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12 Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous

  1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends on AA unity.

  2. For our group purpose there is 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 AA membership is a desire to stop drinking.

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

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

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

  7. Every AA 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. AA, 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 AA name ought never be drawn into 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.

Reprinted with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.