Alcoholism is a problem that affects an individual in many ways and if you are a victim, you may want to seek help from professionals. You have to be very careful when choosing the right rehabilitation center as some of them may be associated with doctrines you may not be comfortable with. The following are some of the ways to establish if AA is a cult.
The method in which recruitment is done is something you should be concerned about. This is an entity that is meant to help people in the society and hence it should not discriminate when registering people that wish to attend the meetings they host. If you find out that people of a certain denomination, culture or even gender are not allowed to enroll, avoid being part of the program.
It is good to understand the approach used in this center to transform the members. Some centers will use scientific methods like therapy accompanied by drugs, depending on the condition of the members. Others will use a psychological method of making the patient believes that he is a failure unless he changes. Others will forcefully prevent the victim from taking alcohol and this may have other negative effects on him.
Wealth is another way to judge an institution. If they seem to accumulate a lot of wealth yet the members are not charged much, you may want to know where the wealth is coming from. If it is from certain sponsors, their intentions should be known. Some cults will accumulate money by ensuring that they control the finances of the members who will not question the spending.
You also should examine other teachings of the organization. It is possible that they do not just help the member reform, but they also feed him with other information that is not related to his condition. This may include education that will help the person grow financially or change his lifestyle for the better. You can go through the programs to see what it entails.
The leadership of the institution is another thing to look at. Good leadership is based on democracy and this means that there is a criterion that has to be followed when the leaders are being chosen. In most cases, there is a constitution that indicates the appointment of leaders and their role. If the entity is run by dictators, then this could be a sign that the members have been brainwashed.
It is normal for one to enroll in a program and lose interest after some time. Quitting should not be complicated as there are so many other organizations offering rehabilitation services to alcoholics. You will, however, have a hard time if you want to stop attending the meetings yet the entity is too strict or even threatens you. This could be a sign that it is indeed a creed.
If you know any people that gave up on the program, it is good to get their view making a conclusion. You may be surprised to note that their reasons for quitting are not even related to religion. Since they have been to the meetings they will give you first-hand information on some of the things you have been having doubts about.
The method in which recruitment is done is something you should be concerned about. This is an entity that is meant to help people in the society and hence it should not discriminate when registering people that wish to attend the meetings they host. If you find out that people of a certain denomination, culture or even gender are not allowed to enroll, avoid being part of the program.
It is good to understand the approach used in this center to transform the members. Some centers will use scientific methods like therapy accompanied by drugs, depending on the condition of the members. Others will use a psychological method of making the patient believes that he is a failure unless he changes. Others will forcefully prevent the victim from taking alcohol and this may have other negative effects on him.
Wealth is another way to judge an institution. If they seem to accumulate a lot of wealth yet the members are not charged much, you may want to know where the wealth is coming from. If it is from certain sponsors, their intentions should be known. Some cults will accumulate money by ensuring that they control the finances of the members who will not question the spending.
You also should examine other teachings of the organization. It is possible that they do not just help the member reform, but they also feed him with other information that is not related to his condition. This may include education that will help the person grow financially or change his lifestyle for the better. You can go through the programs to see what it entails.
The leadership of the institution is another thing to look at. Good leadership is based on democracy and this means that there is a criterion that has to be followed when the leaders are being chosen. In most cases, there is a constitution that indicates the appointment of leaders and their role. If the entity is run by dictators, then this could be a sign that the members have been brainwashed.
It is normal for one to enroll in a program and lose interest after some time. Quitting should not be complicated as there are so many other organizations offering rehabilitation services to alcoholics. You will, however, have a hard time if you want to stop attending the meetings yet the entity is too strict or even threatens you. This could be a sign that it is indeed a creed.
If you know any people that gave up on the program, it is good to get their view making a conclusion. You may be surprised to note that their reasons for quitting are not even related to religion. Since they have been to the meetings they will give you first-hand information on some of the things you have been having doubts about.
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