The 12 Traditions
.
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 the
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.