Hello.
I am currently doing the program for close to two months. I agree with all the critiques that were made in this thread regarding the organization. What is a huge red flag for me personally is that during it's initial stages, the organization was endorsed and financed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. It even says so in the big book, and you can do your own research on the internet regarding this connection if you type in "alcoholics anonymous" AND "Rockefeller" on search engines. It really makes you wonder if there is a hidden agenda here. Almost all rehabs and drug and alcohol facilities funnel the patient into a twelve step program and rarely, if ever, offer any alternatives. Why? Was this done on purpose? Why is the twelve step program so huge? How did it get so huge? Could there be some nefarious reasons for why this is so? These are all questions I have in my mind but never share with the people in the meetings. While there are lots of red flags here, I am still trying to be open minded about just the twelve steps. The core essence of the twelve steps in and of itself seems rather benign, though I can't help but feel a bit paranoid. Step One is all about "surrendering." I don't like the sound of that. The AA people will tell me I'm being hard-headed. Maybe I am, I don't know. I definitely know I had an insane obsession with mind altering substances for several years, and the idea is that I need to "surrender" to this fact. Trying to "control" this obsession by indulging in a balanced way is apparently impossible to do. Fair enough. I admit that even thinking about trying to control it in an obsessive manner, I've already lost control. The solution to this problem is apparently relying on god to restore you to "sanity." What "sanity" is, I don't know.
Anyways, just some thoughts. I go to the meetings to just network face to face with people for the most part. Some are zealous, but many people are chill, so I don't mind interacting with them. I have a sponsor. He's intelligent, but he holds onto a lot of sacred cows regarding his perception of AA, so I don't share my doubts with him at all. Right now, I'm just trying to be open minded about practicing the twelve steps, which is the core essence of the program. A lot of people swear by it, including some members of this forum I spoke to regarding it, so let's see how it goes. I just find it weird that it was endorsed by Rockefeller. Makes you wonder if there is anything fishy going on here.
I cleaned up back in 86 with the help of AA and NA- am still clean and attend meetings more as a remider where i came from and to share my lived experience of recovery and to be in service to others.
I believe that in its early days AA was approached by big business folk fund AA !! however this didnt happen due to the traditions (that are guidelines for the running/functioning of the fellowship
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose — to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
6. An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
tradition six is worth of note here as well as tradition 7 in respect of being bought out and taken over by business.
A useful set of guidelines that have kept the fellowship going and expanding for many years
also tradition 10
.
the treatment centres(as a business model) adopted the 12 step approach which became known as the minnesota model.The Hazel
As the rehab industry began expanding in the 1970s, its profit motives dovetailed nicely with AA’s view that counseling could be delivered by people who had themselves struggled with addiction, rather than by highly trained (and highly paid) doctors and mental-health professionals. No other area of medicine or counseling makes such allowances.
Hazelden was the first orginzation that turned recovery from addiction into a business
When Hazelden officially opened its doors on 1 May 1949 , the program expectations were few and simple. The patients were expected to:
practice responsible behavior;
attend the lectures on the Steps;
associate and talk with the other patients; and
make their beds.
Each client is given a copy of both the Big Book and the
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. Treatment is administered by lay-therapists, recovering alcoholics who got their sobriety in AA. Treatment is focused solely on the first five of the Twelve Steps. All clients are encouraged to associate with one another, as identification of one drunk with another is seen as central to recovery.
As Hazelden grows, its board decides to expand Hazeden’s campus and treatment program. Several elements are adapted from the program developed at Wilmar State Hospital . Among these elements are the assumption that initial motivation is not related to treatment outcome and the multidisciplinary approach to treatment.
The assumption that initial motivation is not related to treatment outcome means that, unlike in Twelve Step organizations, at Hazelden the desire to stop using is not required to participate in treatment. You don’t have to want to get sober; you just have to check in. This policy means that many of Hazelden’s clients enter treatment with a high level of resistance to recovery. In order to compensate for this resistance, Hazelden places a great deal of emphasis on the First Step, where various forms of intervention are used to convince the client of his or her powerlessness and need for help.
Adopting the multidisciplinary approach means that Hazelden will now have psychiatrists working alongside the lay-therapists. This means introducing conflicting perspectives on how treatment should be carried out.
so the AA approach to recovery was monopilsed by foundations . There is big money to be madein treatment centres/rehabs -
it works both ways- some people get introduced to AA NA etc etc through being in a rehab that is run along the Minnesota model(adopted from AA 12 steps) part of the programmes is regulat attendance to AA/12 step meetings.
I know plenty of folk who got ckean and sober just through attending 12 step fellowship meeting - every one has there respective way of getting into recovery.
IMO 12 step is not the be all and end all and ive seen may people equally succesful in recovery from numerous other appraches .
AA and other 12 step fellowships/members ( if adhering to the traditions properly) work on the premise of attraction rather than promotion. A very important factor.
some of the newer fellowships NA for instance have adopted more up to date language in their recovery books and literature and words like "Higher power'' are use instead of God . There is currently alot of controversy In AA as service boards are finding it a challenge to re word the original "big book 0f AA'' and update the languge to current times - The origins of the AA big book are obviously quite religious in a christian way - ( the people at that time lived in that mindset) the controversy is around the purist view that the original book must not be changed or altered and the more forward thinking folk who are suggesting that the religious aspects are removed as they are out of date and can put people off AA thus not giving them an oopotunity to recover.
I personally took the rehab root when i cleaned up.Some of the beds were funded by the state but the majority of beds were private paid for. Sadly this is still the case in the uk.
it stands to reason that there going to be a vast mix of different fold in 12 step fellowships - sadly there are crazies and very mentally sick people amongst them ..
alot of bad press about 12 step recovery comes about by individuals /influencers blowing their trumpets and neglecting the Traditions -
hence there are splinter groups and in certain cases cult like individuals who have their own followers and do their "own brand of AA'
and in some case a hug amount of damage is done by these individuals along with bring AA / 12 step into public contrversy.
aacultwatch has been set up by members of Alcoholics Anonymous who are concerned about the development of a movement in the Fellowship that we refer to as a cult.
aacultwatch.blogspot.com
While the 12 Steps were inspired by spiritual ideals, a 12-step program itself is not religious at all.
Let’s repeat that. You don’t have to be religious in the slightest to benefit from 12-step programs.
At most, these principles can be considered spiritual in nature. They focus on the larger ideas of faith, honesty, humility, and repentance. In fact, in AA tradition, these twelve steps are known as the 12
spiritual, not religious, principles.
What’s the difference?
While the 12 Steps do invoke God several times, the very first mention is followed by the phrase
as we understood Him, emphasizing that each member’s understanding of a Higher Power is very individualized and personal. Some members do believe in a traditional God, while others simply believe in karma. Others believe the “power greater than themselves” is Earth, science, Mother Nature, the universe, humanity at large, or even their recovery fellowship.
in meetings we might mention a higher power but we try and keep within the guidelines of the tradtions
that way no matter what denomination/religion /non religion etc we dont discuss issues related to this as it could spark off argument disunity and thus conflict us as individuals and a group which diverts us from our primary purpose which is to help other alcoholics /addicts codependents /etc etc recover .
best and in fellowship
from Rob.
