Hi
If anyone wishes to email me personally, I will be glad to share
with them the reasons I believe NA/AA/12 Step groups to be harmful
not only to individuals, but to society as a whole.
For a pretty thorough look at this topic, you can also go to
http://www.recovery.org .
These cult groups are NOT an effective means of treating addiction.
By their own admission, 95% of participants drop out within the
first year, 50% within the first month (1989 AA Triennial Report).
In the Stepcraft brainwashing manual "12 Steps and 12 Traditions", a
guide for would-be "sponsors", they even tell stepcraft practioners
to encourage drinking/drug use by potential cultists that have not
embraced the fallacious concept of "powerlessness" in hopes that the
person will "hit bottom" and eventually come into the fold. This is
a sick, twisted, and irresponsible tactic that has resulted in the
death of many people. When this occurs, the cultists use the
deceased as an example of what will inevitably occur to those that
don't "do it the NA way". They truly do society, and addicts in
particular, a grave disservice by spreading disinformation on the
nature of addiction and other forms of treatment, the success of
which they routinely deny or disqualify by saying "those people
weren't real addicts".
NA/AA/other forms of stepcraft have all of the earmarks of cults--
Religious orientation; irrationality; rigidity; dogmatism; anti-
intellectualism; a charismatic leader (Bill W[ilson]); a
heirarchical authoritarian structure; submission of the individual
will to "the will of God"; a claim to the ultimate truth; separitism
(us vs. the world mentality); exclusivity (only through us...);self-
absorption (primary focus is on the cult itself); economic
exploitation; going to great lengths to retain members; mind
control techniques; intimidation; manipulation through guilt;
threats of death (Big Book predicts it for dropouts and
nonbelievers); harrassment; deceptive recruiting techniques; closed,
all-encompassing environments (treatment centers where people are
deprived of all non-cult reading material, contact with family or
friends, or telephone access), etc.
The fact that NA/AA has so well infiltrated and subverted legitimate
recovery techniques and methods in the USA( often using the judicial
system to forcibly recruit new members, a flagrant violation of the
US Constitution which has been successfully challenged every time it
has gone to court, thankfully) and other nations has undoubtedly
resulted in the continued suffering and deaths of many unfortunate
addicts who may well have successfully treated their addictions had
other treatment options been known to, or made available to them.
NA/AA/12 Step IS a CULT with no concern for individual addicts, only
for it's own continuation and cancer-like growth. It has portrayed
itself as a benevolent organization that seeks to help addicts, when
in reality it has caused untold suffering to the very groups it
purports to be serving.
Thank you
RTP2003
