Is A.A. a Cult?
…proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers
and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths. But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 2- 5
My friend Adoro on my post concerning dry drunks posted this comment. It raised some very valid concerns about the actual program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Paul over at Sober Catholic has also raised the same issues.
First lets hear what Adoro has to say:
Thanks for the definition in terms. Whenever I've seen the phrase "dry drunk" I actually thought it applied to people I've met that I don't recall actually fit the criteria. The people in question were recovering alcoholics, but they were unbearable about it. They were so on the wagon that any reference to any desire by anyone for a drink containing alcohol must mean that the person making the comment MUST be an alcoholic.
First lets hear what Adoro has to say:
Thanks for the definition in terms. Whenever I've seen the phrase "dry drunk" I actually thought it applied to people I've met that I don't recall actually fit the criteria. The people in question were recovering alcoholics, but they were unbearable about it. They were so on the wagon that any reference to any desire by anyone for a drink containing alcohol must mean that the person making the comment MUST be an alcoholic.
The "dry drunk" (in my understanding) was basically an obsessive-compulsive switching from one addiction to another...the first being alcoholism, the other extreme...anti-alcohol to a fault. There was no source other than the 12 steps; it ate up all his time and conversation, there was nothing else in this world, and basically, the attitude was that EVERYONE is an alcoholic.
My Dad was an alcoholic, and the one time I remember having to go to Al-anon or whatever we had to go to, it was so cultic and so like THAT that it's turned me off forever to that particular group. I've also seen it since then so these aren't just observations from childhood. So...maybe it's a different phenomenon? Or part of the same thing? Someone gets sober and suddenly switches gears and it becomes a pyramid organization?
When I worked in probation (as a volunteer) I worked with a lot of DUI convicts. They were required to go to AA or some other, and AA was the top recommendation. Some of them came to me to say they didn't like the AA program and asked if, instead they could go to the group through their church or some alternative, and they cited the "cult-like" atmosphere. I realize not all groups are "cult-like" but the attitude seems so widespread. We did let the probationers seek other programs, certainly (and I suspect that some of them WERE AA but just being held through their church maybe by a different name...) lol
One of the things I stressed about the Twelve Steps of Alcoholic’s Anonymous was the universality of the program. It can be applied to any area of our lives in which we are experiencing problems. I also have stressed that it is an aid to our spiritual life and not a substitute for the teachings of the Catholic Church. It is really no different than using Ignatian or Dominican spirituality as a means to improve our conscience contact with God.
What I have avoided talking about is the absolute need to go to A.A., O.A., or N.A. meetings. Having grown up in an A.A. household, I have been well acquainted with the program since about the age of nine. Over the years I have seen the program, when left unchecked, morph into something the founders never intended.
We have to read authentic A.A. literature just as we read the Bible, keeping in mind the intent of the authors and the audience to whom they were writing. The founders of A.A. were offshoots of the Oxford Group, a religious group that had the seeds of the Twelve Steps. The basis of the A.A. program was spiritual. There were many ministers and priests involved in the early years, and these people and the early members understood the program was founded on spiritual principles.
Let’s fast-forward from 1936 to 2008. We now live in a society that has embraced what I will give a blanket title of New Age. Under this umbrella is the cult of the individual, Phenomenology, Gnosticism, Pantheism, and any other ism’s you can dream up. People caught up in these movements will interpret what they read and hear through their own filter.
Because of this, you will see people make A.A. their world, rather than experiencing the program as a way to live in the world. More and more I see people who do not operate well outside the program. The meetings have become their social outlet and most, if not all, of their friends are in the program. Some become obsessed and see a drunk around every corner. If they become a sponsor to a new member, their tendency is to smother and dominate the newbie – hence the cult like feeling that Adoro mentioned.
The majority of the people who have most skewed the program don’t go to church. They have made A.A. their church. This was never the intent of the founders.
Just as we have “cafeteria” Catholics, we also have “cafeteria” A.A. members. Rather than learn what the founders intended, they “hear” the steps any old way they want. This in no way negates the wisdom contained in the steps anymore than a poorly formed Catholic negates the doctrines of Holy Mother Church.
One of the things I stressed about the Twelve Steps of Alcoholic’s Anonymous was the universality of the program. It can be applied to any area of our lives in which we are experiencing problems. I also have stressed that it is an aid to our spiritual life and not a substitute for the teachings of the Catholic Church. It is really no different than using Ignatian or Dominican spirituality as a means to improve our conscience contact with God.
What I have avoided talking about is the absolute need to go to A.A., O.A., or N.A. meetings. Having grown up in an A.A. household, I have been well acquainted with the program since about the age of nine. Over the years I have seen the program, when left unchecked, morph into something the founders never intended.
We have to read authentic A.A. literature just as we read the Bible, keeping in mind the intent of the authors and the audience to whom they were writing. The founders of A.A. were offshoots of the Oxford Group, a religious group that had the seeds of the Twelve Steps. The basis of the A.A. program was spiritual. There were many ministers and priests involved in the early years, and these people and the early members understood the program was founded on spiritual principles.
Let’s fast-forward from 1936 to 2008. We now live in a society that has embraced what I will give a blanket title of New Age. Under this umbrella is the cult of the individual, Phenomenology, Gnosticism, Pantheism, and any other ism’s you can dream up. People caught up in these movements will interpret what they read and hear through their own filter.
Because of this, you will see people make A.A. their world, rather than experiencing the program as a way to live in the world. More and more I see people who do not operate well outside the program. The meetings have become their social outlet and most, if not all, of their friends are in the program. Some become obsessed and see a drunk around every corner. If they become a sponsor to a new member, their tendency is to smother and dominate the newbie – hence the cult like feeling that Adoro mentioned.
The majority of the people who have most skewed the program don’t go to church. They have made A.A. their church. This was never the intent of the founders.
Just as we have “cafeteria” Catholics, we also have “cafeteria” A.A. members. Rather than learn what the founders intended, they “hear” the steps any old way they want. This in no way negates the wisdom contained in the steps anymore than a poorly formed Catholic negates the doctrines of Holy Mother Church.
…proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers
and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths. But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 2- 5
For those interested: An A.A. History Timeline
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5 comments:
Adrienne - what a great post! First of all - I ran an Al-Anon group over 20 years ago. We had about 3 members (lived in a town of about 700 people) and I think we ran a good group. Later I moved to a bigger town (maybe 20,000) and the group was a disaster for the most part. Because the town was so small we knew if someone was living the program or not. Most of the women just came to the group to whine and be justified in their whining. I didn't stay in it for long. That does not mean Al-Anon is a bad group - I am only stating my own experience with it. The spiritual principles are very sound though.
I also have to mention that you can insert the phrase radical Catholic traditionalists anywhere that you've written alcoholic on a dry drunk. Just look around the internet, even some of the blogs in my sidebar have that tunnel vision mentality.
Anyway, great post - you are the best!
Angela - Funny you should say that about rad-trads. That's exactly what my hubby said when he edited this. It also entered my mind when I wrote it but decided not to go there as it didn't really enhance anything.
And I also didn't want a bunch of trads breathing down my neck. I hate confrontation. Comes from being an Adult Child of an Alcoholic, an Alcoholic, and an Al-Anoner....... LOL
....and, yes some Al-Anon groups can be a bit whiney
Thank you for this post. It would not be wise to say why, but those last two paragraphs mean a lot to me.
You are a real gem!
Rita - I had to re-read the last two paragraphs and all I came away with was, huh?
But I'm glad, for whatever reason they mean something for you:)
"Under this umbrella is the cult of the individual, Phenomenology, Gnosticism, Pantheism, and any other ism’s you can dream up." CATHOLICISM. "People caught up in these movements will interpret what they read and hear through their own filter."
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