More posts on the destructive nature of AA from
former AA members
We need Posts and Links
DuaineM@Gmail.com
This was
taken from the SOS Discussion Board
Group:
I'm new to
SOS. It was time to leave AA, so here I am. I still have
some nostalgic feelings for the religion(s) of my
childhood. However, I'm
a very different person than I
was in those days. I don't miss the God Squad.
Nor will I
miss the Thought Police. I love to feel the shiver that
goes up and down my spine when I have good arguments
with people who
also honor and respect rationality. Ahhhhhhhh, free again, with the wind blowing through my
neurons and my programming turned off!
I'm here
because everything matters less now than the simple
right to be myself, to express my opinions authentically
instead of in terms of
someone else's doctrine.
Actually,
I'm here because someone pointed out the immorality of
sending vulnerable addicts to a "program" with alleged
therapeutic value
--- when only 5% (at most) of AA folk
remain sober --- and 60% of all persons who get sober do
so on their own! In fact, the chemically
addicted are
worse off in AA or in any 12-step program than with no
treatment at all!
Until that
time, I had not thought beyond my own selfish purposes
for being in AA. I knew I was safe and insulated from
losing all self-
confidence and the ability to think for
myself. Fine! However, what was happening to those
around me who were accepting the damaging
beliefs that
they were *DISEASED* and *POWERLESS* ?????
Well, the
bottom line was that a scant few ever maintained
sobriety in a place where "swearing off" was a dirty
word --- yet "relapsing"
was condoned & evoked sympathy.
How can a
person *LIVE* without researching these not-so-minor
factors that should be weighed in decisions regarding
what type of
program, if any, one should choose for
oneself? I dunno. I have no excuse. The political power
of AA in the US is such that it boggles the
mind. In the
recovery program sense, it *IS* the system. I'm not the
first to have been lulled into a zombie like state by
the belief that I was
virtually alone in questioning
12-step programs.
Some folk
have suggested that perhaps AA will eventually change
for the better. Why? It has no incentive to do so.
Groups that wield
political and financial power in our
nation will continue to do what they do --- shape the
individual to serve the group's interests --- to
maintain the group's power --- instead of acting in the
interests of the individual.
The words CULT
and COLLECTIVISM and CORPORATE EXPLOITATION come to
mind. Those are not kind words, I know. Well,
when I
have seen the dignity and self-confidence and reasoning
ability of chemically addicted persons *ripped off* ---
I seethe with rage.
What are these people doing!!!???
Why do we allow the courts and hospitals and
psychologists and halfway houses and prisons and youth
groups to use our tax money to FORCE this ineffectual
and weakening and irrational program on vulnerable human
beings?
What is the
answer? My answer is the same for those human beings as
it is for myself. I would *EMPOWER THEM*.
I would
allow them to be themselves; not prisoners required to
submit to brainwashing and forced to repeat the cult's
dogma. I would free
their minds from a religion that is
not of their choice (Yes, the Supreme Court has over &
over again ruled that AA IS RELIGIOUS! So
much for the
misleading statement that AA is merely spiritual.)
I would free
their minds from the hatred and contempt for reason that
is so pervasive in AA.
I would, if
I could, tell them OPENLY that their own minds are fine,
healthy, and more than capable of forming their own
plans for how to
abstain from substances --- and that
such a plan will work for a lifetime with only their own
will power behind it.
Thank you
all --- for bringing your thoughtful minds to this board
so that I may trade thoughts with you.
An SOS
Member.
THE ORANGE PAPERS
One Man's Analysis of Alcoholics
Anonymous
An Online Book
by Secret Agent Orange
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-bigbook.html

http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-bibliography.html
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-otherwomen.html

The worst of
madmen is a saint run mad.
-- Pope |
In the Step
groups, it is often heard that "More will be revealed."
For the "revelations" here, perhaps the best place to
start is
In the Beginning
. . .
In the Step groups, it is often heard
that "More will be revealed." For the "revelations"
here, perhaps the best place to start is
In the Beginning . . .
Free books and book
excerpts including the complete The Real AA
and "Alcoholics Anonymous: Cult or Cure?" free on
line for personal use.
The Anti-AA Book That Saved My Butt -- After reading
Ken Ragge's "The Real AA -- Behind The Myth of 12 Step
Recovery", I simply could not go back to
meetings. Here's an on-line version of the text of this
fantastic book. -- Apple
REOPENED 25th
December 2007
"When
people ask me if I am against AA/NA - I
respond - I am if being 'for' the
'alcoholic' or 'addict' affords them the
right to question, which AA/NA does not
allow"
J a m e s G
http://www.blamedenial.co.uk/

http://www.aadeprogramming.org
MISSION
The
intent of this site is to publicly address some very
serious issues which concern the well known program of
Alcoholics Anonymous. At first glance, this popular
abstinence program appears to save countless lives, but
upon closer examination we find that a notable amount of
individuals suffer further as a result of AA thought
reform. Many see AA as their last hope -- when they fail
to find answers in the program which really work, some
give up, drink fatally and die. (We believe that in some
of these cases, the indoctrinated belief of powerlesness
is acting as a lethal self-fulfilling prophecy) These
deaths are then attributed to the "disease" of
alcoholism and the lost member is seen as not having
"worked the program". We do not agree with this
viewpoint! The contributors to this site have found that
AA has a dark side which is rarely discussed in meetings
and is discussed only in a limited capacity in print.
This is an attempt to voice this much needed alternate
point of view. Additionally, we hope to provide an open
forum for discussion where questioning and critiquing is
encouraged, so that those individuals who do choose AA
can be better consumers. Lastly, for those creative
thinkers who are spinning their wheels in a 12 step
program, we hope to provide long-overdue information
which encourages growth outside of AA.
Meditation of the Month -- October
I tried for years to live according to everyone else's
morality.
I tried to live like everyone else, to be like everyone
else.
I said the right things even when I felt and thought
quite differently.
And the result is a catastrophe.
-Albert Camus
Danger Thin Ice
Addiction
Treatment and Support
can sometimes make things worse.
With No Support or Treatment at all a person can sometimes be better
off, Depending on the Treatment and Support that's offered.
This has
got to change.
This web
site is one small step in making that change happen sooner.
We can no
longer live in the Dark Age of Treatment and Support without lifting
a Voice to make a change happen.
http://www.dangerthinice.com
Twelve Step Free Zone
"12-Step-Free Zone: the
place to be out of step"
What
12-Step-Free Is
12SF is a discussion
group for those who
reject 12-step ideology
or are seriously
questioning it. Members
are those who have left
step groups, who are
still attending but are
uncomfortable and
considering leaving, who
have loved ones caught
up in steppism, who are
professionals in the
fields of addiction, law
enforcement, etc., or
who simply have an
interest in discussing
and debunking
12-steppism. We talk
about how steppism has
harmed people (or how it
hinders growth), and we
debunk the superstitious
and unscientific beliefs
of the 12-step movement.
We also talk about
political issues related
to "addiction" and
"recovery", including
court cases which have
declared 12-steppism to
be a religion.
XA
You will see this
abbreviation used
frequently by
listmembers. It is a
generic term for all of
the hundreds of Step
groups, AA, NA, OA, GA,
Al-Anon, Gam-Anon, ACoA,
etc.
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JOIN THE
12 STEP FREE ZONE!
Description

12-Step Coercion Watch
is a discussion list for
those concerned about
the violations of
religious liberty that
are occurring throughout
the world where people
are being coerced into
the 12-Step programs of
Alcoholics Anonymous and
its many offshoots such
as Narcotics Anonymous.
In the United States
alone more than a
million people each year
are forced into these
programs by courts,
licensing boards, and
government employers.
Two federal circuit
courts (Second and
Seventh Circuits) and
two state supreme courts
(Tennessee and New York)
have ruled this practice
to be in violation of
the Establishment Clause
of the First Amendment,
yet the coercion
continues throughout the
country and also in
other countries.
The discussions will
focus on planning and
initiating
organizational efforts
to end 12-Step coercion
worldwide. The primary
focus will be, but not
be limited to, legal
challenges in the
courts. This may
include, but not be
limited to, advising
those now being coerced
that this coercion is
unconstitutional,
encouraging them to file
suit, and finding legal
assistance for them.
We encourage lawyers and
laypersons alike to
participate in this
group and hope that a
Supreme Court decision
will eventually lead to
the end of 12-step
coercion in the U.S. We
also would like to hear
from those from other
countries where coercion
exists so together we
can work to end 12-step
coercion worldwide once
and for all.
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Nursesforrecoveryfreedom · Nurses for Recovery Freedom
Welcome to the
Nurses for Recovery Freedom site. This site was created
as an informational site for any nurse mandated to the
12 step culture for licensure preservation. The site is
to keep us informed of legal issues regarding our
constitutional rights in regards to recovery treatment.
For those with chemical dependency issues, there are few
alternatives and mandated programs, have been found to
be illegal in certain courts. Although this can be an
extremely confusing, overwhelming and intimidating time,
much can be gained through education and understanding
of the systems that control our profession. We do have
choices, but must voice our opposition to the abuse of
our consitutional rights, regardless of our profession
or situation.
Escape From The Cult of AA
Title:
Escape_From_The_Cult_of_A_A (EFTCoaa)

EFTCoaa is a group
committed to
deprogramming from AA's
cult doctrines. It is
not our business nor is
it our mission to
determine for our
members how they should
handle alcohol in their
personal lives. We tend
to be more supportive of
those who have
maintained abstinence,
as most who come here do
not wish to drink.
However they DO wish to
be free of AA Stepism.
What IS our mission is
to help individuals, who
have been harmed by AA
and see it as a cult, to
deprogram themselves
from it's destructive
thinking. The wounds
that cults leave behind
are deep and lasting,
and it is our hope that
EFTCoaa will be a place
to demystify and
de-sanctify 12 step
rhetoric that stays in
the thought processes
long after a person has
left the AA cult. We
promote personal
empowerment rather than
powerlessness;
freethinking rather than
rigid non-thinking
obedience; choice rather
than fear and
terrorizing; and freedom
to live one's life as
one sees fit. There are
2 things we do not
tolerate and will ban
members for:
proselytizing for AA and
abusive personal attacks
on members. This place
is to be a safe haven
for many minds with many
ideas. The whole point
is to regain our
individuality. We are
not professionals. We
encourage those who need
medical attention to
seek it, and maintain
links to other groups
for support of
abstinence such as
Rational Recovery, S.O.S.,
SMART etc.
DARE TO ASK YOURSELF 7
QUESTIONS:
1. Do you feel that A.A.
is NOT the only road to
Sobriety?
2. Do you take issue
with being chided for
questioning the
“Program”?
3. Are you troubled by
AA's Religious
foundation?
4. Have you been greatly
harmed by AA?
5. Do you ever wonder if
AA is a cult?
6. Do you question being
told that you cannot be
angry?
7. Have you been forced
to admit powerlessness
over your life in a way
that empowers other
members while it
diminishes you?
If you answered yes to
two or more of these
questions, EFTCoaa just
might be a YAHOO group
for you.
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WELCOME
X-STEPPERS
This site
is for people who were desperately seeking recovery from
addiction, or was coerced by the "powers that be" to
join what was thought to be a group that would help them
find freedom from addiction, and instead
found themselves caught up in a cult that they could not
easily walk away from without repercussions.
Many people view 12-step organizations as harmless
support groups designed to help people overcome various
addictions and regain their lives, however, for many of
us this view was far from the reality of what 12-step
groups really are! Many of us have awakened after years
of brainwashing to find that we had not regained our
lives, but had instead lost our individuality and the
freedom to think for ourselves. Many of us have lost
much more, some have lost their families and suffer
emotionally from their experiences inside
these "harmless support groups," others have committed
suicide because they could not live up to the
expectations of sponsors or other group members. This
site is dedicated to those who cannot tell their
stories. It is our hope that this discussion list will
provide some insight into how cults operate, how you
can discern whether or not you are in a recovery cult,
and how others have found their freedom from the step
religion and reclaimed their lives.
alt.recovery.from-12-steps
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.recovery.from-12-steps
aabugsusbecause · aa bugs us because
AA bugs us for many legitimate reasons!
(We're not to be confused with that flaming 12-stepper
group called "aabugsmebecause," which is a misnomer
since nothing about AA really bugs them.)
Feel free to rant about AA here - steppers, enter at
your own risk!
without_aa
·
sober _without_
alcoholics_anonymus
Description
Yes, you can stay sober
without AA. We are people
who have been burned by AA
and we discuss things we
believe are wrong within AA.
If you are convinced of the
AA doctrine that you cannot
be sober without AA, then
this is probably not a group
you should join. Our desire
is to help you see what AA
really is and we are not
counselors or trained
professionals. This list is
not meant to replace
professional therapy.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/without_aa/
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Alcoholics
Anonymous
A
Gallery of Visual Aids for the Sane
The Step-Think Ticker
Your Brain on AA
©2003 Partnership for a Twelve
Step-Free America®

As Bill Sees It


The Twelve Step Cult
by
Mitch Bailey
http://www.bee.net/cardigan/attic/guest09.htm
The Semantics
of the Twelve Step Neurosis: Surrender, Disease, Denial
and other dysfunctional 12-step pathways to personal
dis-empowerment and cult dependency
by Clifton W.
Kirton (Dr.X-ray)
http://www.aadeprogramming.org/reclaim/semantics.html

CULT-BUSTING
Jeffrey A. Schaler, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT
Psychological characteristics of cult membership are
discussed. The cult nature of Alcoholics Anonymous and
disease model of addiction ideology is examined.
Patterns of response by individuals who believe strongly
in the disease model of addiction when their ideology is
challenged are analyzed.
The Twelve Step Cult
by Mitch Bailey
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).
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).

How to Become a Cult
Leader
Help and support for people with support group
dependency problems (or stepper interferance problems)



Counseling for Ex-Members


Overcoming Your Alcohol, Drug & Recovery
Habits: An Empowering Alternative to AA and 12-Step
Treatment
Drink advice service confronts sex abuse
AA acts on rising reports of attacks
by volunteers
Gerard
Seenan
Guardian
Wednesday July 5, 2000
Vulnerable
alcoholics seeking help for their addiction are being
subjected to sexual and other abuse at the hands of
long-serving volunteers from the world's largest alcohol
support group.
Cited: 47 Duke L. J. 785
[*pg 785]
Hi, I am Michael,
For fifty years I have been in contact with spiritual
movements or read up on them. I have been interested
particularly in their influence on its members, who I
have followed now for a considerable number of years all
over the world. I have been struck by the fact that
developments within such groups always seem to follow a
similar pattern. When people unite for a special purpose
a field of tension seems to arise based on unleashed
subconscious drives.
Please allow me to share with you some of my
observations.
Debating
with
Jehovah's
Witnesses
Approximate Reading
Time:
30 Minutes
Note: This article is
primarily about the Witnesses, but many points are
applicable when you discuss emotionally charged matters
with people other than Witnesses
RELIGION AND REHABILITATION: THE REQUISITION OF GOD BY
THE STATE
DEREK P. APANOVITCH


Alcoholics Anonymous
History
God's Sword of Truth - The Word
Alcoholics
Anonymous
By The Holy Spirit's
Disciple, Raymond Laginess

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: THE UNMASKED DECEPTION OF THE
12- STEP RECOVERY PROGRAM; IT'S FOUNDERS; IT'S
HISTORICAL
SPIRITUAL ROOTS; AND IT'S INEFFECTIVENESS AS A TREATMENT.
We need more links
SaveOurSelves@msn.com
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