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In addition, these people not only recruit from 12-step and other support groups[/quote
If you are aware of anyone in a 12 step group recruiting for an entity such as Landmark or some other guru, such as Byron Katie, I would advise talking to the secretary who conducts the meeting. If the person seems unwilling or resistant, take your concerns further and contact the central office for the AA district in which the meeting takes place.
Be steady, thoughtful, be calm. (There is a reason why, even in the USA, the slogan
Keep Calm & Carry On has become deservedly popular)
Thoughtful members of 12 Step groups do worry about anything that could drag "outside issues" into a meeting and cause discord.
But the Prime Directive for the 12 Step tradition is that a meeting must remain
a confidential space and a safe space exempt from scamming, pickup artistry, panhandling and proselytizing for entities other than !2 Step. For example, it would be recognized as wrong for someone to abuse AA meetings by using them to recruit for a rehabilitation program covertly affiliated with Scientology.
Anyone who uses a 12 Step group to recruit subjects into something else is violating
the 12 Traditions.
Tragically, not nearly enough people are aware of the 12 traditions, though they are read at the beginning of every AA meeting.
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www.google.com]
Anyone who abuses 12 Step meetings to recruit for Landmark, for Byron Katie, for any guru or anything other than 12 Step programs violates these traditions.
The 12 Traditions were developed specifically to
prevent AA from turning into an obnoxious, personality driven cult.
In AA you are free to choose your sponsor and can fire your sponsor. You can try out different meetings and stick with the one you like best.
Above all, you are free to follow a higher power of your understanding. Many atheists report that the cosmos or just simply the human family is their higher power.
You are welcome even if you have no funds.
People who are drunk or high can attend meetings so long as they are mannerly.
The guiding principle is that of anonymity, summed up as
Who you see here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here."
This was put in place, because addicts and alcoholics do have reason to fear stigmatization and blackmail.
One is never, but never to proslytize to anyone. Deceit is recognized as part of the disease of addiction, and people who work the 12 steps do so to relearn how
to life a life free from deceit.
"Hustling" is also recognized as part of the disease of addiction. Scheming and
hustling and gaming to recruit for an entity such as Landmark is no different
than hustling for gambling money or going "on a mission" score heroin, speed or crack.
Ditto for behaving as a pick up artist (PUA).
The essence of addiction is use of other persons as objects for your own (or Werner Erhard's) ego driven agenda.
To abuse a 12 Step environment to recruit people into guru lead groups and trainings meant to generate profit and which conceal their methods is itself an act of deceit.
One of the statements that governs 12 Step groups is "Principles Before Personalities." This contrasts with the slavish veneration of Werner Erhard and also contrasts with the authoritarian behavior of forum leaders as described on CEI.
In 12 Step groups run according to the traditions (as all of them should), leadership positions are on limited terms with regularly scheduled elections in which all members of a meeting participate and have an equal vote. This is to prevent one person from dominating and taking over a meeting as his or her personal turf.
It is the 12 Step tradition to avoid accumulation of excess money, property and prestige. Finances are open book.
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www.aadesmoines.org] -short form
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 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 nonprofessional, 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.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2017 10:06AM by corboy.