by Ursula Kenny

About the author: Ursula Kenny is a contributor to Independent on Sunday, a British newspaper.

To the casual observer, Alcoholics Anonymous is an absolute good. It is tacitly accepted that it’s beyond reproach and must do nothing but good, probably because we have all at least heard of someone who swears by it. But AA (and the 12 Step approach to addiction recovery it pioneered and patented) is currently very much in the dock [on trial]. A number of ex-members and addiction treatment professionals have accused it of having cult-like qualities and using brainwashing and bullying methods that weak and vulnerable people are particularly susceptible to. In the US, the anti-AA lobby has been further fuelled by the recent publication of two books: Alcoholics Anonymous: Cult or Cure" by Charles Bufe and The...