What else would classify AA as a cult? The biggest book on this subject is AA: Cult or Cure by Charles Bufe who delineates a litany of conditions that qualify AA as a cult. I am not going to debate his criteria. Why? Words are like statistics-you form your opinion, then you make them fit the point you want to make… I frankly could take Bufe’s points and make a good argument that the Boy Scouts of America is a cult .
Dealing with the court system. Getting a DUI means that you will ultimately have to face your day in court. There is a lot of stress, time, and money involved in preparing for court, and when you are already bogged down by school or work, you don’t need this additional stress.
In some occupations, like home remodeling for example, being a jack of all trades might be okay. It might even be an advantage. But successfully defending a drunk driving case in a New Jersey court takes someone with a practice focused on drunk driving cases.
Step Four. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. This step is about looking at one’s own life and laying claim to wrongs done to self and others. Without the assurance of the presence of a High Power from Step 3, this would surely be an impossible step to complete thoroughly. Writing down resentments gives them less power and allows the alcoholic the chance to begin to let them go. Trusting in an infinite Higher Power makes this step easier because the alcoholic knows that he or she is not alone on the journey.
There it is. It’s not a “program”. It’s not group therapy or a cult. It’s a way of life. In my experience this definition is right on the money. Yet alcoholics anonymous is not my whole life, just it’s core. When I try to practice the principles embodied in those steps in all my activities, things go better even if I don’t know why.
First, you have to ask yourself this question: Even though it is my friend I am worried about, is my own drinking able to withstand examination? You may be inhibited to speak with your friend about his or her drinking problem because you do not want to risk the inquiry that is sure to follow. If you drink more than your friend it is only natural that you have hesitancy to press the point.
Take care of drunk friends and strangers: Make sure that the group assigns who will be the one that will take care of drunken folks on the way home. No person should be subject to caring for those who have alcohol-induced symptoms while making sure they get home safe.
Wrong. You can make a decision in your life by stopping your alcohol habit. You can take charge of your own life. You can make your own decisions about everything else so why not the decision to quit alcohol?
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