ALCOHOLICS
ANONYMOUS

12 TRADITIONS

The Twelve Traditions provide guidelines for relationships between the groups, members, the global Fellowship and society at large.

• 1

  Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.

• 2

  For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.

• 3

  The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.

• 4

  Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.

• 5

  Each group has but one primary purpose — to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

• 6

  An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

• 7

  Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

• 8

  Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

• 9

  A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

• 10

  Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

• 11

  Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.

• 12

  Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.