William James was born in 1842 and grew up in an age of rapid advancements in science and industry that promised to unveil the mysteries of the world and relieve man of his physical burdens. He studied medicine at Harvard and soon was teaching courses in physiology. However he is best known for his contributions to the study of the mind, and is considered the “Father of American psychology”. He founded the philosophical school of Pragmatism, which stated that the truth of a statement is nothing more than the usefulness to the person who believes it (a reversal of our intuitive sense). He applied the newly discovered principles of Darwinism to epistemology: the most useful ideas eventually win out.
James built a career out of flipping our intuitive understanding of things, for example he famously claimed: “It is not that we see a bear, fear it, and run; we see a bear and run; consequently, we fear the bear.” He was also interested in religious and paranormal experiences, and was profoundly influenced by a session with a psychic medium who told him things that she couldn’t possibly have known. Though he didn’t believe her claim of communicating with spirits, he was convinced that she had true telepathic powers. It turned out that their maids shared a friendship by which the information was likely gleaned; nevertheless he remained a believer and was an early official of the American Society for Psychical Research, which attempted to apply scientific principals to the study of paranormal experience such as life after death.
In the classical age of physics, the astonishing developments in the theories of electromagnetism and mechanics intensified the problem of determinism (and fatalism). He said: “My first act of free will shall be to believe in free will.” Of course the thorny problem is when you declare otherwise, and perhaps that contributed to the neurasthenia from which he suffered as a young man.
James is best known for his masterwork Varieties of Religious Experience, a detailed and scholarly examination of extreme cases of middle-aged men who found ‘god’ or ‘enlightenment’ in a flash of inspiration after a period of intense depression as they struggled with their impending mortality. James claimed that such experiences had transformative powers and were just as true as any scientific principle, since they provided a deep usefulness and meaning to a man in his time of distress. “The only thing that it unequivocally testifies to is that we can experience union with something larger than ourselves and in that union find our greatest peace.” (VRE p. 380)
James died in 1910, and his philosophy was discredited and mostly forgotten by the time of Einstein’s discovery of General Relativity in 1915, which explained gravity as nothing more than the curvature of space-time in the presence of mass. Perhaps the greatest intellectual achievement of all time, the theory was vindicated soon after it was published by a British expedition to Brazil that showed the predicted deflection of starlight around the sun during an eclipse; “Einstein Theory Triumphs!” hailed the NY Times. (Though both the observation and the initial calculation each contained a large but exactly equal error.) The theory holds little pragmatic value today for all but astronomers and philosophers, though Einstein remarked that once understood, one can’t help but be astonished by its simplicity and beauty – qualities the mathematician admires more than ‘usefulness’. Einstein dedicated most of his career to a grand unified theory of gravity and quantum physics (which are mathematically incompatible). Of course he failed, nor has anyone yet succeeded.
Born again Pragmatism
In the early 1930’s, Bill Wilson was struggling with his impending mortality, and had taken to the common habit of reducing his standards by getting drunk; but there was only so low he could go even when plastered. In the depths of his despair, his friend Ebby Thatcher, who also had a history of excessive drinking, introduced him to both the Oxford Group and James’ Varieties. Both had a profound influence on him. He had his own religious experience when the “Father of Light” appeared to him in a vision. Suddenly he lost his desire to drink.
Wilson was obsessed with Varieties for months, and encouraged everyone to read it. This along with the Oxford Group and Crowley’s Thelema (“Do what thou wilt”) provided the foundations for the 12 Steps and Alcoholics Anonymous. William James is mentioned twice in the Big Book, and is one of only two people mentioned by name (Carl Jung is the other).
James’s Pragmatist philosophy was thereby resurrected in AA theology, which claims that the experience is real and true simply because it works. This reverse engineering of religious enlightenment is taken by the members to its logical conclusion: “AA worked for me and it’s the only thing that ever worked. I buried many friends due to this disease. AA has saved millions of lives. Now I am happy, joyous, and free.™”
In the Pragmatist school, people don’t drink because they are unhappy (as one would naively assume). Instead, they are unhappy because they drink. The mind is warped in the presence of alcohol: “The tragic truth is that if the man be a true alcoholic, the happy day may not arrive…. Most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink…. We are without defense against the first drink.” (BB p. 23-24) Drinking has become some kind of illness, a claim hard to dispute because most excessive drinkers are not willing to admit the real reasons. The First Step requires the new member to confess powerlessness and the abject failure of will. “No amount of will power he might muster could stop his drinking for long.” (BB p. 155) “The alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn’t think so.” (BB p. 62) Relapses are common for this ‘cunning and baffling’ disease.
But most excessive drinkers moderate on their own with or without the help of AA (and AA has been shown to be dangerous for younger drinkers). Furthermore, AA fosters a cycle of bingeing and abstinence that is more damaging to the brain than continuous inebriation. No matter to the AA member who is trained to repeat the mantras: “I couldn’t stop drinking no matter how hard I tried. I almost died. AA helped me when nothing else worked. AA saved the lives of millions. Anyone is susceptible to addiction.” By reciting these lies, the AA member actually creates the disease called ‘alcoholism’ in his own mind and the mind of the vulnerable — lies completely justified by their perceived usefulness and so become Pragmatically ‘true’.
To be clear: Alcoholism (addiction) is simply a lie and a fake disease manufactured by the 12 Step cults. They create the disease and then offer the cure. It’s a scam as old as human history. No surprise that its ranks are filled with criminals and self-professed liars.
“Abandon yourself to God, as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past.” (BB p. 164) Such advice may appeal to the middle aged who are tired of the drunkenness and the repeated dashing of their hopes. “Some of us sought out sordid places… Then would come oblivion and the awful awakening…. Unhappy drinkers who read this page will understand!” (BB. p 151) Many actually take the advice to heart, and make amends with the families that they abandoned to their ‘drinking’. And become upstanding citizens, even if they are also the most persuasive apostles for their cult: “AA worked for me and it was the only thing that ever worked.” In so doing they promote addiction and recruit fresh blood for the organization. And for the Pragmatist, that’s all that matters.
Before the Miracle Happens
But the offer of a Higher Power has little appeal to the young person whose pursuits lean more toward fun and sex than ‘serenity’. They may profess temporary interest, but then return to drinking with the claim, “AA didn’t help me. It just seemed too Christian and moralistic.” Of course, they will eventually return and ‘get it’, even if it takes decades.
The real threat of AA is to vulnerable people sent by the courts or simply in search of companionship, who are immediately taught the self-fulfilling prophecy of doom: “Each AA member is to follow the 12 steps to the best of their ability or face jails, institutions or death.” (12 Traditions) “Death was often near.” (BB p. 107) The newcomer is required to admit ‘powerlessness’ to alcohol and vow to abstain from drinking for the rest of their lives. They are then required to reveal their deepest sins and insecurities with rigorous honesty (a classic brainwashing technique), and then subjected to exploitation and abuse by the cult, and then expected to ‘make amends’ for it. The lucky ones will eventually leave in anger, and the unfortunates will be held up as a testament to the deadly power of their newly diagnosed ‘disease’.
Bill Wilson is infamous for ’13th Stepping’ the newcomers and had to be monitored for that reason. There are numerous web sites dedicated to exposing the exploitation and abuse, even if they still believe his propaganda. They say: “Addiction is real, but AA is not the only effective treatment.”
Seeking the Truth no matter where it lies
AA teaches the Craving Lie: “I couldn’t stop drinking no matter how hard I tried.” If you actually go to a meeting you discover ‘craving’ is actually of little concern for the members. Mostly they claimed to drink because their friends were, or because they were lonely, or for some other simple reason. They don’t claim to struggle with their cravings until after the fact: “As we look back, we feel we had gone on drinking many years beyond the point where we could quit on our will power.” (BB p. 34)
The real truth is that AA is a pagan-theistic cult that alternately idolizes and demonizes its one true god: alcohol. Laugh along with the merry drunkalogs. Nod solemnly at the claims of close brushes with imminent death. Go to your local AA meeting and see for yourself!
The purpose of the cult is to ensure a steady flow of newcomers to abuse and exploit as a continuation of their drinking career. Of course, they can always return to the bars when AA gets boring, and just call it a ‘relapse’ if anyone finds out. Ironically, the newcomer admires the mischief, even if his own life will be offered in payment for it.
People often wonder why AA is so popular as a treatment program when it has never been shown to be effective. The reason is simply AA’s power and influence as a propaganda machine that has infiltrated all levels of the government, entertainment, and medical industries to legitimize modern day demon possession. The 12th Step: “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” AA created the disease and so holds the patent on its cure. Other treatment modalities such as SMART Recovery and HAMS are little more than AA deprogramming operations posing as self-help groups.
Though James’s American Psychical Society was long since discredited, its legacy is continued in medical research organizations such as NIDA and NIAAA. Of course they are about as likely to ever cure addiction as they are to ‘cure’ someone of a belief in Christianity or Communism, even if they seem to be evidence of ‘life after death’.
Believe it or not, AA destroyed my marriage and family faster than any drug or alcohol addiction could. My wife was an unfortunate statistic of the opiate crisis. After years of kidney infections and excruciating pain, she finally had her kidney removed which eradicated her daily pain. Unfortunately, by this time her body was dependent on the opiates and she struggled to quit taking oxycodone. Her friend recommended a young persons AA group, although you are not even supposed to bring up or discuss drugs and had no issues with drinking, she ended up going that week. I have always enjoyed a couple drinks on the weekend, yet have never had any real issues with alcohol. She would have a drink every now and then. 6 years of marriage and never once was there an argument due to drinking, nor any kind of run ins with the law, blacking out, or any of the normal problems that someone might have if they were what might be a problem drinker. We had an amazing marriage with one beautiful daughter and had just found out that she was pregnant again. We were so excited, and gave even better reason to stay off of the pills. After attending a couple weeks of meetings, which I supported in any way I could, by attending sometimes, reading with her, etc. she randomly came to me one day saying that she could not be around me if I were to continue drinking anymore. My marriage was very important to me and my wife was the light of my life, so I tried my best to come to an agreement , as I found it to be a bit unfair for me at 40 years old to be asked to never have a drink again when I have always been a responsible drinker that in all reality only had a few drinks per month. Long story short, we agreed that I would only drink on special occasions or not around her. She started this for opiates, and ended up being convinced she was an alcoholic. I think she maybe at most had 20-30 drinks a year and was usually at special events. Eventually the people in her new found group of “friends”, including many men who were just released out of prison and jail, kicking heroin, and other newcomers convened her that in order to succeed, she could not be around me if I was not willing to be completely sober for life and help her believe in a higher power. The next week I came home to 10 or so people helping her pack her stuff up to move in with another AA member. I was SHOCKED! Maybe it was my fault for not doing what she asked. Maybe she had other things happening in her head that I was unaware of. But if you were to ask any of her friends, family, or whomever knew her and I, they would agree that she was happy as could be with our relationship. So, although she moved out stating that she needed space for recovery with her “sisters”, we maintained our relationship the best possible with me working all day and now having to put our 3 year old in child care as “recovery came before everything except God”. She was never a religious person, but was convinced that God was the only thing that could help her recover. And as I was an atheist, it was difficult for me to help her, or support the idea of this. I mean, she received her masters degree at 23 in mathmatics and was a high school math teacher, so it kind of surprised me that she would even buy into the idea of this. She then started to go to multiple meetings per day and staying out all night with other AA people. To wrap this up, after 3 months of spending every hour of the day with sponsors, newcomers, and old timers, I found out through the grapevine she was sleeping with some piece of s*** that was in her homegroup because he was “inspiring” and “close to God”. Bold statement for someone who was having sex with a pregnant married woman. I then found out that he had been giving her xanax and other narcotics and that the other women she lived with all smoked marijuana and did other drugs, as they were “in the program for alcohol addiction, not drugs.” So after many months of a program that was supposed to help her, she was introduced and exposed to people that she would normally have nothing to do with and helped her to make horrible decisions, usually while high. Even willing to forgive her to save our marriage, I never got her back. She eventually had our second daughter, not even calling me to let me know she went into labor even though we still talked multiple times a day. We are now divorced and my life is destroyed. Now, some might say that this had nothing to do with AA, yet in all reality it had everything to do with it. The AA group she attended was a very large (over 75 people) group, and from the very start, I heard stories of 13th stepping all the time. This was basically a social gathering where people went to take advantage of vulnerable people. There was absolutely no recovery help going on. This young person’s group didn’t have any respect for the BB, the steps, nor actual recovery. I now want to go to these meetings and just try my hardest to warn young girls and let them know that God is not the only person that can help them, and certainly not people who have been clean for 30 days after 10 years of using meth. I am discussed that our court system demands, not recomends, this program.
My mistake, I did not read Renee’s earlier post!
Leave Renee out of that email I sent today, it is addressed to Addiction myth & Joe.
Thank you for writing this; if you’re reading the comments you’re probably weighing responses. Don’t judge by volume or intensity, this group is loud and proud. Most people that no better aren’t reading articles that confirm it, they’re staying away from the whole issue. I’ve had two of the closest friends I had become serious satanists as a result of their “first steps”. It’s not a self limiting situation, either: They’re so far gone they actively try to harm you in a way you won’t spot for awhile… and wait til they’re gone… Each swore up and down that they had to turn their personal power over to the supreme being or alcohol would’ve killed them. Now they belong to that power, psychologically. She’s a biker hooker now, he’s a high level corporate dirtbag masquerading as an aging hipster. Both legitimately ruined their lives. Sometimes, you need to sit down, have a drink, and realize you’re hustling yourself or being hustled… and realize, if you can’t do that, you’re an asshole. Don’t bring the creator into it, handle yourself.
fuck you
Sad, sad, sad. The authors/author definitely has an axe to grind w/ 12 Step groups. Even more obvious, is the complete lack of understanding on how 12 Step groups actually work. I can tell whoever this person/persons is, they either did not study the 12 Steps or they did VERY little! This site is complete balderdash & paranoid fantasy. Hopefully no one will be influenced by this sot.
You are a complete jerk, a real kneebiter.
This article is a hideous distortion of AA and 12 step recovery.
Are there problems with 13 stepping? Yes. Is AA or any 12 step perfect? No. But I have known people who recovered and now help others with great sincerity and live very principled lives.
I know people from several different 12 step groups which came out of AA— and they are admirable people–coming from the difficulties they did and really turning their lives around –and helping others.
It is very unfortunate that this article is a distorted lambast of a program that has saved many many people. While there are some problems and people should use caution; 12 step recovery is a gift from God, or HIgher Power. Please, if you have any addiction issues, please find a program that works for you. Many have telephone meetings these days as well.
Buried one parent at 44 years old, not one good memories of him. Other parent sober 23 years I’m sober 32 years. Aa is for the people who want it not need it. What ever works for you do it!!!!! Don’t fucking down a program that some seccess. Until you can cure all who need it . Do your part and let others do theirs. If it saves one fucking life they are both success!!!!
If it saves one and kills 10 is it really worth it?
What a theory! Most anyone who considers them self an alcoholic will have experience the elusive craving that you speak of. Once That point is reached, for most of us there is no turning back. At first we take it in stride, enjoying the drunken life style, for years, or maybe decades. Eventually life , for me took on a nightmarish surreal, black and white tone. Lonlyness and despare prevailed. AA gave me a glimpse of a life worth living and support and friendship as I struggled with my addiction. At over 8 years of sobriety I thank God for his mercy and strength he gave me, and for the fellowship and support of AA.
AA is great for the middle age drunk who is entirely willing to stop trying to hook up at the bars and instead brainwash people into powerlessness at AA meetings and then abuse and exploit them for fun and profit and then bully them into overdose and suicide. And call it ‘a life worth living’ while reciting stories of drunken mischief which they kind of enjoyed for decades and tell you all about their new friend Jesus who can be your friend too. Otherwise, best to stay away.
“…abuse and exploit them for fun and profit…” LOL you must be some young, naive sorry excuse of a human being. Where the hell do you get this bullcrap?! I know enough people who have used AA to get sober and remain sober for 10+ years. Just because you don’t know how something works, or how well it has helped so many people, why don’t you keep your cock-eyed, ignorant opinions to yourself. Just because the interenet (unfortunately)is there for people like you who feel a need to exercise your free speech, doesn’t mean you are obligated to do so.
dude,get over it.i’ve been c and s for21+ years. I get it,so show an alternative.or just get a life,loser
I found AA and other 12 step programs helpful, and I respectfully disagree with your blog. I haven’t had “cult” experiences in AA or any other 12 step program I’ve attended, and your opinion feels like it undermines the severity of what people go through in a real cult. People within the group, myself included, may make mistakes, just like any other gathering of humans. When I see someone vulnerable being preyed upon or otherwise mistreated, I step up to stop it, whether it’s in or out of a 12 step meeting. (That’s why I’m writing this comment). I consider addiction a reality, not a myth. Some of the people I love have died from their addictions. They wanted to cut down or stop and they couldn’t. It’s good to know other points of view exist, and I believe people will know in their heart what they need to do to live meaningfully and then do so courageously. For me, I choose to continue living my life as best I can and will continue to go to AA.
You hide behind a key board and insult people you don’t agree with. This proving A.A. does not work for most. All the “years of recovery” you all have and yet still act like a child. If this is an example of A.A. principles, I’ll pass. Your statements have convenced me never to enter the sick rooms of A.A. again.
I have found the only good A.A. has is a place to sit while I detox for when I become awake again I don’t like the sick people that claim to have been helped by A.A., For me I chose to continue living my life as best I can and will never go to A.A.
BTW, I haven’t drank in many years and A.A. did not help me quit. I did the work I needed, I am responsible for my choices not A.A.
“Sure! I always encourage people to attend meetings to see the brainwashing and bullying for themselves. And they can meet smiling but deeply creepy people who say, “Blessed be”.”
Excellent I will get the list and post it for you to see. How do you feel about coming to Idaho? And what is it about Blessed Be that makes me creepy? I offer my blessings on someone else and you quibble about it?
I feel like my daughter has been kidnapped by AA. We were very close and now (she’s been sober almost 6 years) she never calls, doesn’t answer emails or calls…I never get to see my grandkids and we live in the same town. I’ve noticed that AA is not altruistic. Their main concern is the alcoholic, which is obvious, but they never seem to do anything for others. Unless it’s another alcoholic. She used to care about things like the environment, etc. Now she could care less. She’s in her blissful little ‘bubble’. She no longer has her friends, she has distanced herself from her family who loves her a lot, and I just really don’t understand any of it. Whenever I mention it, she says I’m making a mountain out of a molehill, but I don’t think I’m off my rocker. It’s not normal to ignore your family. It’s like they tell their people to detach from everyone and concentrate on their own inner journey, which is great, but all they do is go to meetings and isolate themselves from the world. I’m really at a loss here, I’m devastated, and I am angry that she has bought into this so heavily, that we are no longer a part of her life. I don’t know what to do. She no longer asks me for advice or values my thoughts. I have been replaced by her sponsor, and she almost treats me like I’m part of ‘them’, or people who just don’t understand. I feel like I have lost her. These ‘sponsors’ are just every day amateurs and have no business shaping people’s lives, but that’s what they’re doing. I’m heartbroken.
And the scary thing is, the more the cult is exposed, the more they will dig in their heals. I suggest people attend your local AA meetings. Just being present there will help break the spell.
Would you like a list of the meetings I attend AM? I sure could post some for you and you can come “expose” us if you would like to.
Sure! I always encourage people to attend meetings to see the brainwashing and bullying for themselves. And they can meet smiling but deeply creepy people who say, “Blessed be”.
The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking. I think you would be quite bored if you came for any other reason. Bottom line – AA Fellowship helps people get sober, stay sober and live a long productive life.
If you feel as though you have lost your daughter, It sounds like you would rather have her drinking and ruining her life and health so momma can have her daughter back. Heart felt suggestion would be for you to show your daughter you care about her and attend a few ala-non meetings and also at least a few aa meetings and see for yourself that other than rehab, aa is a very supportive place for someone to work on getting off alcohol for good. The more you knock it, which sounds like it is helping her, the more she will move away from you and those who for whatever reason won’t support her. Would you act like that if she had cancer and needed your support?
Aa is frisking creepy. They are a bunch of lunatics.
They are a cult of controlling, idealistic freaks.
Did you know you can have a meeting on a
Broken ski lift if you miss a meeting. Give
Me a break.
You forgot to tell them the part where if you don’t agree with every thing the “old timers” say and do every thing they tell you to do, they will not support you they will condemn you.
If one is ready to turn them self over to a group that will abuse you then A.A. is for you.
Joan I am sorry for your perceived loss of your baby but you have to understand your journey in life is not her journey in life. Like the anonymous poster asked, would you rather have her by your side day by day drinking herself to death or would you want to see her get better. This is not abou you it is aobut her and she is in a good place regardless of what the clueless addictionmyth thinks. Addiction is alive and well and addictionmyth is only perpetuating the deadliness of this disease. If you want answers go to some AA meetings to see what is really happening. Addictionmyth knows nothing about the program and is spreading libelous lies. Another thing is to try is Al-Anon. Addiction affects not only the addict but the family as you well know and like addiction recovery is a family process and Al-Anon can help you. I wish you the best, Blessed be.
Sounds like you need to attend some Alanon meetings!!
Alanon is the same shit as AA, just trying to drag everybody in the world into their nonsense regardless if they have any type of problem. This is the “CULT” aspect.
Joan, I’m sorry you’re having a rough time with your daughter. I’ve never heard anyone in AA tell another to stay away from their family. People in AA may choose to avoid some people because of risks to their sobriety, “finding new playgrounds and playmates.” I got sober and my husband still drank; a friend of mine can’t stay sober when her partner is drinking. I’ve also seen people becoming aware of their resentments toward family members; one of the goals in recovery is to release our resentments and become willing to forgive. I’ve seen families oppose AA because “it’s not Christian” and because “it’s too Christian.” In 30 years of recovery, I’ve never seen anyone encouraged to ignore their family; rather, people are encouraged to reconcile. There may be something else going on in your relationship. I encourage you to take a look at your part in the breach; for many people (myself included), it’s easier for us to blame something or someone outside ourselves.
Ur prob an alcaholic
you are an idiot
Maybe you are a trigger to her. She’s trying to stay alive. Try alanon.
They don’t tell you to detach from your family. They “suggest” (they don’t “tell” you anything) that you detach from people and things that interfere with your sobriety. If her friends were people she used to get drunk with, then she probably has found other friends. I obviously don’t know you, but if you are a mother and you are unhappy that your daughter has found a way to be sober, I can understand why she’s detached from you. Once an alcoholic has found peace and sobriety at A.A., they will br reluctant to let go of it. If you are speaking disparagingly about it, no wonder she has cut you off. Why wouldn’t you be happy that she has found a “happy little bubble”. Don’t wish alcoholism on your daughter – it is hell. Be glad she is sober. I assure you AA is not a cult. You can stop going to meetings anytime you want and no one will drag you kicking and screaming back.
This article knocked me over. It’s beautifully written, informative and deadly accurate. My profession is deprogramming and therapy, clinical hypnosis… years of study of everything that is cult, I was also raised in the Watchtower Society and ran away as a teen, I find their tactics almost identical on making members feel they are “spiritually sick” if they express a view contrary to AA or miss meetings.
I was also amused and saddened by ready the textbook examples of cognitive dissonance by AA supporters.
Thank you..
Thank you! I was hoping someone out there would appreciate it in my lifetime. 🙂
Please, read the paper on addicts and alcoholics. Not a one said”Gee, I want to grow up and steal from everyone, Shame and hurt my family and become a drunk. Thats my goal. “Its all a Myth. Everyone drinks to excess. Our prisons are full of alcoholics. The natives can not even attempt to drink socially. I would have to go out on a limb and say its better to be “brain washed” into going to meetings than continue to ruin your life. What say you?
I say either you’ve never been to a meeting or you’re blatantly lying. The rooms are full of self-professed lifelong liars and master manipulators who discovered that drugs and alcohol only accentuated their inborn skills. And yes every female drunkalog ever spoken is an admitted attempt to get revenge at their mother.
Don’t believe it? Just post your drunkalog and read it.
I’ve been to lots of meetings and AA is not a cult. Just find an open meeting and go observe it. When I went it opened my eyes when I saw the diversity among its members. In other words the young, the old, and the very old were there as well as black and white americans, Africans, Hispanic, eastern and western Europeans, Asian… everybody! And the members are not pathetic losers that are weak and can be easily brainwashed. They are strong, funny, vibrant and actually have lots of personality. In fact their often times boisterous personalities is why there is a 3 minute limit to sharing during a meeting. They love to talk, have the floor and help others. They just can’t stop drinking. And whoever up in the comments said it wasn’t fun anymore and now they want to stop is right. It is not fun to drink all day and not know why you can’t stop. Everyone you know doesn’t drink like you do or wants to and you need help. They are very aware that they need help but it is FEAR that keeps them from admitting it. What will they do if they can’t have it? They will get sick. Admitting it means stopping it without something to take its place BECAUSE they are an addict! Plus family members and friends cannot help often times because they are mad from the alcoholics behavior and think he/she is doing this all on purpose….to have fun. I have seen all sorts of alcoholics from Friday night binge drinkers who black out to homeless alcoholics. They never look like they are having fun. Alcoholics have lots of character flaws from their drinking. They can’t keep jobs, promises, relationships because they are constantly keeping track of their next drink, putting out fires from their previous drinking or just passed out or too drunk to keep their commitments. They are not trusted anymore by their families or friends. This is what they learn in AA. They learn why they got to where they are now and what to do about it. It doesn’t involve any cult activity, or brainwashing or money. But AA is not for everybody and that’s ok. There is new research being done currently on addiction and the search goes on to find out more and I hope it never stops. But you are wrong. There are lots of research articles about alcoholism describing it as a disease of the brain, a sort of allergic reaction and the brain controls what? Behavior! It is easy to sit back and say well alcoholics are just weak people who make excuses but that approach is not helpful….it is an unthoughtful reaction. It is the easy way out of dealing with the problem. Let’s just all throw up our hands and blame the alcoholic. Great Idea!
Oh- another thing that might be helpful ….call up an AA group and offer to donate $10,000 and see what happens. It’s just not what you think it is.
AA is a cult where people like this will demand the vulnerable newcomer confess powerlessness and then abuse and exploit them for fun and profit and then brainwash them into overdose and suicide. And then say, “Alcoholism is an allergic craving not a weakness and people are dying we must do something!”
Don’t believe it? Just go to your local meeting and see for yourself!
No you are wrong. They don’t demand anything. You don’t seem to understand what it is and I can’t help but feel that maybe you were actually in a cult in the past because of your remarks. And I am not ” a person like this” as you stated. You seem to in general have a low opinion of people in general and a sad attitude toward life in general. You don’t really have anything helpful or interesting to say. Everyone’s comments here are very different EXCEPT yours which are repetitious so maybe you are the ONE that is brainwashed. And like I said in the beginning of my statement I go to meetings all the time so I know for myself. Something bad must have happened to you at an AA meeting or maybe you had a terrible sponsor who treated you that way. You seem to really hate AA. Would you say that is true? Do you hate AA? Because they can just brainwash you and change all that. Why don’t you come to a meeting? I’m just joking. Good luck to you though. There are many roads to recovery.
Actually I have a high opinion of people. I just think that some of them are mislead by people like you who tell them they are sick (and then say they don’t do exactly that) and ‘good luck in your recovery’. You must have a very low opinion of people if the only meaning and purpose you have in your life is brainwashing them into addiction and watching them die.
You are ignorant and full of fear and pride. It takes a lot of courage to say i need help. Especially for men. So go ahead and go somewhere you won’t have to admit you are powerless over alcohol and see your long term results. You can look up others recovery ratings. Your choice. Let us know how long you stay sober and happy. (Yes, alcohol free). Dry drunks are terrible to be around. Good luck.
No clue what you are talking about but whatever.
Exactly WHAT PROFIT are you referring to?
Addiction Myth is ultra-strange even for the anti-AA websites, in that the author pretends that alcoholism is not an illness at all but a fabrication of the AA cult. Odd that it was identified as a syndrome, mental disorder or physical addiction many years before AA came into being in the 1930s. In fact, there was a very large fellowship, the Washingtonians, that preceded AA by 100 years using some of the techniques used by secular recovery programs. So the idea that AA “invented” alcoholism for its own devious purposes is simply historically inaccurate (as well as utterly nonsensical).
Addiction Myth portrays AA members as helpless dupes who have been brainwashed and manipulated by some hidden power for an unidentified but sinister larger purpose. In reality AA is amazingly broad-based, drawing its membership from all of society’s strata, rich and poor, well and poorly educated, professional and laborer, religious and non-religious. Their earning power is better than average. AA today is comprised of 115,000 groups worldwide with an estimated membership of 3 million and adds more than 1,000 new groups annually.
While AA is for alcoholics only, it is important to note that not everyone who is a “problem drinker” is an alcoholic. The American Psychiatric Association has characterized problem drinking as “Alcohol Use Disorder,” and uses a sliding scale to measure severity. Only those who engage in high-risk, severe drinking behavior qualify as “alcohol dependent” — the new term replacing “alcoholic” — and this is the group AA was designed to help in the first place. Others may recover on their own or ultimately moderate their drinking, giving rise to the notion that anyone can quit or moderate, therefore it is not an illness. The medical community knows better.
Finally, Addiction Myth encourages attendance at AA meetings to watch the brainwashing and the exploitation, but clearly he hopes no one will take him up on his suggestion. He knows, of course, that AA is not at all what he suggests it is, and I think in reality he may simply be engaged in a massive game of leg-pulling by running a web site that is so clearly nonsensical. But it gives folks like me who have experienced the fun, the fellowship and the precious gift of sobriety a chance to write reams of stuff in response, and I guess he gets a kick out of it.
In what way are AA members “exploited for fun and profit” and by whom? Where is the mysterious hierarchy that runs this “cult” and what is their aim? Are the 3 million AA members part of the plot, luring unsuspecting drunks into the fold and then. . .what? Or are they all innocent victims of. . .some small group of puppet-masters? Are the thousands of doctors, psychiatrists and therapists who refer their patients to AA part of the conspiracy? Is this another of the sinister undertakings of the Bildebergers, the Trilateral Commission and the CFR? What role does the CIA play? Was AA actually behind the attack of 9/11? If not, why not?
And by the way, from what asylum did you escape?
Very Well stated Renee. I cannot believe people take this stance on pure ignorance and lack of truth about aa. Thank you for your response!
So…if AA is all this guy says, then where exactly is the payoff, and for whom? There’s no money or power to gain.
If you study out A.A. one will see every thing that The addiction Myth reports is true.
A simple example, It is said that A,A, is not for every one that need it but only for those that want it. If we replace the need for A.A. with the need for food or sleep would the statement still work. Food or sleep is not for every one that needs it but only for those that want it. No of course not, the statement becomes absurd, and such is A.A..
Renee reminded me of the A.A. line if something seems wrong it must be the person that points it out that is wrong.In other words if you abuse me it’s my fault if I point out you are abusing me. A go along to get along way of thinking, brain washing 101. Those that followed Hitler had the same faulty logic and desire to “fit in”
Faulty logic Joe & Renee.
What is meant by AA’s message is this: Those that want to change, to live a healthier way of life will need it. Those that do not, neither AA or any other form of recovery will work. An addict has to “be willing” to change. That is all that means.
To equate that with brainwashing & Hitler is totally ridiculous!