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by WISDOM_MARTIN from WASHINGTON,DC

Last Post 251 days, 8 hours Ago


ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
May 10, 2007 | 8:48 PM
Category: News
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I did a story tuesday about  Alcoholics Anonymous. The people who I spoke with in the program say its great. But they say there is one local chapter that is more like a cult than a support and recovery group. You can check out our website to watch the story and hear the startling accusations these recovery victims have to say about the "Midtown group or the Q group."   What is surprising is that the national office of AA tells me they have no control over local chapters!  Do you think that is a good idea?

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TomW read my blog
May 10, 2007 | 9:52 PM

Addiction is a very insidious thing. People need to do whatever is necessary to overcome it as long as it does not hurt others. some need the "cult like" situation to stay the course. The most important thing is to begin recovery from the addiction and maintain that recovery.
mcshakespeare read my blog view my photos
May 11, 2007 | 7:23 AM

I think that is a horrible idea. First of all, if you are going to let someone use your trusted "name", then you should monitor what goes on within each group. People start attending AA for the reputation of the organization as a whole; in otherwords, they trust the name, and they assume that the program is the same wherever you go. In fact, you are encouraged to attend AA meetings wherever you go (vacation, etc). That implies a common format/goal of all AA meetings. If one chapter deviates greatly from the rest of the groups, as in the case at Midtown, then you are putting trusting people at risk.

Second of all, who do these people think they are? I doubt that they are experienced medical professionals, so how can they legally advise someone to stop taking their medication, etc.? Also, if you are "assigned" a boyfriend that is sounding a little bit like prostitution if you ask me....You may think I am reading too much into it, but I don't think so. If you look at most of the "cult-like" organizations that have been exposed, most of them used sex as a form of control.

The blog before read, "The most important thing is to begin recovery from the addiction and maintain that recovery". I disagree. If you are trading one unhealthy addiction for another (cult-like environment), you are only asking for trouble. These people clearly aren't able to make their own decisions, so they are being set up for failure.
GrandmaM read my blog view my photos
May 11, 2007 | 8:24 AM

When we are over 21, we are neither sheep nor babies. We no longer need a Daddy or a cult leader or any other power grasping person to lead us out of our misery. We need to take responsibility for our own actions, and if we are addicted to alcohol, going to a responsible AA group is a good thing. Signing up with pseudo-AA groups who want to tell us what to do and want us in their cults is foolish. All of the legitimate AA groups owe it to the people who need their help to denounce the imposters.
my2cent read my blog
May 11, 2007 | 10:44 AM

I think that the overall AA Headquarters (if you can call it that) should be monitoring to ensure that the field offices are performing according to their rules/regulations. I understand that you may need to tailor the program some but not where it takes away from the foundation and reputation that put the organization into existence.
RDuke
May 15, 2007 | 5:16 PM

There is no national or international AA "organization" as such.

All AA groups are independent. They always have been. Many service organizations exist on local levels and several on the national level to print literature, handle correspondence and so forth in the names of the groups. These offices are completely dependent upon AA meetings or groups choosing to donate a fraction of their funds to the upkeep of the offices.

The General Service Office in New York doesn't run AA. It doesn't govern any meetings or groups. It doesn't own the rights to the name "Alcoholics Anonymous" and has no legal standing to take disciplinary or punitive action against any group.

The GSO, "New York" or AA World Services cannot make any rules or regulations for the meetings or groups and therefore cannot judge whether a given meeting is adhering to their rules/regulations or program. No national or international organization exists as a governing body over AA.

What's more, since the name "Alcoholics Anonymous" is in the public domain there's no way that this can be changed.

It's been this way since the Fellowship came into existence in 1935, and since no one owns or governs AA it can never be changed.

The most that the New York office or the GSO could do would be to choose not to list a meeting or group in its directory of AA meetings. I don't know under what circumstances they might make or if they ever have made that choice.
RDuke
May 15, 2007 | 5:22 PM

The final of the "twelve concepts for world service" that serve as guidance for the various offices and organizations that coordinate AA functions on a regional and national level reads:

"XII General Warranties of the Conference: In all the proceedings, the General Service Conference shall observe the spirit of the A.A. Tradition, taking great care that the Conference never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power; that sufficient operating funds plus an ample reserve , be its prudent financial principle; that none of the Conference members shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority over any of the others; that all important decisions be reached by discussion, vote, and whenever possible, by substantial unanimity; that no Conference action ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy; that, though the Conference may act for the service of Alcoholics Anonymous, it shall never perform any acts of government; and that, like the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves, the Conference itself will always remain democratic in thought and action."
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WISDOM_MARTIN

MY NAME IS WISDOM MARTIN. AND WISDOM IS MY REAL BIRTH NAME. I WAS NAMED AFTER MY FATHER. I CAME TO WTTG IN 2003 AS A GENERAL ASSIGNEMENT REPORTER. I HAVE WORKED AS A REPORTER IN JACKSON MISSISSIPPI, FRESNO CALIFORNIA, RALEIGH NORTH CAROLINA, CNN ATLANTA, AND NASHVILLE TENNESSEE. I HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE! I LOVE SPORTS, EATING, JAZZ AND SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH MY FAMILY! I LOVE WASHINGTON DC. IT IS THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD. THERE IS SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO HERE.

Member Since: 8/28/2006


 

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