AA Agnostica

 AA Agnostica and AA Beyond Belief are two websites that target  literature that is published by other organisations at atheist / agnostic A.A. members. These sites have encouraged the formation of an affiliated movement of  atheist / agnostic groups within A.A. There has been some conflict between some of these groups and some A.A. intergroups.

Alongside the promotion of  interpretations of the Twelve Steps published by other organisations and articles that undermine A.A. Traditions, the AA Agnostica website also includes articles that promote "Faces and Voices of Recovery" and William L. White.

William L. White, a former amphetamine addict, was trained in Gateway House (1), one of the first generation Synanon cult based  Therapeutic Communities that were spawned from Synanon and Daytop Village (2). Faces and Voices of Recovery is the organisational centre of the Recovery Advocacy Movement.

The AA Agnostica and AA Beyond Belief websites and affiliated groups illustrate how A.A. is being infiltrated by the Recovery Movement via the internet.

Whether religious fundamentalist, atheist / agnostic or just plain indifferent, it appears that many A.A. members have no idea how much they are being exploited and manipulated by the Synanon Therapeutic Communities/12-Step industry.

References:

(1) "Recovery Rising - Review" https://aaagnostica.org/2017/12/07/recovery-rising-review/

(2) "Synanon Cult influence on Alcoholics Anonymous, Addiction Treatment and the Criminal Justice System 1968-2017" Section 2.2.3, Page 7 

"Take Back Your Life: Recovering From Cults and Abusive Relationships" by Janja Lalich and Madeleine Tobias, Bay Tree Publishing, 2006

Extracts from pages 91 & 194:

“There are cults, for example, that focus their recruitment activities in drug-rehabilitation programs, Alcoholics Anonymous, and other twelve-step programs, as that milieu tends to be a ripe hunting ground for potential members.”

“In cases where alcohol or substance abuse was or is a problem, attending meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous may help. However, we caution you to proceed into the 12-step world with your eyes open and your antennae up. Despite its successes, this is an area rife with abuses and incompetencies. Hustlers use 12-step programs as a hunting ground for income and glory. Some counselors and group leaders are not credentialed. Some programs are fronts for cults. Even a well-meaning program may inadvertently promote long-term victimization. Although these groups are set up to reduce codependency, many participants become completely dependent on their 12-step meetings and friends.”

This book will be very helpful to A.A. members who have found themselves to be victims of  cult group abuse. The book will also be very helpful to A.A. members who think they may have been recruited into a 12-step cult group.

- Suggested reading in the minority report.  For an A.A. member's sharing their experience of recovery from a 12-step cult group in the USA, see AA Minority Report pages 70-71.

  

Conference Steering Committee’s response to the report

The committee decided not to use the minority report as a topic for full Conference discussion in 2018. However, the committee advised that statements made on pages 121-122 could be resubmitted individually for future consideration in the format as described in the document "How to Submit a Topic or Question for Conference.” 

Having supplied the necessary background in the minority report, we will leave the submission of individual questions as a matter of conscience for any Conference delegates, board members, and A.A. group members.

We have discharged our duty in Concept V by presenting a minority report to Conference. By publishing the report we have discharged our duty in Concept XII, Warranty Five, to inform the general public also.

We thank the committee for considering the report. 

For A.A. members resident in Great Britain, questions or topics relating to statements made on pages 121-122 can be submitted for consideration for Conference 2019 anytime between now and 31^st August.   

The Lawyer Synanon Tried to Kill - Legally Speaking

University of California Television (UCTV)

California Lawyer editor Martin Lasden interviews Paul Morantz, the lawyer Synanon tried to kill.

- An educational video about Charles Dederich & Synanon and how cults brainwash followers.

Video can also be viewed at University of California Television (UCTV):
https://www.ucsd.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=24671