MLM Survivors Club: Re: [MLM Survivors Club] "mlm junkies"

I still have to question that....sure there are some that have that low self esteem but face it we are all out for the almighty dollar, I know I was. For me the idea of having that "disposable" income would mean I could take care of my mom as she gets older and take her traveling around the world which is something she loves. I was a prime target, smart, young, single, no kids and they swooped in. That first meeting I'll never forget it you know you have to get there early to "get a good seat" only later to learn that's part of their "plan". When they spun those dreams of gold, spending more time with family etc. Then they come around asking what would you do if you had this much money for some folks they dream of fancy cars and for the younger folks like me we all wanted to take care of our parents. That question right there is what plants that seed for the MLM and makes you think....just "what if" this really works. Then you say "Well, I'll try it I don't have
anything to lose". The more I think about it the more I realize how smart they really are.

In these days it's tough out there in corporate America and it's especially tough for those "targets" which are usually people in college or those that have just graduated or young couples. I really feel many of the younger folks 20's, 30's do it because of the promise of that American Dream that is dangled before you. I don't think it always has something to with a low self esteem in the beginning. Maybe after a while your self esteem has taken a beating within the mlm then yes I can see it becoming a problem. This is something I can see more so when you have stayed in and failed you keep trying harder and harder with no change in results. Of course that would affect your self esteem if you kept feeling like a failure. They will even tell you this. "Just keep showing the plan" "Don't be a loser" etc.

I will say I never fully "sold out to the business" because I have too many "distractions". And I've always been very private and a very independant woman. They don't like those characteristics too much. There are some things I won't give up regardless of what's at stake. No matter how strong you are going in they will break you down or at least try. They will try to consume your life every waking minute with that MLM....hence the whole 9 steps (which I don't remember) but i know they say Listen, Read, Associate etc..they lead you on as if you are their friends and only wanting the best for you. Essentially you begin to look at the organization through rose colored glasses. I fully believe we are most affected by our peers, they influence our decisions to some extent. If these people in a MLM are all you associate.....I think we all know where that leads, especially if you are around the "fake it til you make it" group.

Steve if you have never been involved you may never understand why your first comments were met with such hostility. What I'm trying to say is I really don't think a low/damaged self esteem is what causes a lot of people to get involved. I do feel it is a direct result or affect of the badgering you get while involved.

On another note I just found a whole case load of cds I got from them and never listened to....what should I do with them? Could they help anyone's research? I briefly thought about Ebay but I really don't want to contribute to anyone's brainwashing.

"steve.indepass" <steve.indepass@yahoo.com> wrote:
Hi folks

I keep seeing people refer to themselves as "mlm junkies".

I made some comments a while back about mlm and addiction - and got
roasted for suggesting that mlm 'use' (like drug use) was a coping
strategy of people with low or damaged self-esteem. My comments were
seen as unhelpful generalisations, lacking in empathy and somewhat
insulting to the innocent 'victims' of mlm - all of whom, supposedly
had healthy self-esteem that was then destroyed by the evil of mlm.

I am totally anti-mlm. In the UK, I actively do what I can to expose
the side of the argument that pro-mlmers want to keep hidden from
their prospects.

I also have experience of addiction - having, like countless millions,
been a 'junkie' using cigarettes, cannabis and alcohol throughout the
larger part of my life until I decided to quit it all some 3 years
ago. For me, those substances were a 'self-medication' for a pain; a
discomfort - an agonising lack of self-worth and self-esteem.

In addiction, the drug isn't to blame for the users' lack of
self-esteem. Sure, it helps to make it worse. But the drug is the
'medication' to deal with the inner emptiness, the pain the addict
already feels.

I've spent a few years watching and researching all kinds of mlms,
reading the testimony of people who have been in mlms (such as this
site) and gaining direct experience of mlm people. Countless people
have described themselves as being 'mlm junkies' and if there's one
common pattern I've seen, it's that most serial mlm-ers behave like
addicts or 'gamblers' (addicts by another name).

Like addicts, 'mlm junkies' search for a 'fix' in mlm, don't find it,
feel more ashamed and in pain, and keep searching for another mlm to
fix that pain. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, the 'mlm
junkie' retains a core belief that there IS one mlm out there that
will fix him / her.

In previous posts, I suggested that rather than being responsible for
creating poor self-esteem in serial mlmers, just maybe mlm was set up
to exploit what was already there. That caused a bit of a reaction.
Maybe that's hard to stomach because it's much easier to someone to be
a victim of mlm in the same way that it would be much easier to blame
my using chemicals on the dealers who sold them to me; or the bar or
the supermarket.

Why am I posting again about this? Because like any addiction, unless
people take responsibility for what drives them to use 'stuff' as a
way to avoid facing their inner pain, the industry (drugs, gambling or
mlm) will continue to thrive. This morning, I picked up two more
posts here saying 'I'm a mlm junkie' - and the response from the
forum, once again, was 'It has nothing to do with you - you are the
victim of evil people'.

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