Cults and 12-Step Programs Share Similar Principles in Their Operations

The televised special was really very nice-- bright-eyed, smiling youth singing and speaking of "God! Country! Family!" The general concerns-of-the-day presented in such a positive manner that uninformed viewers would conclude that these folks had something very good to offer, and that we really should heed their message and give them a chance.

Shortly after watching the t.v. show I was walking through Chicago's downtown "Loop" and another little group of these folks were marching in the area, carrying signs and crosses; upon turning the corner my cousin and I were approached by a young girl who was handing out fliers, advertising the next meeting. For those who had no beforehand knowledge, the Unification Church-- commonly known as the Moonies-- sounded very good indeed.

Pseudo-religious cults and 12-Step Programs operate on the same principles: Offer people what they think they want, and you've got them hooked; Present it in a manner of convincing people that they really do need what it offers, and that it is the only way; overcome any resistance an individuals may have; and the end result is "Gotcha!"

12-Step Programs, with information primarily focused on the forerunner, known as Alcoholics Anonymous, has slowly but surely begun to reach the public light as being compared to, and meeting the criteria of, a cult. "If you want what we've got- and are willing to go to any lengths to get it..."

To recognize the full effect, it is helpful to take that statement in two parts: first, convincing people that they really do "want what we've got" is not as difficult as it may appear-- it is simply a matter of presenting a positive subject in a positive manner so that the individual will find it very hard to say "No." Who could possibly object to "God! Country! Family!" unless there were something seriously wrong with his priorities?!

Who could possibly say 'No' to the chance of living "Happy, Joyous and Free," no longer in "bondage" to alcohol or drugs?! The first counter to resistance on the part of the individual is that he "does not know" what is best for himself, and therefore must put himself in the hands of others, who are outside of himself, for to trust his own judgment and instincts means he is "in denial." While pseudo-religious cults such as the Moonies (and many others) seek "new recruits" from the ranks of those who are most vulnerable to them-- teenagers and young adults, especially those who have no personal religious affiliation, have always been their favored target (or prey), the 12-Step Programs' methods of recruiting potential "newbies" are even more insidious, for breaking down an individual's resistance amounts to attempting to plant seeds of doubt. One of their favorite sayings is that alcoholism is such a "cunning, baffling and powerful Disease" that it's "nearly-for-sure" that you have it- and only your Denial telling you that you don't.

In reviewing the nearly-endless list of slogans the 12-Step Programs use to break down the individual person, the site missed one very important point: if one is around the Program or its "guru's" long enough, one becomes conditioned and programmed to have negative reactions.

"You're exactly where you're supposed to be."

"Don't let them live rent-free in your head."

"Your thinking is alcoholic."

"You are in denial."

"When we think we are in control of our own lives, we are living in denial."

"You need a check up from the neck up."

"Feelings are not facts."

"Pray that you never get the idea that you can run your own life."

"Your only strength is in being powerless."

"Just trust and surrender."

"There are no victims, there are only volunteers."

"The sicker you are the more we love you."

"We must Obey or we will die."

"Some must die so that others can live."

"You're on a dry-drunk."

and let's not forget: "You must remain teachable..."

"Are you a friend of Bill W.?" That popular slogan alone conjures up thoughts of an exclusive group, something very special-- and doesn't everyone who has even a modicum of curiosity, and/or the desire to belong, want or need to be a part of a special "in group"? For those whose curiosity gets the better of them, the first slogans one is generally treated to are "You're exactly where you're supposed to be!" and "Keep Coming Back!" Even if curiosity is the individual's only motivation for "checking it out," the slogans first produce a fuzzy sense of belonging, followed all too quickly by effervescent Members with an endless stream of self-doubt-producing slogans, all to the tune of "We have what you Need... Gotcha!" Or, as one Group Leader once remarked: "How many bodies can we bring in today?"

Contrary to the generally-accepted belief, Bill W. did not write the Twelve Steps-- what Bill W. did do was nothing more than a minor rewriting of the tenents designed by a Hitler-worshipping cult leader named Frank Buchman. Following in a similar fashion, the widely-used and, unfortunately, widely-accepted, methods of Alcoholics Anonymous are the same precepts used in indoctrinating and holding members in pseudo-religious cults. Some of the precepts are: "The Group-- or one's Sponsor-- is always right; You, the individual, are always wrong."

"It is difficult, if not impossible, to leave."

"Cult-speak-- 'special' words, phrases, terminology."

"Suppression of dissent, and enforced conformity."

"Irrationality-- being pressured to give up or mistrust one's rational mind."

"Manipulation through guilt."

"Instant intimacy."

"Surrender."

"Dual purposes, hidden agendas, and ulterior motives."

"Aggressive and deceptive recruiting."

"You can't tell the truth- 'they' don't want to hear it."

"You must change your beliefs to fit 'their' beliefs."

"The ends justify the means."

"Dishonesty, deceit, denial, falsification, and rewriting history."

"Different levels of 'truth'."

"You're only as sick as your secrets: forced confessions."

"Intrusiveness-- 'they' will insist they must run your life because you are incapable of doing it yourself."

"Creating a sense of powerlessness, fear, guilt and dependency."

"You must believe as you are told, rather than trust your own common sense."

"Keeping people unaware that there is an agenda to Change them."

"If you deny being an alcoholic, it only means you are 'in denial,' and proves how 'sick' you really are."

"'They' have their own definition of what 'reality' and 'truth' are, and demand compliance with their belief."

Separatism-- social isolation, and telling people that their own families 'are so bad that you should not have anything more to do with

them."

"Don't trust your own mind; don't trust your own feelings."

"'They' take over your decision-making process."

"Progressive indoctrination and progressive commitments."

"New identity, new definition of one's Self, revision of one's personal history."

"Denial of the truth, reversal of reality, rationalization and denial."

"You need 'fixing'- and 'they' are the only ones who can do it."

"Blackmail-- ostracism, threats, and 'smear campaigns' against anyone who attempts to leave or dares to speak out."

A pseudo-religious cult, a 12-Step Program, and those who employ such a disregard for the rights and selfhood of individual human beings-- trust your instincts: if it smells like a dirty dog, it probably is.