Cult meetings: Where to Find

Cult meetings " Where to Find"

As promised we launch our Cult meetings "Where to Find" today. We trust that this will prove an invaluable resource to both cult members and AA members. In the case of the former this will enable them to avoid completely any risk of wandering into an AA meeting by accident there to encounter our "diluted, garbled, distorted message" (their description of the AA recovery programme – ie. the one outlined in the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" and other AA conference approved literature) and thus remain safe within the security and purity of their own version – that is the one based upon sponsorship idolatry ("DO EXACTLY WHAT YOUR SPONSOR SAYS"), literature derived from non-AA sources, fundamental breaches of AA Traditions, and intrusive, misinformed and inappropriate "suggestions" into pretty well every area of an individual's private life (eg. use of prescribed medication, marriage counselling, therapeutic interventions, financial contributions …. – the list, as they say, goes on "ad infinitum"). In the case of AA members, these are free to go to whatever meetings they like and already have their own Where to Find (though the cult groups still persist in advertising their own groups in it). However, apart from the characteristics mentioned above, what they will find in a cult meeting is a slick marketing operation managed by a core group of cult members, with the usual strategies employed by cults in recruiting new members ("love bombing" etc). Control freaks abound so there need be no worries about finding a sponsor to "run your life for you". Independent thinking is much frowned upon (Why bother when your sponsor will do it for you?) as is, for that matter, any form of independent action.

We shall be adding cult meeting details initially to the "Stop Press" section of the site and then transferring them here, to our new Where to Find section (in alphabetical order by county or metropolitan area).

This list is far from comprehensive and we will be adding to it (and amending where necessary) as we receive the relevant information.

ENGLAND

BEDFORDSHIRE

Toddington: Primary Purpose

Saturday 19.00 Methodist Church Hall, High St

(Note: appears in both AA WTF and Primary Purpose directories. Until quite recently ran its own website but the account has now been suspended whilst being investigated for "phishing" activities)

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Cambridge: Cambridge Primary Purpose
Monday 19.00 Abbey College, Station Rd

Cambridge: Primary Purpose

Monday 19.45 St Paul's Church, Hills Rd

DEVON

Plymouth: Road to Recovery

Tuesday 19.30 Church of Christ the King, Armada Way

Friday 19.30 St Mathias Church Hall, North Hill

Saturday 11.00 Church of Christ the King, Armada Way

Sunday 17.30 (Sept-Dec)- Big Book study

18.45 Mini Meeting

19.30 Topic Meeting St Mathias Church Hall, North Hill

DORSET

Bournemouth: Road to Recovery

Wednesday 19.30 St Stephen's Church Hall, St Stephen's Way

ESSEX

Barking: Big Book Study (The Way Out)
Saturday 20.00 Salvation Army, Ripple Rd

Chelmsford: Recovery
Friday 19.00 Chelmsford Cathedral Learning Centre, The Cathedral Office, New St.

Chelmsford: Broomfield Hospital
Thursday 20.00 Medical Academic Unit, Broomfield Hospital, Court Rd

Goodmayes: Altered Attitudes

Tuesday 20.00 All Saints Church Hall, Goodmayes Lane

Witham: Big Book Recovery
Sunday 18.00 Methodist Church Hall, Guithavon St

HAMPSHIRE

Southampton: Road to Recovery

Saturday 19.30 United Reformed Church, St Johns Rd

KENT

East

Canterbury: Big Book Step & Tradition

Friday 19.30 Friends Meeting House, The Friars

Hythe

Monday 20.00 Methodist Church, Rampart Rd

Kearsney (Dover): Into Action

Wednesday 19.30 Kearsney Manor Nursing Home, Alkham Valley Rd

(used to be quite an active cult centre but operations seems to have switched to Tankerton Tuesday)

Margate

Friday 19.45 St John's Community Centre, St John's Church, Victoria Rd

(some cult influence here but group appears to have lost direction – formed a kind of once-a-month- hybrid with Al Anon participation – in breach of AA traditions)

Tankerton

Tuesday 19.45 Tankerton Evangelical Church

North

Beckenham: Primary Purpose Big Book Step Study

Wednesday 19.45 St Edmunds Church Hall, Village Way

(affiliated with the Primary Purpose movement - included in a number of their directories)

Bexleyheath: Road to Recovery

Monday 19.30 The Booth, The Salvation Army, Broadway

Sidcup: Into Action Multi-Mtg

Thursday 19.45 Emmanuel Methodist Church, Hadlow Rd

Sidcup: Into Action Multi-Mtg

Sunday 19.45 Emmanuel Methodist Church, Hadlow Rd

(both the Sidcup meetings form part of the Primary Purpose network (in breach of AA traditions of non-affiliation) – they carry links to this on their website, together with the rather unconvincing and disingenuous disclaimer that such inclusions do not constitute an endorsement - or otherwise - of this movement – for more information on the Primary Purpose movement click here for pdf download. However, and in brief, the Primary Purpose agenda is essentially predicated upon a series of lies – that the AA message has become "garbled", that this is a result of an influx of "treatment centre" members who treat AA meetings as therapy sessions, and that as a result recovery rates have fallen, and all this despite evidence (independent) to the contrary

West

Gravesend: Beginners

Tuesday 20.00 Emmanuel Baptist Church, Windmill St

Rochester: There is a Solution Big Book Step & Tradition

Monday 20.00 The Quaker Meeting House, Northgate

Rochester:

Saturday 10.45 The Quaker Meeting House, Northgate

Strood: There is a Solution

Thursday 20.00 St Nicholas with St Mary's Church

LONDON (including Greater London)

N21

Winchmore Hill: There is a Solution

Monday 20.00 Winchmore Hill Methodist Church, Green Lanes

Winchmore Hill: Primary Purpose Beginners

Friday 20.00 Winchmore Hill Methodist Church, Green Lanes

SE10

Greenwich: Road to Recovery

Tuesday 19.30 Devonshire Drive Baptist Church, Devonshire Drive

SW4

Battersea: Beginners

Tuesday 19.30 St Barnabas Church, Lavender Gdns

SW8

Vauxhall: London Beginners

Thursday 19.00 Ashmole Community Hall, 2 Meadow Rd

SW19

Wimbledon: Design for Living Group

Sunday 10.30 William Morris Meeting Rooms, The Broadway

Kensington: Road to Recovery/As Bill Sees It

Monday 19.30 Kensington United Reformed Church, Allen St

Kensington: Road to Recovery

Wednesday 19.30 Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church, Kensington Church St

W11

Notting Hill: Road to Recovery/ A Vision for You

Friday 19.30 St Johns Church, Lansdowne Crescent

SURREY

Guildford: Beginners

Monday 20.00 St Mary's Church Community Hall, Aldershot Rd

Purley: There is a Solution

Monday 20.00 United Reformed Church, Brighton Rd

Purley

Wednesday 20.00 United Reformed Church, Brighton Rd

Purley: There is a Solution Big Book Study

Saturday 09.30 United Reformed Church, Brighton Rd

(The Purley group is involved in running non-AA conventions (in breach of AA guidelines) with the usual imported US Primary Purpose speakers. Fliers of these events have been circulated at AA meetings (again in breach of AA Traditions) and the speakers themselves prominently advertised (again in breach of AA Traditions - the one about "principles before personalities"). No proper accounting methods have been employed to account for the distribution of the monies charged for attendance at these gatherings - in some cases for substantial amounts)

YORKSHIRE

Sheffield: Big Book Study

Monday 19.00 Pitsmoor Rd

(Note: this group appears in both AA WTF and in Primary Purpose directories)

SCOTLAND

ABERDEEN

Aberdeen: Big Book Workshop

Thursday 19.30 St Peter's Church, Chapel Close, Castlegate

(Note: appears in both AA WTF and Primary Purpose directories)

GLASGOW

Priesthill: Big Book Study

Wednesday 20.00 Priesthill Community Centre, Priesthill Rd

(Note: this group appears in both AA WTF and Primary Purpose directories)

LANARKSHIRE

Motherwell: Primary Purpose Big Book

Monday 20.00 Motherwell Baptist Church, Windmill St

(Note: this group appears in both AA WTF and in Primary Purpose directories)

This section contains reference to other groups that have been drawn to our attention but about which we have relatively little information as yet:

EAST SUSSEX

Eastbourne: There is a Solution

Friday 19.30 Elim Church, Hartfield Rd

Finally, groups which carry the titles: "Road to Recovery", "Primary Purpose", "Beginners", "Newcomers", "Vision for You" should be viewed with some circumspection (though it should be emphasised here that the use of these epithets does not necessarily imply a cult connection). However, cult members are very keen on getting to newcomers quickly, and focus a considerable amount of their energy on targeting the most vulnerable within the Fellowship. They are therefore very enthusiastic about setting up meetings specifically focussed on this "target market". It is our view that ALL AA meetings exist to assist the newcomer and that there should be no necessity for these so-called "specialist" meetings - this same principle applies to so-called "non-restrictive" meetings, which similarly break the most fundamental AA Tradition - that of the sole membership requirement.

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