I Am A Cultist..... and I am very glad for that!

[SPKrazy]

I have been a member of a cult for 25 years, and a member in good standing for 22 years. (edited to add as of today)

To be a member in good standing simply means that I have abstained from the use of alcohol for that period of time and attended cult meetings.

I have paid my dues long before I joined the cult.

I really have made great strides in this cult. My life has changed for the better.

In fact I can't even imagine my life before this cult took such a prominent place in my life.

I am truly grateful for its existence.

I want to thank the co-founders of this cult:

Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob

and all the folks who lived and died to make this cult possible, it's been the best thing that ever happened to me.

If you wonder what this cult is called... take a guess! :hi:


(hint they use 12 steps... they deal with alcoholism...and they have these cult meetings)

[Adsos Letter]

1. I am glad for your ongoing victory, Southpaw

I wish my mom could have done it. She went through three different programs, but she just couldn't shake it. And, after the second one she had developed a "wetbrain" and a lot of damage. She died in 1983, at the age of 50. :cry: And people loved her, but she could never feel it.

Keep going. Don't ever quit. :thumbsup:

[SPKrazy]

2. wow, i'm very sorry

so young. it's a good reminder and i appreciate you sharing this with me.

:hug:

i will keep going today, and i have no intentions of not going on.

truthfully your statement people loved her but she could never feel it makes me feel the strongest emotions.
both sadness, and understanding of that sense.

again sorry

and thanks

:hi:

[Adsos Letter]

3. I wish you soul-peace, my friend.

[SPKrazy]

10. Thanks...

to you too my friend :hug:

your story has touched me deeply.

[GenDem]

5. So very sorry

Some people just can't grasp the simplicity of one day at a time. My son can't, and it breaks our heart, and we may lose him because of it. Your story has touched me. Peace to you. :hug:

[SPKrazy]

9. I'm sorry GenDem

that must be painful for you.

:hug:

[GenDem]

12. It is

There's nothing worse than watching your child suffering with an addiction that you have no control over. He's such a contradiction, too. A scratch golfer that plays in three leagues, club champion, was captain of his high school basketball and football teams, didn't go to college -- but finished at the top of the electrical union's apprenticeship program. You would never ever know that he has an entirely surreal double life that includes a dark and scary sub culture that I don't even want to believe he is a part of. Yet, he is, and it will probably kill him. That's my burden, and what haunts me more than anything else.

[SPKrazy]

14. oh man,

that is like a parent's nightmare. I'm so sorry you are dealing with that.

On a bright note, I don't know that anyone thought i would do anything different but the dis-ease has a way of kicking one's ass in a way that no words, or actions by others can do.

I will hope for you and your son, he sounds like a neat guy.

:hug:

[Kajsa]

39. Oh, GenDem, I'm so sorry to hear that.

A friend's brother was living on the streets
for almost five years.

She had lost hope that he would ever sober up
but he did, eventually.

The last I heard, he's sober and doing OK.

Our cult has helped even the most " hopeless drunks".
I was one of them.

:hug:

[Kajsa]

38. I'm so sorry, adsosletter.

:hug:

[GenDem]

4. The cult saved my husband

and in doing so saved my family. I'm very grateful to the cult. We even went as far as attending some of the cult conventions and spent many a summer day picnicking with other cult members. Cult members are still regarded as some of our best friends.

:popcorn:

[SPKrazy]

6. it saved my life

and i'm grateful to it as well.

:hug:

[KitchenWitch]

7. I am also a member of the cult!

It has saved my life, it has saved my father's life, and it even saved my grandfather's life (who sobered up 3 years after I did, and died sober).

[SPKrazy]

8. awwww (secret handshake)

hey KW!

:hug:

[texanwitch]

11. Congrats pawpicker.

I have a friend who is going thru treatment for alcohlism, and I know how hard it is to stop.

I think she is going to the same cult as you.

[SPKrazy]

13. thanks TW!

sounds like she might

and the cult will welcome her with open arms if she lets them

:hug:

[texanwitch]

15. She lives in Dallas now.

It took being a car accident before she admitted to a drinking problem.

She is going on her 3rd month, I am proud of her.

She could drink.

I would drink one bottle of beer and she could drink 6 or more.

She went into a hospital first and now is going to meetings with this cult.

[SPKrazy]

16. cult meetings are good

and she and i could have kept up with each other it sounds like

glad she's doing something about it

[texanwitch]

17. She didn't have a choice at first.

The judge gave her a choice, jail or this cult or something like it.

She would have killed herself or other people if something hadn't happened.

She ran her car into a tree, didn't get hurt.

[SPKrazy]

18. sometimes it happens that way

i don't think anyone comes to the cult because they think it sounds like a good idea

[texanwitch]

20. She was not happy about it.

This cult looked better then jail.

She living with cousin who also goes to this cult and gave her job.

She has support.

My friend is now a different person, looking better also.

[SPKrazy]

22. the most amazing thing to me is always

seeing someone when they are really in the problem and then seeing them weeks, even better months later and comparing the change.

often it is hard to even recognize them as the same person.

just an amazing thing to see to me

:hug:

g'nite!

[texanwitch]

23. I never knew her when she wasn't drinking, so she is a new person for me.

Goodnight, and sleep tight.:pals: :loveya:

[SPKrazy]

78. oh thanks

just saw this now

guess i was crashed!

:hug:

:loveya:

so you didn't know the friend when she wasn't drinking so she will be a totally different person.

[Kajsa]

37. Hi Texanwitch,

Good to see ya! :hi:

I wish the best for your friend.

:hug:

[fizzgig]

19. congrats hun

:hug:

i know nothing of the cult, but i'm glad it has helped you

[SPKrazy]

21. we controls all yer thoughts!

well mebbe :silly:

thanks

:hug:

[Kajsa]

42. Hi Kagehime!

How ya doing?

Yeah- our "cult" has helped many people,
including me.

That Southpaw is quite the guy-LOL!

" We control your thoughts"-:rofl:

:hi: :hug:

[fizzgig]

66. hi kajsa

i'm doing well, how are you?

:hug:

[Kajsa]

70. I'm doing pretty good.

Rumor has it another LL Thread is
coming to the Lounge, tonight!

Yeah!

:hug:

[fizzgig]

73. i just saw that

i'm at work and really shouldn't be hanging around here, but i needed to take a bit of a break

:hug:

[philosophie_en_rose]

24. Stonecutters?

:bounce:

[SPKrazy]

25. yup

:bounce:

[Withywindle]

26. I knew it!

You're in Skull & Bones, aren't you?

[SPKrazy]

27. Shhhhhh!

quiet down now!

:D

:rofl: skull and bones

[RetroLounge]

28. Happy 22 years

:yourock:

:bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:

Keep Coming Back...

RL

[SPKrazy]

58. I think i shall!

thanks!


:bounce:

:woohoo:

[BarenakedLady]

29. Congratulations my friend

I'm glad the cult worked for you. Worked for my Dad too.

:thumbsup:

Still, it doesn't work for everyone. I wish there were other readily available options.

[SPKrazy]

57. Well BNL...

the cult thing didn't just pop up and happen, the fact that it even happened is sometimes mind boggling to me.

a couple of drunks sober up in a religious organization that didn't really like having them bring drunks in to their meetings so they figure they gotta start their own cult.

and soon the cult somehow took a life of its own, and has survived when other groups that had the same aspirations didn't.

i think that any organization that can help people stay sober, or deal with any substance is great.

maybe the thing that can be learned the most from the experience of the cult, is the singleness of purpose.

most other organizations that sprung up to help alcoholics over the years got themselves caught up in politics, religion, or other such things

so i wish there were ways that all people who wanted to stop could find.

:hug:

[no name no slogan]

30. That means the terra-ists have already won

Congratulations, man. :hi:

[SPKrazy]

56. Oh Nooooo!

not them damned terra-ists again

:rofl:



thanks

:hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

31. Dude, stop

ringing my doorbell at 8 AM on Saturday mornings. I'm not joining your cult. I have better coffee at home.:P



on edit: the AA thread was one of those bizarre train wrecks that sometimes happen in the Lounge. Go figure.

[SPKrazy]

54. Come on man

i'm ringing your doorbell now for sure!

:pals:

[Gormy Cuss]

85. That's what I like about you.

:pals:

[SPKrazy]

86. ...

:rofl:


:pals:

[northzax]

32. hey, if it works for you, more power to you

as long as you don't go through the whole cultish 'this is the only way' idea!

[SPKrazy]

53. the only way

is to breathe on breath at a time

and live one day at a time

and don't drink, that was the one that got me, if i don't drink, i don't get drunk :silly:

there are many paths, i've found one that works for me and lots of other people

i hope that all my find their paths who need a path for this.

[camero]

33. Psheeeeeeeeeew

And here I thought you were going to say you were a republican. :silly:

[SPKrazy]

52. Oh HELL NO!

uh uh!

no wayyyyyyyyyy!

:hi:

[Justpat]

34. I must be a real dumb ass.

I have been in the cult for 26 years and haven't escaped yet!

Yikes.


Besides the steps, I love my fellow cultists more than any people in my life.

They keep me sane, they make me laugh and they help me stay sober and happy
a day at a time.

[SPKrazy]

51. there will be a mass escape!

:rofl:

:hi:

:hug:

[Justpat]

69. I hope someone notifies me.

I'd hate to be the last one in the rooms.

I'd have to empty the coffe pot by myself.

:hi:

[SPKrazy]

72. it's okay, i'll poke ya in the ribs when its time

:D

[Justpat]

74. Okey dokey

:rofl:

[Kajsa]

35. Yep, I'm a member of that cult, too.

It's been 25 years since I came through the doors,
this last time around.

This cult saved my life and my father's life.
He passed away (sober) April 20th 1997.

We are a motley crew, indeed, and we don't always
agree but there is a love and understanding for one
another I have not found elsewhere.

Attending the World Convention in San Diego, 1995
was a blast.

The first thing I see coming through the gates of the
Jack Murphy Stadium ( now Qualcom Stadium) is a
group of fellow cultists directing traffic from Rockford, Illinois,
my birthplace. It got better and I ran into several friends I hadn't seen
in a long time. I also met several Swedes and we spoke " cult" in Swedish.

We are not the only way-
But my cult is the way that works for me.

Happy Birthday, again, Southpaw!
You rock, d00d!

:yourock: :grouphug:- My Cult

[SPKrazy]

50. You rock kajsa!

:hug:

[Kajsa]

55. Back atcha!

:hug: :yourock:

[Lilith Velkor]

36. The people your cult has killed can't disagree, because they're dead.

The joy that comes from belittling and dehumanizing outsiders can be very self-reinforcing.

The serenity that comes from letting a disciple of a long-dead guru do your thinking for you comes at a high cost, that of your humanity, for the human race has been divided in your heart between a righteous Us and a wicked Them who deserve to die.

When you find you are on the wrong path, no matter how far you have come, you must turn back.

[Critters2]

43. Yep, all those millions killed by AA

:eyes:

Did you even read the OP, or was it just easier to jump to a conclusion and start insulting people of faith?

[SPKrazy]

49. Mey, I pick door number two!

:rofl:

:hi:

[Lilith Velkor]

80. As long as it doesn't kill someone you care about, it's all a big fucking joke, right?

Well, it isn't to me.

Faith can get you as fucked up as any drug, and denial of this simple fact will kill millions more before all is said and done. If it hurts or kills you or yours (which I truly hope does not happen because nobody deserves that) you have a right to complain.

[SPKrazy]

84. Totally

ridiculous

:eyes:

[Critters2]

91. Okay, since you clearly want to rant about this

How did AA kill someone you care about?

[SPKrazy]

48. My cult has killed NO ONE!

alcoholism on the other hand kills most people it afflicts

ridiculous accusations to make, and truly wrong and as I've told you before, I'm sorry for your experiences with counselors, but they had nothing to do with AA.

:shrug:

:crazy:

[Lilith Velkor]

79. Sending patients to AA has everything to do with AA!

Typical stepper bullshit... :eyes:

[SPKrazy]

81. Who sends patients to AA?

not AA!

think before you step in the middle of it Lilith

your "counselors" did that one

AA was just there, they didn't and don't solicit ANYONE to go to meetings

turn your anger where it belongs please, at the system that screwed you over, and AA is not that system.

and it's not a part of it.

and you and your "typical stepper bullshit", well all I can really do is laugh at that one! :rofl:

my "stepper bullshit" saved MY LIFE

but that has nothing to do with your life, and your anger is misdirected

[Lilith Velkor]

82. Believers send patients to AA

...or CODA/Al-Anon/ACoA. They tell you you don't have to believe in god, just surrender your will to Him (ha ha) and confess your sins to another person over shit that isn't even your fault, such as being born to the wrong parents.

By the way, where would anybody get the idea that taking medications for pain and/or anxiety is a sign of a moral defect that requires prayer?

It is unseemly to brag about membership in a religious organization, especially one ostensibly based on anonymity. Once you break that anonymity and bring discussion of it into a public forum, the organization is open to criticism from people who have been hurt by it. To say that such people have no right to be angry at all this tribalistic har-dee-har-har at their expense is unbelievably arrogant.

There is a forum for religion, and a group for your specific religion. Discussion thereof is more appropriate there, in my opinion, and with that expressed, I shall cease to disturb your beautiful mind. Good day.

[SPKrazy]

83. Please DO!

Since I have a) not broken anonymity because you don't know who the hell I am!; and b) this isn't religion, I brought this up as a gratitude moment for myself that I've found what totally misinformed people call a "cult" as if it were a bad thing to be a sober and productive member of society :crazy:

If you've been hurt by AA, I'd like to know exactly how AA ever hurt you. You were hurt by "believers" as you call them.

Please, Please Direct Your Anger Towards The Counselors Who Made You Go To AA and NOT At AA Itself. AA didn't Make You Go To AA!


and damned right my mind is beautiful!

:hi:

I'm having a great day! And you?

:rofl:

[southpaw]

40. Congratulations, my brother!

22 years! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

I personally feel that recovery is possible without belief in a 'higher power,' but I also believe each person's path to recovery is different. It's wonderful that you have found the path that works for you!

[SPKrazy]

47. Ya know, the whole HP thing

gets a bad rap

I've met people that believe in all kinds of things that have kept them sober.

these include the power of the group to do what they were unable to do on their own, etc.

I thank you for your congrats and :woohoo:

:hi:

thanks for your myspace comments too!

[Zookeeper]

41. I'm so glad you found something that works for you....

my friend.... :hug:

:hi:

[SPKrazy]

46. Hi Zookeeper!

thanks

:hug: friend too!

[Critters2]

44. I'm a member of similar, though slightly different, cult

Glad it's working! :hi:

[SPKrazy]

45. Hey!

:hi:

good for you!

[Kajsa]

59. Not only am I a Cultist-

I have now learned that I'm a " Concern Troll".- I think- not sure.
I guess that's someone who practices the
" do unto others as you would have them do unto you",
Golden Rule.

What?-- :rofl:

Oh, the things you learn on DU!

[SPKrazy]

60. Damned concern trolls

can't do anything without running into them

:rofl:

[Kajsa]

61. Ha!

Ain't it the truth!

:rofl: :hi:

[SPKrazy]

62. yes

[Kajsa]

65. Oh, I had some of those, when I was little.

I haven't seen them in ages.

They're so cute!

;-)

[Deep13]

63. C'est la vie.

[SPKrazy]

64. And may the force be with you as well!

:hi:

[Deep13]

67. Live long and prosper. nt

[SPKrazy]

77. ....

[Danger Mouse]

68. Well done, my friend.

I'm glad the cult helped you. I wish my aunt had accepted the cult's help...but by then, it was too late for her...62 years old...sad...

[SPKrazy]

71. Sad...

:hug:

wish it had too!

[mentalsolstice]

75. Congrats on being an outstanding member! n/t

[SPKrazy]

76. More like out standing

in the rain

:rofl:

thanks

:hug:

[TOhioLiberal]

87. Congratulations...

for 22 years of sobriety. :pals:

[SPKrazy]

89. ...

thanks

:pals:

[Taverner]

88. If something works, it works - congrats!

Don't ever think that I knock AA :)

[SPKrazy]

90. whatever works is what i say

too many people suffer and die from alcoholism to make the time to scoff at anything that might work

:hi:

thanks