24
December
One more time, is Alcoholics Anonymous a cult?
Explain why you feel this way.
I decided it was a cult when they told me if I left, I’d die.
They discourage people from outside friendships, calling non-AA members "normies" or "earth people" and saying that they cannot understand an alcoholic. ONLY ANOTHER ALCOHOLIC can understand.
They speak in "thought-stopping" slogans. Individualism is discouraged. They feel they have an inside track to God, many believe they are chosen. They employ many "bait-and-switch tactics. I could go on…
December 24th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
No, it is a great organization that has helped many people on the road to sobriety. It is very useful and I am very glad that there are groups like this that try to help others who have this disease.
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December 24th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Well it is like a cult in that it uses peer pressure of the group to help achieve the ends of sobriety. But noone’s getting rich off of AA.
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December 24th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
i’ve been in alcoholics anonymous and it really feels like a self-pity group. People tell terrible stories and sometimes it seems as if individuals are trying to one up each other by telling the most tragic stories possible. i believe in addressing an addiction, but i don’t believe in self pity. Admit your problem, fix it, and move on.
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December 24th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
it is a way of grasping people into the clutches of the christian cult under the disguse of helping them get off the booze
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December 24th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I know some people that have gone through it. To me it seems very very strange but I do not drink alcohol. If I was an alcoholic I would never ever go there.
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December 24th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
not a cult but a coming to the end of the road where a person will try anything cause the are just that bad off when it comes to drinking.
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December 24th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
their success rate is equal to that of someone trying to quit on there own and some of their practises are equivalent to those of cults and they seem to trade one addiction for another
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i know two people who’ve gone through the program
December 24th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Not in the true sense of the word…it is composed of addicted people all trying to reach the same end…by open-ended discussion, in a group centered format
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Worked as RN in alachol/drug rehab clinics
December 24th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
It kind of is. Huh. I never thought of it before.
I wouldn’t go too far down that path though. People can and do join and leave at will.
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December 24th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
No its a 12 step program that works. so does narcotics anonymous. every thingyou can think of, if you aply the 12 step program that aa consist of you will accomplish what ever you are trying to quite
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December 24th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
I decided it was a cult when they told me if I left, I’d die.
They discourage people from outside friendships, calling non-AA members "normies" or "earth people" and saying that they cannot understand an alcoholic. ONLY ANOTHER ALCOHOLIC can understand.
They speak in "thought-stopping" slogans. Individualism is discouraged. They feel they have an inside track to God, many believe they are chosen. They employ many "bait-and-switch tactics. I could go on…
References :
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-cult.html
December 24th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Yes it is check out Steve Hassans site Freedom of mind for more info that gives both sides of the argument.
When I went to AA At first I thought it would be a way to make more friends but after awhile I realized that most of the people were either self absorbed and unable to give back or too depressed to be much fun to talk to. There were also the men I felt uncomfortable around and I was shamed be members for feeling this way. even when I had good reasons to not want to be in the same room with them.
There is no quality control, lots and lots of slogans that you have to believe without question and very little healthy interaction.
the orange papers has allot of info and SaneGallery has some great cartoons lampooning AA be sure to check out this is your brain on AA it’s a hoot…..Aaaaama -zing
Grace ………….how sweet the sound….that’s played with bagpipes.
AA almost murdered me… when the ex BFs of some of the women I helped plotted to kill me NOBODY WOULD HELP ME…
all the AAers blamed me for the behavior of a few men and SANE PEOPLE WOULD NOT DO THAT…THE ‘PROGRAM’ does NOT ‘restore’ sanity. It does not offer any healthy alternatives just a bunch of crazy making contradictions and a place for misfits and malcontents to rule the roost…
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