condition of avoiding jail sentences. Failure to comply is often met with severe action. Prison inmates are denied parole because of refusal to attend mandated 12 Step programs. Alternative means such as Rational Recovery are not allowed. Even Medicaid benefits for substance abusers are reserved entirely for those in AA and NA. Our servicepeople in the military with drinking and drug problems are required to dance to the 12 Step Waltz or face an other-than-honorable discharge. Parents may have their children taken from them because they missed a court mandated AA or NA meeting.
The list goes on and on. A good resource for further reading about the abuses of the 12 Step Juggernaut can be found at AA Deprogramming. The grist of the research of this article can be found there. (Thanks!) One does not have to be an attorney to realize that the spurious alliance of our government with AA is a gross violation of the Constitution. Rational Recovery has a legal action network trying to see that this flagrant violation of the separation of church and state is challenged in our court systems. They need your help. Even if you are a non-drinker, you cannot be into freethought and allow this to continue with impunity. I cannot think of a current worse violation of civil rights than what is going on in our nation with the courts giving 12 Step programs a de facto grace as a state religion. Drinking and driving is illegal and with good reason should remain so. But does this give the government a green light to imprison drunk drivers with murderers, rapists, and child molesters just because they may refuse to attend a religious/cultic program? I think not!
...they came for the substance abusers, and I wasn't a drunk or druggie, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up for me...
So how does A.A. score as a cult? On a scale of zero to ten, where zero means that it isn't like a cult at all, and ten means that A.A. is really like a cult, I score A.A. like this: (Feel free to grab a piece of paper, and make up your own scores. It isn't like I own a monopoly on the truth, or anything...)
(To go back and forth between the questions and the answers for Alcoholics Anonymous, click on the numbers of the questions and answers.)
The United States Supreme Court has refused to hear challenges to those rulings, or to change or over-turn those lower court decisions. By letting them stand, the Supreme Court has made them the law of the land.
But there is one very important exception to that statement — the Griffin v. Coughlin decision, from the New York State Court of Appeals, 1996, was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1997.
In Griffin v. Coughlin, the prison inmate David Griffin complained that state prison officials in 1991 told David Griffin, a self-described atheist with a history of drug abuse, that in order to be eligible for expanded family visitation privileges, including conjugal visits, he would have to attend a prison rehabilitation program patterned after AA's 12-Step model.2
Griffin, then a prisoner at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Ulster County, refused to attend the program, contending that the 12-Step approach requires participants to express a belief in a "power greater than ourselves" and to "turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him." These requirements, his lawsuit against the state contended, violate the First Amendment's mandated separation of church and state.
Griffin lost in two lower courts, but won in New York State's highest court, the New York Court of Appeals.
In Griffin v. Coughlin, Judge Levine, writing for the court's majority, concluded that the AA program is devoted to proselytizing for a religious belief. The court's conclusion was based on its reading of several profiles of early AA members as they are set forth in the AA Big Book and the AA Twelve and Twelve.
Judge Levine said "While it is of course true that the primary objective of A.A. is to enable its adherents to achieve sobriety, its doctrine unmistakably urges that the path to staying sober and to becoming happily and usefully whole is by wholeheartedly embracing traditional theistic beliefs."
From its review of AA literature, the majority concluded that the AA Twelve Steps amount to a worship service and that the AA fellowship is dedicated to converting alcoholics to a belief in a traditional deity. Accordingly, the court found that, "The foregoing demonstrates beyond peradventure that doctrinally and as actually practiced in the 12-Step methodology, adherence to the A.A. fellowship entails engagement in religious activity and religious proselytization. Followers are urged to accept the existence of God as a Supreme Being, Creator, Father of Light and Spirit of the Universe."
When the U.S. Supreme Court heard the appeal, it sided with the atheist convict who said the New York Department of Corrections' attempt to link extra privileges for inmates with attendance at meetings modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous violated the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.3
On November 14, 1999 the U.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn, thus allowed to stand, a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ordering that forced attendance at Narcotics Anonymous meetings end immediately, because it was a violation of Freedom of Religion. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the high courts of the states of Tennessee and New York have also made the same ruling.
Legally, Alcoholics Anonymous is established as a religious organization. And so is Narcotics Anonymous. Lawyers and judges now consider the issue "a moot point", one that is so thoroughly established that they will not argue the point again. They just accept it as a given.
Then, for a recent legal kicker, on July 31, 2001, United States District Court Judge Charles Brieant overturned the manslaughter conviction of Paul Cox because Cox had "shared" his memories of two murders with other Alcoholics Anonymous members at an A.A. meeting, and then one of those members turned him in. And at the trial, other A.A. members were subpoenaed and forced to testify against Cox.
The District Court Judge ruled that Cox's confession at the A.A. meeting was protected and inadmissible evidence, just like Catholics' confessions to their priests are protected and inadmissible in court. Judge Brieant cited a 1999 federal appeals court declaration that Alcoholics Anonymous is a religion. And then the judge threw out the conviction because it was based on inadmissible evidence.
As far as the courts of the USA are concerned, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are, beyond a doubt, organizations that engage in religious activities. And their meetings qualify as religious services. It's a done deal. Nobody denies it but Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and the other 12-Step groups.
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