The Twelve 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.

*Reprinted with permission of the A.A. World Services Inc.