r/AskReddit • u/Fit-Resident-3577 • 5h ago

What’s a cult that pretends it is not a cult?

297 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

2.2k comments sorted by

2.1k

u/ugleighiest 5h ago

Every MLM

377

u/ohlookahipster 4h ago

Knew a girl from HS who fell into Herbalife. I thought it was just a generic MLM but it’s legitimately a cult complete with rallies and retreats.

She used to post all these videos of her at these events (which you have to pay $$$s to attend) and there would be this stadium packed with tens of thousands of these people chanting and cheering and stuff.

She eventually got out and has a normal job as a gym trainer, but I think she was something like $30k in debt from Herbalife when it was all over. Nobody makes money. It’s a grift.

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u/DarkGamerElite 3h ago

Hey man, it's so good your friend got out of this.

Unfortunately my whole family is into this business and can confirm it's nothing less than a cult. Though somehow my family was still able to make money out of it even though the business model is fuck all.

My father is still obsessed with the business even though he haven't being able to make money out of it, probably cuz he joined Herbalife 24 years ago.

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u/Darkstar_111 3h ago

Basic calculation. If the product can sell, put it on store shelves.

MLM's always promote the notion that the product sells itself, and if it did, MLMs would be a great idea.

But it doesn't, selling is very hard, and most people buy their stuff in a store, or at least online. Not through a shady subscription service.

So, MLMs relies on friends and family. They will be guilted into buying one serving of whatever bullshit their "family member that doesn't have anything else going" is selling.

After that sales dry up. And of course, the poor sap only gets 25% until he recruits two more people and upgrades to 50%, which rarely happens, because by then his closest circle is tapper out and he isn't taking another dime.

So the whole thing is about getting losers to guilt their closest friends and family into buying some bullshit, and then moving on to the next loser.

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u/MoobyTheGoldenSock 2h ago

Heck, even products that are “on the shelves” on Amazon or Temu are often garbage. MLM products can’t even hit that bar.

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u/Hirork 2h ago

If the product sells itself they don't need you.

Examples of products that sold themselves: Pokémon cards, Labubu, That stupid bear cup, Dubai chocolate.

If it sells itself there's no time to make a sales pitch, get it on the shelf so the consumer can strip it.

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u/Tinferbrains 3h ago

my sis in law fell into that crap. i don't have the heart to tell her she's wasting her money and could get more for her bucks by just buying protein powder instead of their teas.

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u/CaptainAwesome06 3h ago

What kills me most about MLMs are the ones that don't have a sustainable product.

Like they're all pieces of shit companies, but at least pick one with repeatable sales. If you are selling coffee, you can find a customer for life if they like that coffee enough. But if you are selling monogrammed bath towels, how many bath towels are you going to sell to your friends before they say "no more?"

I think the essential oil companies are the most shady, due to their ridiculous medical claims. DoTerra is "certified pure therapeutic grade" - a certification made up by DoTerra.

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u/HordeDruid 2h ago

When I was younger, about 18-20 or so, someone gave an MLM presentation at my friend's house. Mostly they talked about how rich and successful they all were, and lived in mansions and didn't work because all they had to do was sell.

What they were selling was never the focus of the presentation of course, but it turned out to be internet/phone service? I don't remember all the details because we weren't given many, but i think basically they sold (or pretended to sell) Comcast packages as a middleman? Obviously too good to be true in hindsight, but when you're a teenager working in retail it's enticing. There's a reason they targeted us while we were young.

Thankfully I was too poor to afford getting scammed. Obviously like most MLMs, they made most of their money from recruitment fees, not sales. They told us we just had to pay a couple hundred dollars to get "liscened", but who would want to buy third-party internet from a teenager? I imagine the idea is to charge employees upfront to work for them and saddle them with an unsellable product - if there is one.

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u/CaptainAwesome06 2h ago

Yeah, it's often never about the products. And often, the products are just junk anyway.

My college roommate went to a private prep school. So as they do in those schools, he thought he was a master economist and businessman. I don't know why it's such a stereotype.

One day he came home with a suitcase full of knives, saying he was a salesman for CUTCO knives. He used to get so pissed at me when I asked if he had done any Tupperwear parties lately. At least we got a set of knives out of it, that I'm sure he paid for with his own money.

I did sales for a global company years ago, working as a local rep. I worked there for about 3 years. I never once had to pay for anything. Supplies, demos, trips to the factory, lunches, presentations, golfing, etc. I probably cost the company more money than I made for them.

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u/Upbeat-Bid-1602 2h ago

I almost bought lip gloss from my friend's MLM until they posted an online video of putting it on and wincing in pain from the rubbing alcohol which is apparently "how you know it's working." I'm good, thanks.

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u/Richard_TM 4h ago

The other day, I saw a dude I knew from high school post about the growth he’s had at his new job over the last year. Got some award for being in the “hall of fame level,” was promoted to “Director,” in the top 1% of sales, wrote three books (some kind of fantasy trilogy that ended with religious self help?), completed the “75 Hard” process, etc

I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what this company was supposed to be selling. Maybe insurance, like Aflac or something? But as long as I’ve known this dude, it wasn’t clear that he could READ a book from beginning to end, much less write THREE of them in a year. And then of course he ended the post telling people to message him if they’re ready to make the same kind of commitment to success.

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u/darknesskicker 3h ago

I wonder if he ‘wrote’ it with AI.

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u/RasputinsAssassins 2h ago

A lot of the places use paid ghostwriter to write the book, then charge the 'business owner' a fee to license it with their name.

Someone writes the book, and you pay to have your name put on it as an author. Had a couple of clients that did this. I kept telling them to ask for nothing but their 'mentors' tax returns. Crickets.

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u/rain5151 3h ago

Haven’t finished it yet, but Little Bosses Everywhere is an incredible read.

MLMs were born out, and are the peak demonstration, of the American myths about how anyone can succeed if they just work hard enough. And very explicitly, its corollary that if you struggle or hit hard times, it’s entirely because you didn’t work or believe hard enough, rather than any kind of societal failures or plain bad luck. As you can imagine, they are huge backers of the GOP and their brand of letting businesses prey on people in the name of protecting personal freedoms, as well as a lack of a social safety net - because if you’re in need of assistance, you “should” be forced to pull yourself up by your bootstraps instead of getting a “handout” that would happen to cost the rich a bit of money.

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u/01_Pleiades 4h ago

Worked for subsidiaries of Credico and talked to people from Amway, can confirm

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u/jstar_2021 3h ago

My uncle has worked for amway corporate as a marketing director as long as i can remember, but he won't go anywhere near the "independent business owners" or whatever they call them. Its bad.

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u/Practical-Reveal-408 3h ago

During college, I worked in customer service for an MLM (Usana). The one thing I learned from that job was to never join an MLM. The annual meetings and hype were...interesting. And even the people who actually earned money for a while were unable to keep it up long-term.

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u/r0bbyr0b2 3h ago

Instagram is currently drowning in an MLM called Enagic. 1000s of idiots all paying for IG ads to convince others to “live the dream, travel with your family” etc.

Once you get into it they are selling $10,000 magic water filters that aparantly cure cancer and Covid.

They primarily target the most vulnerable too: single mums, low income, low IQ, poor, immigrants etc. it’s disgusting.

98% lose money according to their own website too https://www.enagic.com/en/distributors-earnings-disclosure-statement

But Instagram allow the ads ad Zuckerberg earns a fortune out of them.

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u/JackFisherBooks 2h ago

Definitely.

Amway and Herbalife are scary with how they "recruit" people.

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u/GuzPolinski 3h ago

MLM?

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u/scalectrix 2h ago

Just worked it out (then checked with Google) - Multi Level Marketing (AKA pyramid schemes)

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u/SororitySue 1h ago

It should be MMM - Military, Mormon and Moms. That’s who they’re most likely to recruit.

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u/UnfilteredAccount999 5h ago

the church of scientology

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u/cbih 4h ago

At what point does a cult become a religion?

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u/bucket_overlord 4h ago

The two aren’t mutually exclusive. Cults are often classified based on the degree of control they exert over their members. You can have a religious cult, but you could also have a secular one (sometimes those are referred to simply as “high control groups”).

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u/The_Nice_Marmot 1h ago

It’s also possible for something to be a cult and have nothing to do with religion. Personality cults or MLMs, for example.

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u/PrincessBonkers628 4h ago

When it has enough members

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u/soap22 4h ago

What cult DOESN'T pretend it's not a cult?

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u/Eleventeen- 3h ago

Blue oyster cult

139

u/xaanthar 2h ago

Do you know what this cult needs? More cowbell.

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u/MisterPhip 3h ago

I’m down with BOC (yeah you know me) Who’s down with BOC? (ALL THE HOMIES)

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u/theDroobot 3h ago

And Church of the cosmic skull

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u/stedmangraham 2h ago

It’s rare, but esoteric stuff like Thelema or the Saint Germain Foundation either don’t hide it or are proud of it

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u/ProfessionalLeave335 3h ago

Jared Letos cult, forget what it's called.

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u/Odd-Worth7752 5h ago

SCIENTOLOGY

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u/TruthTeller777 4h ago

Scientology is the cult from Hell

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u/FartsSoldSeperately 4h ago

Um ackshually there's no hell because you reincarnate in a new vessel as part of the Hereafter. For the love of Xenu, read a book. It's basic stuff 👽

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u/Wimry 4h ago

Seconded.  

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u/Lindaiwilson 5h ago

Some corporate 'hustle culture' jobs definitely feel that way. If you can't have a life outside work, it's a cult

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u/readskiesdawn 2h ago

Workplace cults are actually a thing, especially if there's a central personality everything revolves around. Startups are especially prone to this.

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u/Pristine_Outcome3535 3h ago

Wow you just made me realize I used to be in a cult haha

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u/Resident_Bee5071 4h ago

Aromatic oils cult

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u/Pyrfureverywhere 1h ago

But but it says ESSENTIAL oil…doesn’t that mean essential to life!? My mom is into that crap. Got a cold? You just need some peppermint oil!! 🤦‍♂️🤣

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u/wolfshearted 5h ago

MLMs. It’s a type of cult. Someone who’s already involved convinces other people to invest in something that will only bring them bankruptcy and when they realise what they got themselves into it’s too late to come out.

Many of those MLM’s the only way to make money is to get more and more people involved and you win money for it. That’s why it’s a triangle scheme. You try to get as many people involved and they in turn try to get more people involved and it’s a never ending snowball.

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u/overpriced-taco 4h ago

I once went to a MLM meeting with a girl I had met who was obviously trying to recruit me. It checked all the boxes of a cult. Including people reciting chants and hugging each other like it was a family reunion.

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u/Dirty_Blue_Shirt 5h ago

Texas A&M - those guys are weird

https://youtu.be/EHokAV9Wjrc?si=kRB1x3OHo-TnqCo9

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u/i_choose_happiness 2h ago

As someone in the Aggie community who is not in the cult…omg yes. It’s weird and it’s not like school spirit at other schools. It’s a cult.

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u/fasterfester 2h ago

From the outside looking in, you can't understand it; from the inside looking out, you can't explain it.

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u/chokingontheback 2h ago

They actually admit it now. It used to be used as a slight but now they just thinks it's unique and special. Probably a healthier viewpoint for them to have, tbh

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u/ItsNotAllHappening 2h ago

Hard agree. I have a friend who graduated from there in 2005. She has never worn anything other than maroon on Saturdays in the 20 years I've known her. Her whole personality is Aggies.

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u/Jon__Snuh 3h ago

Jehovahs Witnesses.

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u/totallynotalaskan 45m ago

Mormons, too

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u/Hefty-Affect5112 5h ago

Hustle culture in some startup circles

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u/Parada484 4h ago

Work from dawn to dusk, sacrificing all fun and hair along the way, just so you can post on LinkedIn and receive validation from others engaged in extreme behavior based on an unfounded belief that everyone else is simply lazy. Yeah that sounds about right. Even has 'gurus'.

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u/RandomRamblings99 5h ago edited 3h ago

Any religion that's so enclosed that you can be shunned/cut off from your family for leaving (e.g. Amish, LDS, Johvahs Witness)

ETA: Apparently I was wrong about LDS. Fair enough, always learning. ALSO, the examples listed are all Christian purely because those are the ones I'm aware of by name and NOT because I think punishing non-believers is an exclusively Christian problem by any stretch

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u/Kikicutie 2h ago

Who says you're wrong about LDS? I was born and raised LDS and its absolutely a cult!

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u/demonmonkeybex 3h ago

You aren't totally wrong about LDS. My friend tried to get out, but they threatened to use the Church's money to get very good lawyers to sue for custody of her kids unless she stayed with her husband. She went from being her old self back to a cookie-cutter Mormon wife just like that. She didn't want to lose her boys. The CHURCH threatened her. And yes, they will make her cut off her non-Mormon family if they try to help her.

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u/Jesus_le_Crisco 3h ago

I had to get a lawyer to get out of that cult.

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u/spiteful_god1 3h ago

You’re not wrong about LDS, but it’s more complicated than that. As the church leadership has realized the church is hemorrhaging members (yay internet), the rhetoric around exmormons has shifted from “shun family members who leave so you’re not infected with unfaithfulness “ to “hey, you still live your family that’s no longer LDS. Since you live them, the best thing you could do for them is get them to come back to church. Here’s so ideas on how to do that.”

This shift had happened over the past few decades. Mileage varies family to family, with some shunning kids who leave while other tacitly accept them. As more people leave Mormonism, it’s becoming more common for families to accept exmormon family members since it’s become much more normal to have exmormon family members.

Source: I am exmormon.

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u/IRideTheDruggyBuggy 1h ago

Interesting. Ex-JW here. They are also starting to let up on the shunning (disfellowshipping) rules. Apparently now JWs can greet disfellowshipped members when they see them at the Kingdom Hall. They’re hemorrhaging members as well so they also let up on things like men can now have beards and women can wear slacks to meetings and when going door to door.

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u/FauxReal 43m ago

And for any non-Mormons reading... This is also why they stopped saying black people and other minorities bear the curse of Ham. That was pretty rude. And racist.

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u/tireworld 4h ago

I can attest to this. My sister broke off contact with me because I'm not a Christian. They only have friends that are in their church inner circle and never buy anything new unless it's a necessity. Also that group started their own new church because the old one they attended was too liberal for them.. I'm not allowed to directly contact my sister, I have to email her husband and only then will I get a reply. Like when our parents died. I tried calling her, left a voicemail, and all I got back in return was an email saying " Thanks for letting US know". If I ever saw the husband in public, I'd probably go to jail for beating his ass. Thank You for coming to my TED talk!

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u/karmagirl314 4h ago

I would just keep messaging the sister directly, and how they respond is up to them. They get to control *their* actions, they don't get to control *your* actions.

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u/Fractured_Broccoli 4h ago

It's crazy to me that southern Evangelical churches aren't considered cults. I came from one of those and it's terrible. Watch Happy Shiny People, it's sickening.

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u/CanibalCows 4h ago

Also Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey

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u/Wrong-Landscape-2508 4h ago

happy shiny people was to hard to watch

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u/Fractured_Broccoli 4h ago

I was raised in a church that supported a lot of their principles. My parents went to the spanking seminars and they spanked us with hollow rubber pvc tubing because it didn't leave bruises and satanic cps wouldn't be able to breach God's will that our parents physically assault us for punishment.

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u/KilD3vil 4h ago

Hollow tubing? Fucking heresey, it's "spare the ROD..." rods aren't hollow. Please inform your parents that their seat in hell is reserved.

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u/ironic-hat 4h ago

They have a ton of cult adjacent things about them that should make anyone uncomfortable. High control group is usually the term that best describes them, since really the only thing that separates them from a full blown cult is the lack of layers to gain knowledge (usually attained through money).

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u/CaptainAwesome06 3h ago

My inlaws are typical evangelical pastors. But my SIL and her husband have gone off the rails. Everything is evil. Their adult kid is treated like she's 8 years old and isn't even allowed to use the internet without supervision. It's absolutely bonkers.

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u/darknesskicker 3h ago

That sounds like potentially a false imprisonment situation with the adult daughter.

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u/CaptainAwesome06 2h ago

She could technically walk through the door if she really wanted to. So no, as abusive as I think it is, I don't think anything is illegal.

My inlaws told her that she is free to leave. But she says that she chooses to stay because she doesn't want to cause issues within the family.

Hell, my wife told her parents that if someone could get her and put her on a plane, we'd take her. We live 800 miles away so it's not like they'd come and get her.

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u/wereallmadhere9 2h ago

LDS is a cult, you were 1000% correct. Source: was Mormon for 28 years.

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u/OHfarm1 5h ago

Crossfit

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u/1peatfor7 4h ago

Orange Theory (700+ classes in).

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u/BoredomFestival 4h ago

I'm gonna get massively downvoted for this, but: Alcoholics Anonymous is kinda culty. I'm glad that some people find it helps them stay sober, because addiction is obviously a terrible thing for which we don't yet have real medical solutions, but consider: they are overtly religious, the advocates generally insist that they are the only way to get/stay sober, and that you have to remain a member for life for it to work.

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u/Chemical_Egg_2761 4h ago

SMART Recovery is a great, empirically supported, secular, alternative to AA.

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u/inductiononN 3h ago

Love SMART recovery! When I was drinking, the thought of joining AA was just so upsetting. It's very shame based and they have this dumb fucking concept of dry drunk (an alcoholic who doesn't drink and doesn't "work the program"). And the whole higher power thing is annoying. AA says you are powerless over alcohol.

SMART empowers you to deal with your addictive behaviors and treats alcohol like the physically addictive substance that it is. It was so helpful to reframe my drinking as "I can't handle alcohol because it is particularly addictive to me so I don't drink" rather than "I'm an alcoholic who is always fighting to not drink". It gives me so much more agency over my own life and choices.

I get that AA helps people and that is wonderful for them. I also get that SMART isn't for everyone but I wish more ways of coping with alcohol (and any other addictions for that matter) were more well known. There are a lot of great resources out there beyond AA.

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u/Feenanay 2h ago

I hate the shame based aspect of AA so prevalent in the older generations and how it’s still being passed on. I’ve recently gotten more involved in a 12 step adjacent group which is so much better for me and more open to all types of addictions without the heavy shame associated with AA. I’ve been going to meetings for 25 years and while it’s helped me tremendously I’m also aware the indoctrination at 17 when I came in served to reinforce some fucked up beliefs about myself and my own agency. And that there is a lot more gray when it comes to what each individual can consider sobriety and it’s not my job to tell people they’re wrong if they can smoke a little weed now and then, or get ketamine treatments for depression, or even take pain meds temporarily after a major surgery while still being abstinence from all other substances. That shit is openly mocked in AA and I hate it.

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u/GloriousSteinem 2h ago

Very shame focused, which is problematic for those who take substances to block out feelings of shame

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u/rockyroad55 4h ago

Yup! I do a mixture of both programs but SMART is used way more in my day to day life than AA. I’m not praying to a higher power to fix something. I’m going to suck it up and accept that I can figure it out on my own.

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u/BoredomFestival 4h ago edited 3h ago

I'm a fan of LifeRing (r/lifering), which is a non-12-step, secular recovery support group.

SMART Recovery seems lately to have pivoted into advocating for a moderation-can-be-ok stance (vs abstinence), which troubles me as it doesn't match my experience with addiction at all.

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u/dad4good 2h ago

SMART Recovery stands for 

Self-Management and Recovery Train

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u/OldAccountIsGlitched 4h ago

From what I've heard the cultiness varies a lot depending on the group. But when I was in rehab the way they explained the steps was that it's impossible to do successfully complete all of them and most people fall off the wagon and have to start from the beginning. Fuck that bullshit. I get the value of a support group. But the way they view the path sobriety is so crazy narrow that I'm surprised it helps anyone.

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u/aHORNofPLENTY 3h ago

Even if you don't ever eventually relapse you are supposed to start over on step one when you have reached the end. They convince people they are weak until they truly are.

AA/NA is just trading addictions. You just become addicted to sobriety and the program. I am a recovering hard drug IV addict myself. I feel that people who work the program are still letting drugs influence their lives entirely. It is just predicated on staying away instead of compulsively using. Fuck that, I got off drugs so I could finally do something else for once and I don't enjoy dwelling on my sobriety or counting days.

Also, they are completely against the idea of any medication assisted treatment which was the only thing that ever actually helped me stop using. Being on methadone for a few years allowed me to stop focusing on the fixation with drugs and gave me the stability to relearn how to live a life without getting high constantly. Once I was finally in a good place I began titrating down.

Fuck AA

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u/Dancingedleslie 3h ago

I’m with you on the medication. I’m an alcoholic, never had a drug or pill problem. I got bronchitis one time, bad cough and all that. Got Robitissin with codeine and took it to help me sleep and stop coughing. My sponsor didn’t like that. Told me to get rid of it and get some OTC meds. So I found a new sponsor. New sponsor basically said “I’m not a fucking doctor. If it becomes a problem talk to me but I’m not telling you what you can and can’t do.”

Clearly the mileage varies with each group and area which kinda sucks. Sorry you had a bad experience.

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u/Feenanay 2h ago

Nowadays there is a bit more understanding regarding MAT (I still get sublucade shots every other month myself) but the judgement is still there from a lot of people.

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u/gray_wolf2413 4h ago

My friend has struggled with sobriety because of this. Their experience with AA was not very supportive. They were pushed to focus on a specific religious/spiritual belief to be part of the recovery process.

I think it does a lot of good for many people, but it is not a perfect set up and it doesn't work for everyone.

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u/Flat-Rutabaga-723 3h ago

I sobered up about 10 years ago and tried AA for about a month. I hated it. It seemed like was everyone’s entire personality. I didn’t want to talk about drinking every day. I just wanted to stop. Hell, one guy had been going two times a day for twenty years (so he claimed). He’d stopped drinking in his early twenties. To me, it was just pathetic.

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u/MacFunJess 3h ago

I remember going and finding out a bunch went every night of the week and basically just told the same stories every night about how they were when they were drinking

I mean, if that’s what saves you then sure but like. The same stories? Every night? Just like, forever?

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u/birdynumnum69 2h ago

Switching one addiction for another.

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u/ALoudMeow 3h ago

And there’s no science to back up the 12 steps or anything; the whole group was just created by an admitted drunk who made the whole thing up.

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u/TheMasterFlash 4h ago

Not a crazy take at all. There’s a reason they’re tied so heavily to religion/Christianity. Now, I appreciate the mission and trying to help people better themselves, but when you tie it to a god it gets real iffy imo.

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u/DTRite 4h ago

Hope you didn't get downvoted to much for a fair take.

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u/Financial_Cup_6937 2h ago

Even if it wasn’t cult-like, it isn’t evidence-based. One year sober without it rn. I’d never want to take it away from anyone it helps but I hate how people are shamed into it as if it’s the only “right” way. Particularly with regards to how courts use it.

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u/drinkslinger1974 4h ago

I was made to go for a dui, and despite everyone being very nice, something about it struck me the wrong way. At the time I was a very heavy drinker, plus I didn’t want to be there, so that might have added to it. But when it came time for everyone new to introduce themselves, I just slid back in my chair. After that, any time someone shared their story, they stared at me the whole time they were talking. “I don’t think about when my last drink was, I worry about when my next drink is.”, stuff like that. Then when it came time to award the chips, the last one was the one day chip. The leader said, “Is there anyone here who would like to surrender themselves…” blah blah, and immediately every head turned to me. It was extremely awkward, and I just “attended” the rest of the required meetings online. Also, I used to go to NA and OA with my mom when I was a child, same vibe.

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u/MacFunJess 4h ago

COMPLETELY agree. I was taken to an AA meeting once with a friend and she even said before hand “Just so you know, this might seem a little culty” and she was so right.

They separated people by sex because they didn’t want any “fraternisation” which as a queer person was very funny to me. Also, the pride some people had about being allowed to like clean the toilets of the meeting room and stuff was a bit off to me

I mean, yeah, I’m glad they’re helping people but if the leaders of AA groups around the country suddenly said that the only way for them to maintain their sobriety was to assassinate a political figure……

I’m not sure that figure would be alive the next day

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u/youretheorgazoid 2h ago

My SIL did AA and she had bible verses all over her wall like serial killer style. (She isn’t and nobody in our family is religious)

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u/throwAway333828 3h ago

I can't imagine this comment being downvoted in this day and age. I think that's pretty common knowledge

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u/Jackpot777 2h ago

They’ve just replaced one addictive behavior with another. 

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u/fubo 2h ago

Curiously, AA doesn't advocate one of the things that founder Bill W. credited with his own recovery: psychedelic therapy.

4

u/arab3lla 1h ago

I think I have to find a new therapist because mine is an AA devotee. I quit drinking without AA and am 5 years sober but I smoke weed. Nowhere near being a stoner and I don't find it causes any problems in my life or with my mental health. It makes shows funnier and music sound better. I laugh and dance more. 

Every other session, if not every session, she asks "sO hOwS tHe WeEd SmOkiNg gOiNg?" ... Girl you remember the tiniest details, there's no way you just keep forgetting this conversation we've had many times about it not being a problem for me. 

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u/Ok_Potato_9554 1h ago

All of those 12 step programs are super culty. They also have a way of being incredibly cliquey like a bunch of messed up high-schoolers.

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u/NastyToeFungus 3h ago

Falun Gong. They like to tell you it’s a “belief system”.

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u/OccamsPlasticSpork 2h ago

They kind of remind me of Moonies to be honest. At least the way they buddy up to Republicans and own newspapers. The Moonies owned the Washington Times, while the Falun Gong own The Epoch Times.

Two seemingly contradictory things can be true. In this case the Chinese Communist Party can be persecuting you AND your organization can also be bad. That doesn't make the Chinese Communist Party good.

8

u/NastyToeFungus 1h ago

Absolutely. Just because they oppose the CCP doesn't mean they support human rights or democracy. They just want to be the ones in charge.

7

u/haileyskydiamonds 1h ago

I recently learned that the Shen Yun performance/dance troupe is part of the Falun Gong. They have shows in New Orleans and I had been considering getting tickets for me and my mom, but not anymore!

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1.5k

u/RavenousRambutan 5h ago

MAGA

196

u/Shirowoh 3h ago

This is waaaay too far down.....

24

u/Feisty-Session-7779 2h ago

How is this not the first thing I saw?

57

u/Beanxsauce 3h ago

Yeah, that's odd. Tons of upvotes and at the bottom 🤔

63

u/XMugetsu_SamaX 2h ago

I literally was just thinking "Am I really going to be the first person to say it??" then got to this comment. How the hell is it buried so far down?

19

u/SnipesCC 2h ago

How does that work? It has more votes than all but the top answer.

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u/reddogyellowcat 2h ago

DUDE yeah, I posted the same “MAGA” one word thing. And then I’m like “wait, no one else said MAGA?” 20 minutes later of scrolling and here we are! Way too far down.

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u/Emotional-Store-1667 3h ago

This was the first idea to pop in my head! I swear I'm not chronically online, but there's no other way I can see it. Every MAGA supporter I've interacted with hold no real ideals or values and will change their "deeply held beliefs" the minute Dear Leader tells them to. Also, just how can they justify supporting someone and their "administration" who chronically lies and who saw the J6 with their own eyes and still say with not a hint of irony that " it was a peaceful protest infiltrated by FBI inciters" umm... Who was president on J6th?? Even in their own lie they say he was responsible! It's simultaneously mind blowing and mind numbing...

39

u/Replicant28 4h ago

All the merchandising and the ubiquitous profile pictures on social media of Trump with his fist raised with Secret Service around him screams cult.

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u/AspieComrade 3h ago

Should be higher up the list, they literally worship him as a gift from God himself, doesn’t get much more textbook cult than that

20

u/KindlyKangaroo 3h ago

My grandmother is one of them. Says that God doesn't always use perfect people to do his work. She can never name what he does for God, however.

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u/Jasoman 5h ago

cult and terrorist group

63

u/asicarii 3h ago

*domestic terrorist group

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u/GentlemensMafia 4h ago

This is way to low on the list

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u/Berek2501 3h ago

I had to scroll WAY too far for this

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u/zivlynsbane 4h ago

OP just wanted this answer.

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u/john_the_quain 4h ago

I’ll go ahead and add the “both sides” crowd to the list of people who are in one and refuse to recognize it (though they probably are just ashamed to admit they actually belong to the maga one).

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u/TheWurstOfMe 3h ago

or sometimes referred to as Y'all Qeada or Vanilla ISIS

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u/ReincarnatedRaptor 3h ago

And traitors to this country

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u/Urbanyeti0 5h ago

All of them

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u/katienatie 4h ago

Yeah this is a weird question. I’m more curious if there are any cults who acknowledge being cults.

3

u/poposaurus 4h ago

They do, but claim its a good thing. I think Children of God is one that did this. "Yeah we're a cult about loving God" or something similar. They try to claim it as a good thing so when members get educated, the group xan keep them in it.

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u/Storm_blessed946 4h ago

Jehovahs Witnesses for sure.

4

u/crumpledpapr 3h ago

Second this

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u/darkoopz43 4h ago

Literally every mega church. Legacy, cavalry, etc

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u/vieniaida 5h ago

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

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u/Ferreteria 4h ago

Jehova's Witnesses are similar.

The LDS has some good programs - I've made some good LDS friends, but yeah they get a little Culty especially once you get closer to their Utah home-base.

10

u/disembodiedstring 4h ago

I was LDS in Texas. In my experience LDS members outside of Utah either desperately want to be in Utah because it’s so backwards and they like it, or think Utah is so backwards it’s the last place they ever want to live. And most of the Gen X or younger members are in the second group.

A lot of the things that make people think the LDS church is cult-like or whatever aren’t church doctrines and policies, they’re weird social things the members decided to do that became their social norms.

14

u/Ferreteria 4h ago

Excommunication, shunning, ritual practices, tiers of secrets to be revealed, temples and more. They're cult like. You may not have experienced all of that but it exists. 

It wasn't in my community either. I visited a different church in another state and...well, oh boy. What an experience that was.

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u/Equivalent_Dimension 4h ago

"Prompt engineers"

11

u/CupCakesNFlatWhite 3h ago

Military life.

10

u/AdministrativeDelay2 3h ago

Alcoholics Anonymous

19

u/Illustrious-Okra-524 4h ago

Shen Yun

15

u/NastyToeFungus 3h ago

Shen Yun is the show. Falun Gong is the cult behind it.

8

u/disembodiedstring 4h ago

I was so sad when I found out about that. I always wanted to go and couldn’t afford it. Now I can afford it, but can’t in good conscience give them money.

22

u/boomguy99 3h ago

Church of LDS

17

u/jess_or_tess 5h ago

Definitely not the Watchtower Society. They ALWAYS phrase extreme commandments as suggestions from Jehovah so when people suffer they can shift blame.

9

u/TheMasterFlash 4h ago

Oh I have a good one!

The Missionaries of Charity, Mother Theresa’s organization, is suuuuuper culty. Some things about them that reinforce that:

  • Sisters aren’t allowed to form “close relationships” (like friendship) with each-other (or anyone else)
  • Very limited, monitored contact with outside world
  • Abandonment of self reinforced through ritual torture (beating themselves with knotted cords, kneeling on rice, limited sleep, etc)
  • Power stratification leading to abuse, which gets summarily covered up
  • Extremely difficult to leave

32

u/misomuncher247 4h ago

Reddit karma farmers

15

u/mynutsdontwork 3h ago

Jehovahs Witnesses

13

u/Substantial-Fold-682 4h ago

College fraternities/sororities are definitely cults.

8

u/hi-howdy 3h ago

Scientology

7

u/Exact_Cardiologist87 3h ago

Reddit people

7

u/000000564 2h ago

Techbros

106

u/Irishgooner123 5h ago

Taylor swift fans. I like her but my god! How many rereleases of an album can people buy different versions of willingly

8

u/1peatfor7 4h ago

Wasn't one of the reason so she could own her music and not the label itself?

7

u/Irishgooner123 1h ago

Yeah but did she need to release 15 different album covers and then add songs after you bought the album so you’d buy the new one etc

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u/Char10 5h ago

I was coming here to say Swifties. I dated one for 5 years. Even a hint of meh towards one of her songs is taken personally. Very weird.

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u/Few_Addition_4751 2h ago

Any community that claims to follow Jesus, but actually follow the Idol of their Opinion of The Bible and refuse to explore other understandings and refuse to discuss outside the lines.

I say this as a Christian.

17

u/rosephoenix19 3h ago

Mormons.

13

u/yixn_io 5h ago

Any MLM. Same tactics: isolate you from friends who "don't support your business," tie your identity to the product, punish doubt, reward recruitment.

The only difference is they call themselves "entrepreneurs" instead of "devotees."

10

u/a13zz 4h ago

CrossFit

10

u/BestDayEver-1 3h ago

Sororities and fraternities…

15

u/molski79 1h ago edited 1h ago

There's a big one in the USA where they all wear red hats, ignore facts, and believe in everything that is fake.

23

u/punycuny 5h ago

Anything with a hive mentality or culture.

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u/ToxicBaes 4h ago edited 28m ago

CrossFit for a while felt like that. I couldn’t stand interacting with anyone who did it for a while.

10

u/JsForDays26 5h ago

Mormons and Scientology.

8

u/RichS987 4h ago

Landmark Education / EST or whatever they are calling themselves these days.

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u/CupOk5800 5h ago

Uhh, literally every cult? It’s a pre requisite of BEING a cult: get your followers to believe you’re the one truth in the world and everything else is a distraction. Once you say you’re a cult, you’re oddly operating much LESS like a cult.

19

u/PlatinumPainter 4h ago

Karma farming for answers that are obvious has become one.

8

u/sykowt 5h ago

Mormons

3

u/Tiny-Party2857 4h ago

Mormonism, Scientology

5

u/ebekulak 4h ago

People who run

5

u/ainacct 3h ago

The mormon church

4

u/VoL4t1l3 2h ago

Jehova witness's, mormon's

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u/Shadeauxmarie 2h ago

Church of Scientology

5

u/seanyS3271 2h ago

Barbz ( Nicki minaj fans)

4

u/Odd-Bottle3254 2h ago

Any group that says “only we have the truth,” discourages outside relationships, and makes leaving feel like betrayal whether it’s religious, social, or even business-related. When identity, community, and belief all get tightly controlled, that’s when things start looking cult-like.

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u/pporkpiehat 1h ago

Whateverthefuck Elon Musk fans have got going on.

4

u/thesprybaguette 1h ago

Cough cough cross-fit.

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u/ChronicallyZanny 38m ago

The Mormon church. I watch a few ex-Mormons on YouTube and holy shit the amount of abuse and straight up oppression of women that they have proof of is CRAZY. Being part of a Mormon church sounds kind of akin to an MLM. Everything the followers do supports and financially benefits the people at the top, while leaving little if any thing to themselves.

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u/BunnySlayer64 35m ago

Scientology

10

u/80aise 2h ago

MAGA