Is AA a Cult?

I've been seeing a lot of people online referring to AA as a cult — saying members are controlling, that it brainwashes you, that it pushes religion on you. I wanted to share my own thoughts on that, having actually lived inside it for years.

No, AA is not a cult. It's a culture.

Are there rules? Yes. AA members call them steps and traditions, but for all intents and purposes, they're rules. You don't get punished if you don't follow them. They're just guidelines for how to work the program.

Now, some people in AA — particularly the "old timers" — don't love it when people deviate from the traditional way of doing things. And yes, some of those people can be assholes about it. But that doesn't make it a cult, and it doesn't mean you're being brainwashed. It mostly just means you've met some rigid people, which, unfortunately, exist in every group of humans ever assembled.

The "God" Thing

Yes, there's a lot of god talk in AA. It's a spiritual program, and it's upfront about that. This put me off at first too — until I understood that the word "god," in this context, is really just a placeholder for whatever concept you want to think of as your higher power: something bigger than yourself that you connect to. That connection is pretty much the fundamental idea behind how AA gets people sober.

So AA is a spiritual program, but it's not a religious one. There's a real difference, even if it doesn't always come across that way on first exposure.

AA Isn't for Everyone — and That's Fine

Having said all that: AA is not for everyone. Some people don't like defining themselves as "alcoholics," for instance, which is completely understandable — "alcoholic" isn't an actual medical diagnosis, and it carries a pretty negative connotation for a lot of people.

AA is probably the most widely known method of getting sober. I think it's great — I did it for years. But it's not the only way. If you don't jive with it, that's okay. There are other paths to dealing with your relationship to alcohol.

If you're interested in reducing, stopping, or just talking through your relationship with alcohol or any other substance, I offer free consultations. Reach out anytime.