WEEK 18 - TRADITIONS 1 & 12
The 12 Traditions are a set of guidelines for the health of an AA group and, where applicable, for AA as a
whole. They have been developed from the experiences of the first AA groups. No group is bound to
conform to the Traditions, but those that do tend to flourish.
Each tradition on the scroll behind me is a summary of its full version, found in an appendix of
the Big Book called The AA Traditions. It may be useful to consider what the Traditions are not. When they
were written they were not intended to be used either as general guidelines for individual conduct, nor to
benefit institutions other than Alcoholics Anonymous, such as the family or businesses. Just because it's
good for AA, it doesn't mean necessarily that it's good for anything else. In fairness, we would say that
occasionally some of the Traditions can be applied outside the context of AA, but these could just as easily
be seen as the application of spiritual principleS in accordance with Step 12. For example, humility is a
spiritual principle. As humility is at the heart of all our Traditions, it would be surprising if we couldn't
draw parallels elsewhere occasionally. However, many of these applications stretch the meaning of the
tradition quoted to its limit and for the individual, Step 12 already covers this better because, for example,
we would always try to be humble if we were practising spiritual principles in all our affairs anyway.
Accordingly, we feel that using the traditions outside the context of the AA gives us nothing we couldn't
get elsewhere and distracts us from the ever-urgent consideration of the role that they uniquely and
perfectly fulfil, that of keeping AA unified and functioning well.
Now [Name] will read out the full version of Tradition One from the back of the Big
Book.............thankyou.
Tradition One tells us why we have Traditions at all - because we want to protect AA. Its
summary on the scroll defines the goal of all the Traditions: AA unity.
Without AA meetings to go to most of us will die. The most important thing in AA, therefore, is
not the newcomer; it is the group. The newcomer is important, but not as important as the group for if there
is no group there is nowhere for the newcomer to get sober in the first place. We will ensure the continued
existence of the AA group by putting aside our personal desires and putting the group first in some key
areas. It is the other Traditions that tell us what those key areas are and how that unity is to be achieved. It is
worth noting that they do so based upon the assumption that AA members are full of greed, pride,
arrogance, self-centredness and all the rest of the defects of character. The Traditions are intended to
contain those tendencies. If they required us first to become uniformly good, pleasant, selfless individuals in
order to be effective they would be doomed to failure. (Although do we hope that some of us will gradually
become better people through practise of the Steps).
As mentioned, most of the examples of where the primacy of the group is enforced occur through
the practise of the other Traditions. But here are a couple of examples related to Tradition One alone: when
a group exceeds the stated capacity of the hall that it rents, it is breaking the insurance stipulations (and so
the law). Therefore, in the past groups have had to shut their doors when they reach the limit and stop
anyone else coming in including newcomers. If they do not, the group would be breaking the law and
ultimately could be closed down. Groups faced with this dilemma usually have either to split into two
(through a number of people leaving and setting up a new one) or move to a bigger hall. Also, a drunk who
is disrupting the group should be asked to leave the group and ultimately if necessary, escorted from the
premises. This point is emphasised under Tradition 1 in the pamphlet, The
12 Traditions Illustrated.
Now [Name] will read out the long form of Tradition 12 from the appendix in the Big
Book... This tradition gives us the one spiritual principle that we must practise in the group if we are to
achieve our goal of unity. That is humility. It explains that despite that fact that we are a collection of
willful, flawed individuals, if we try to conform to all these traditions we will be taking actions that are
humble.
Many of us talk about how the group did the job of sponsoring us and keeping us sober in those
very early days before we could get a sponsor and make a start in a structured way on the steps. If the
groups we attended were conforming to the traditions and if as newcomers we cooperated with the format,
we were making a small contribution to the combined acts of humility made by the group. Humility is a
facet of love and like love is expressed in action rather than emotion. Perhaps this is the mechanism that lets
the Higher Power into our lives, even before we acknowledge it, so that He can give us that first period of
sobriety -- a period of grace.
The principle of anonymity, it tells us, is enshrined in AA Tradition not just to protect peoples'
identities but as a persistent reminder of this principle of humility. Humility, we are told, runs through each
Tradition. In Traditions 1-5, it is there to counter most especially alcoholics' arrogance and intolerance,
describing how disagreements can be resolved and how we put personal preferences aside in favour of the
greater good. In Traditions 6, 7 & 8 it counters our tendency to greed and dishonesty. And in Traditions 9,
10 and 11 it counters our desire for power, attention and publicity.
Let us recall that last phrase: "This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us; that we
shall forever live in thankful contemplation of Him who presides over us." The language used contrasts
sharply with the down-to-earth practicality of much of the rest of the AA literature. It almost has a mystical
quality as it describes the bliss that is offered in AA as a result of practising the programme. We are told
categorically that if we do these things, we will remain forever in thankful contemplation of Him who
presides over us. That is, we can experience joy without interruption and without end to the degree that we
follow these things. If we commit to a home group that is following the traditions, we are continually
reminded that without Him we have nothing for we are powerless over alcohol. How many of us when we
start to receive the material benefits of sobriety - health and money for example - can forget that it comes
through our practise of the steps? If our group does not lead us back to the programme the thought might
occur that we don't need AA meetings at all. We have seen friends follow this path out of AA and drink
(and in some cases die) as a result. We can enjoy these benefits indefinitely if we remember that they are
given to us only so that through example and action, we can demonstrate to others the Power and Love of
God, as we understand Him.
So the next time we have a group conscience, and consider how well our group is following the
traditions, we should take it seriously. We are contemplating a choice: die or be happy.
That is the end of the talk. Now I am delighted to hand over to [Name]
who will disclose in a general way, what it was like, what happened, and what it
is like now.