Originally Posted by
awuh1 
Well this thread seems to have turned into something of a I-don't-like-AA fest, rather than a discussion of whether AA is or is not a cult. I understand that it's a bit difficult make the case that it's a cult, but do the detractors really need to resort to tactics like unsubstantiated claims (a 5% success rate), characterizations, ("a treatment out of the dark ages") and pointing a finger at the errant behavior some individual AA member's?
As for the 12 and 12 quote, notice how it how begins. "Unless each A.A. member follows to the best of his ability...." It does not say AA is the only way. It's pointing to the people in AA. It's saying that if you are going to choose AA, then do the program of AA, and do to the very best of your ability. The quote is being talked about in this thread like its pointing (or comparing itself) to some other method and saying that AA is the only way. That's not true. It's speaking about AA members.
Also notice that even within the quote, (Bill at his most dramatic) he refers to the 12 steps as "suggested". Seems to me that's anything but cultish.
The things that make people think AA is cult-like are going to be negative things.
I spent over 7 years in the program and I think the literature describes a program that is not at all cult-like. And we can find many things in the BB that go against what people are reporting here.
However, people new to the program are going to take what they hear in meetings and from their sponsors as representing the program. In the 30 or 40 groups I attended it was often said that without AA you would not stay sober--that any alcoholic who does not recover the AA way will end up in prision, in a hospital, or dead.
I lived in a sober house between us we were given a laundry list of bizarre requests by our sponsors. None of us had the confidence or knowledge to tell our sponsor he was doing it wrong.
The phrase "pointing a finger at the errant behavior some individual AA member's" implies that the cult-like behavior is somehow isolated incidents. But in my experience over the years, it is far too pervasive to downplay in that way.
Maybe some AA member should start a thread about how members can turn the tide against the cultists in the program? This already seems to be starting. What I used to read on SR was more cultist and now people are reporting practices that would have been unthinkable in 12-step programs 15 years ago.
But the first step in solving a problem is admitting it exists. There has been a lot of admitting here. So what is next?