This is Silver’s message. She, like me and many others feel there is a pattern of abuse, anti-intellectualism, and willful negligence doing more harm than good in 12-step programs, and was compelled to speak out about it. We are writing these letters because we want people to understand, care, and realize how much most people (even mental health professionals) don’t really know about the 12-step programs and how inappropriate this kind of ‘treatment’ can be for (we think most) people.

Many who’ve experienced this spent a lot of time being afraid to say these things, and feeling very alone and ‘crazy’… but we slowly connected anonymously on blog comments, then as people in the real world or through social media, and now we’re organizing to let others know that we are not powerless and we won’t be tolerating the shunning, shaming and censorship that keeps this cult alive, especially not by our state-licensed professionals.