In the beginning, the press could not understand our refusal of all personal publicity. They were genuinely baffled by our insistence upon anonymity. Then they got the point. Here was something rare in the world — a society which said it wished to publicize its principles and its work, but not its individual members. The press was delighted with this attitude. Ever since, these friends have reported A.A. with an enthusiasm which the most ardent members would find hard to match. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 182
It is essential for my personal survival and that of the Fellowship that I not use A.A. to put myself in the limelight. Anonymity is a way for me to work on my humility. Since pride is one of my most dangerous shortcomings, practicing humility is one of the best ways to overcome it. The Fellowship of A.A. gains worldwide recognition by its various methods of publicizing its principles and its work, not by its individual members advertising themselves. The attraction created by my changing attitudes and my altruism contributes much more to the welfare of A.A. than self-promotion.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Did you guys know that there is a group that supports moderate drinking?
AA teaches that if you leave the group you will die, go insane, or be jailed.
This is dangerous programming and total nonsence.
Try This!
http://hamshrn.org/
For the true alcoholic, this disease is fatal. If we could have been a moderate drinker, dont you think we would have. AA teaches us alot of things, but the most important lesson is how to live life on lifes terms, which we never have done in the past. We dont play off of the fears of people, we tell them the reality of what will happen to you if you dont accept this simple program. I think it is rather irresponsible to tell an alcoholic that could die from this disease, just go try this group over here that will teach you how to drink moderately. If you can learn to drink moderately you were never an alcoholic in the first place.
If I hadn’t needed to use alcohol, a mind altering substance, to cope with life and myself then I would have been able to drink moderately. That was always the goal – just don’t drink too much and all will be fine. BUT I’M AN ALCOHOLIC…That’s why I used alcohol: to prevent me from facing reality, people, myself, responsibility… .
I have the progressive disease of alcoholism and insisted on trying to moderate my use for years. I failed over and over again. For anyone who does not have alcoholism I suppose learning to drink in moderation would work…again, that is if you truly are not an alcoholic. But how do you know? I’m not willing to take that chance. I’ve worked hard in sobriety and have gained enough peace from those efforts to know that going back to using alcohol would ruin my life like it almost did before I stopped drinking.
In this 12 step program we don’t “teach” anything. We simply speak from our experiences to show others what has worked for us. You are free to take it or leave it. Working the steps and actually DOing the work with a sponsor has already provided me with great rewards in all areas of my being: spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health. I’ve gained a perspective on life that no one could have made me believe was possible when I was drinking. I am now like a snake shedding old skin. Fears that have dominated me and held me captive my entire life are falling away. And, I know there’s more health for me to gain. I’m not giving that up, not even for one drink.
That’s what it’s like for me. God Bless!
Before I went to AA I did not think I was an alcoholic. It was through the indoctrination into the program that I became one. Before I went to AA I did not know that if I left the group I would die, go to prison, or go insane; all this is thought programming. AA and its members tell you exactly what you want to hear in combination with a love bomb, this opens you up for the programming. AA suggests you get with a sponsor when you are new, this way a true believer can solidify your membership. Much of the AA program is based on magical thinking and cult characteristic programming. For many educated or intelligent people that have a predisposition to a scientific or opposing mindset, this is objectionable. These people are told that some are too smart to get the program. I have personally known many who have suffered under the influence of AA.
What is dangerous is your statement “We don’t play off of the fears of people, we tell them the reality of what will happen to you if you don’t accept this simple program.”
Now fully concentrate on this statement with an open mind. “That which is true in your own mind and part of your belief structure controls your actions; (we tell them the reality of what will happen) is not the truth, it is what was programmed into you, it is not your original thought, it was learned”. To drink or leave the group with this belief structure is very dangerous; this is why many who don’t stay yet accept the indoctrination become very ill and even die. This is the negative effect of your programming, the positive effect being long term abstinence.
Sure, AA helps people. What I wonder is weather or not it could help people without all the cult speak and damaging programming. What if the parts that kill people were eliminated?
There are lots of ways to manage or correct a drinking problem.
This is my favorite alternative for the person that will just not accept AA but continues to try while becoming victim to the dangerous programming.
http://hamshrn.org/
Sherri G.
Here is a good example of cult speak in your post.
EXAMPLE
“I am now like a snake shedding old skin.”
This is a platitude, a common form of making a point in AA.
It does not make the statement true, it is simply cute.
As an AA, you are programmed to accept this type of nonsense.
I wonder, did you come up with this one on your own?
What value does the statement have? Are you still a snake? Are you shiny with your new skin? Where did the onion go?
Here is another slippery psychological mind control technique.
“In this 12 step program we don’t “teach” anything. We simply speak from our experiences to show others what has worked for us.”
In this way the true believer can influence others while taking no responsibility for the outcome and separating their solution from the core cult doctrine.
AA can kill. In order to be a truly good AA I had to accept the realities of the program and have an open mind.
oh geeze…KISS, would ya?
AA is now breaking its own traditions. I saw a commercial on TV for AA.
I thought it was attraction rather than promotion. I would like to hear from knee jerk AA’ers about this.
I have found that if you express any sort of opinion or dissent not sanctioned by AA ideology you are treated a s an ignorant fool and rejected by “friends” you thought you had made in the program. This leaves one dejected and being of a depressive type who never really fit in with any group in a dangerous place. I do believe AA can kill people with its ideology
I have been going to AA meetings – of all stripes and types – for over six years and have been welcomed regardless of what I said. There have been people in meetings who show signs of disapproval, but those are individuals who have there opinions which I respect, but as a whole no group has every made me feel less than welcome.