WEEK 19 - TRADITIONS 3 & 5
The first talk focussed on the fact that Tradition 1 describes the need for unity in
AA. This time we will discuss Traditions 3 & 5. Tradition 5 aims to unite us behind a
common purpose. First [name] will read the long form of Tradition 5 from the Big Book. ...
thankyou.
The phrase 'Its message' means AA's message. And that message is defined by the
preamble which is read out at every meeting: "Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men
and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may
solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism."
With this preamble in mind, it was advisable for many of us not to share (ie speak)
in a meeting until we had all three to offer: experience and strength and hope, rather than just
airing our own emotions and grievances. And it is often forgotten that even if we share all three, what we say should be directed as the preamble tells us --towards helping others to
recover from our common problem, alcoholism. Tradition 5 is a reason why someone who
has had a drink should be stopped from speaking in a meeting. Someone who is drunk can be
helped at a meeting (after all Bill W was drunk when he got the message from his sponsor,
Ebby), but a drunk cannot give what they haven't got. If they have no sobriety they cannot
help others through their sharing. Also, if anyone is disruptive in a meeting and diverts it from
its primary purpose, they should be asked to be quiet or leave. If they continue to be
disruptive, ultimately the police can be called to forcibly remove them. We have always
found the police helpful in such cases. Remember that Tradition 1 reinforces this when it says
that although individual recovery is very important, the AA group and the integrity of its
message is more important. It might help to quote from Tradition 1 in the pamphlet The 12
Traditions Illustrated: "Our brother the noisy drunk affords the simplest illustration of this
Tradition. If he insists on disrupting the meeting, we 'invite' him to leave, and we bring him
back when he's in better shape to hear the message. We are putting the 'common welfare'
first. But it is his welfare too; if he's ever going to get sober, the group must go on
functioning, ready for him." That is the end of the quote.
There is another revealing phrase in the long form of Tradition 5. We are told that
each group is a "spiritual entity". An entity is something that is complete in itself. We can test
whether or not a group fulfils this criterion by asking the question: "If all groups did as we
did, would all alcoholics get the chance to stay sober?" Each group should aim, through a
combination of sharing and personal sponsorship to enable any suffering alcoholic to receive
the full AA message. Sometimes we hear, for example, that it's okay to have a meeting
exclusively for men because women can go to other meetings. However, if all groups were
Men's Meetings then women would have nowhere to go in AA. By this argument such a
meeting does not conform to Tradition 5.
This last point was considered so important that a Tradition was created to lend it
extra weight. [NAME ] will read the full version of Tradition 3.......... thankyou.
So it is clear: every single meeting should be open to every single type of alcoholic.
We want to be inclusive, not exclusive. No alcoholic should be barred or even discouraged
from going to any AA meeting because of whatever else they are (although they can be barred
for what they do when they get there, as mentioned before). If you look in the Where to Find,
all meetings aimed at a particular type of alcoholic, for example, a Men's group, must have
the words "non-restrictive" included in the meeting description. For example....... [pick out a
men's meeting that does this from the London Where to Find and read out the details up to
'non-restrictive'. There is one on a Monday at Eaton Square] ......this phrase is included to
comply with Traditions 5 and 3. However, there is still a debate regarding this matter. Some
would say that the phrase "non-restrictive" does not really offset the fact that it is intended for
a particular type of alcoholic. From its very name, some alcoholics are encouraged to attend
and others are discouraged, and so it is against the spirit of the tradition.
It is perhaps worth addressing how the name of this group, [State the name of the
group -- Battersea, Pimlico, Highbury etc Beginners] , relates to the Traditions. The aim of
the meeting is carry the AA message of recovery to all who are beginners to the programme -
all suffering alcoholics who need it. But we could not do this if there were not some present
too who are capable of carrying the AA message to them. So old-timers, newcomers and 'in-
betweenies' are all welcome to make their respective contribution to carrying the AA
message. We hope that this is reflected in our attitude to those who come.
There is one interesting phrase in the long form of Tradition 3: "any two or three
people gathered together to form an AA group may call themselves an AA group provided
that they have no other affiliation." This means that any group will go into the Where to Find
as long as it decides to call itself an AA group. They do not even have to conform to the
traditions. One exception is if there is an affiliation to another group, actual or implied (this is
clarified further in the long form of Tradition 6). For example, in London there are some
meetings that will only admit doctors and others that will admit only lawyers. This is
considered an implied affiliation to their respective professions. So AA says to them, of
course you are free to meet and we have no doubt that what you are doing is very good, but
you can't call yourselves an AA meeting and we will not put you in the AA Where to Find.
Those who see Men's, Women's, Gay and Lesbian meetings as having a similar affiliation,
argue that they should be removed from the Where to Find too. In reporting this, there is no
suggestion here that any AA member is anything but genuine in wishing to see the Traditions
applied or in wanting best for all alcoholics. The difference arises in an honest difference in
how the spirit of the Traditions can be applied.
There is one other thing. Tradition 3 states in its full form that AA groups are for
those who wish to recover from alcoholism. So a meeting is for those who can say they are
alcoholics (or those who think that they might be). The combination of these two traditions
reinforces the preamble and Step 12. An AA meeting is a place where one drunk helps
another - this is how we solve our common problem. The reason we keep going to meetings
is because Step 12 tells us we must pass on what we have received. In accordance with this no
one should share at an AA meeting until they are able to identify themselves as an alcoholic.
And we should identify ourselves as an alcoholic only. We should not, for example, call
ourselves 'addict' or even 'addict/alcoholic'. If we broaden the scope from our focus on
alcoholism alone, we are being diverted from our primary purpose and reducing each
member's opportunity to practise Step 12; and accordingly, reducing our own chance to stay
sober. Anyone can be a member of AA if the say they are and so when I say 'My name is
[Say your name] and I am an alcoholic.' No one can tell me I'm not.
That is the talk for this week. I will now hand over to [Name] who has been invited
to speak in a general way, in line with the AA preamble, sharing experience, strength and
hope, directed at helping us to recover from our common problem of alcoholism.