Recently, I released a video titled "Is AA(Alcoholics Anonymous) a religion?" You can watch it HERE.

Now, I pose the question, Is alcoholics anonymous a cult? What about narcotics anonymous or any of the unknown' for that matter? (read to the end to get my opinion).

You've probably heard that AA is a cult, but we're going to take an objective look and find out what qualities of AA are like a cult, and if AA isn't a cult, what the heck is it? 

I think the best way to tackle this question is to look at the qualities of a cult and see if AA has any of those qualities.
Spoiler alert! -- It has some of those qualities.

The first quality of a cult is having a questionable commitment to a leader. If you're familiar with alcoholics anonymous, you know that it was created by someone named Bill Wilson. Eventually, he brought along a friend named Dr. Bob, if you had to say someone was the leader of alcoholics anonymous, it would be Bill and Bob, for sure, but neither one of them is living n...

Problem Drinker vs Alcoholic

What's the difference between a problem drinker and an alcoholic? Just this week, I saw 4 new clients struggling with this exact question. Most people don't understand the difference between someone who drinks a lot and someone who has a diagnosable alcohol use disorder.

Can I be honest with you? The difference between a problem drinker and an alcoholic is that they're only one stage away from becoming a full-blown alcoholic. 

People who are problematic drinkers usually move over into alcohol use disorder eventually, but they do so in stages. 

Here are the 4 stages of alcoholism:

1. Experimentation- This doesn't indicate a problem. Usually just socially drinking
2. They start to drink more frequently, harder alcohol, or heavier drinking.
3. Consequences start to happen. This is when someone starts drinking and can't stop. Problems begin to trickle in because of alcohol use. 
4. The problematic drinking continues and bridges begin to burn. Meaning the job th...