More Revealed

AA: Cult or Cure?

This book is here courtesty of   and of its author.



ALCOHOLICS

ANONYMOUS



CULT OR CURE?

Second Edition

Revised & Expanded

by





Charles Bufe





See Sharp Press Tucson, Arizona 1998


Copyright © 1998 by Charles Q. Bufe. All rights reserved.

For more information contact See Sharp Press,

P.O. Box 1731, Tucson, AZ 85702-1731


Bufe, Charles.

Alcoholics Anonymous : cult or cure? / Charles Bufe ; with an introduction

by Stanton Peele. — 2nd. ed. — Tucson, AZ : 1998.

192 p. ; 23 cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-884365-12-4


1. Alcoholics Anonymous. 2. Alcoholics — Rehabilitation. 3. Cults —

Psychological aspects. 4. Alcoholism — Religious aspects. 5. Alcoholism — Psychological aspects. 6. Alcoholism — Treatment. 7. Oxford Group.

8 Psychology — Religious. 9. Twelve-step programs. 10. Moral Re-Armament. I. Title.


362.29286


Cover and interior design by Chaz Bufe. Printed on acid-free paper with soy-based ink by Thomson-Shore, Inc., Dexter, Michigan.



Contents

  • Introduction (by Stanton Peele) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
  • Preface to First Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
  • Preface to Second Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  • 1. A Typical AA Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
  • 2. The Oxford Group Movement: The Forerunner of AA. . . . . .14
  • 3. A Brief History of AA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
  • 4. The Oxford Groups & AA: Similarities & Differences . . . .57
  • 5. The 12 Steps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
  • 6. The 12 Traditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
  • 7. How Effective is AA? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
  • 8. AA’s Influence on Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
  • 9. Is AA a Cult? (preliminary considerations). . . . . . . .129
  • 10. Is AA a Cult? (conclusions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
  • 11. The Future of AA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
  • Appendices
  • A. Secular Self-Help Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
  • B. AA & the Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
  • Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
  • Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199