The Third Tradition

Long Form;

“Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.”

Short Form;

“The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.”

Bill Wilson’s own words from “The Language Of The Heart” page 317;

“Tradition Three defines the personal liberty of the AA member. It says, in effect, that any alcoholic can be an AA member the moment he says so. Neither can any of us deprive him of that membership, no matter what his behavior. Perhaps no other society has ever staked out such a broad expanse of liberty for the individual as this. Every AA newcomer feels at once that he is wanted and trusted and loved. How well we understand his needs; certainly we have had them ourselves. Seldom has any alcoholic taken unfair advantage of that unlimited charter for freedom. We took this decision for individual freedom years ago. We are glad that we did; there has never been any cause for regret.”

Thought: “Seldom has any alcoholic taken unfair advantage of that unlimited charter for freedom,” but it has happened. And when it has happened we have practiced another principle – that of being responsible which we were not when drinking. AA groups and members have taken care of business properly when those situations arose.

Another thought: “Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity.”

I imagine this means that, though you attempt to control my thinking and force me to call myself “recovered” in order to be a “real” alcoholic, I actually am not required to do that. Hmmmmm