From Silkworth.net ;
Tradition Two: 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.
*****

Do I criticize or do I trust and support my group officers, AA committees, and office workers? Newcomers? Old-timers?
Am I absolutely trustworthy, even in secret, with AA Twelfth Step jobs or other AA responsibility?
Do I look for credit in my AA jobs? Praise for my AA ideas?
Do I have to save face in group discussion, or can I yield in good spirit to the group conscience …read more

Traditions Nine Checklist
Tradition Nine: AA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

Do I still try to boss things in AA?
Do I resist formal aspects of AA because I fear them as authoritative?
Am I mature enough to understand and use all elements of the AA program – even if no one makes me do so – with a sense of personal responsibility?
Do I exercise patience and humility in any AA job I take?
Am I aware of all those to whom I am responsible in any AA job?
Why doesn’t …read more

Keep ‘em coming Alex! You’re making it easier for me
Following up on the “crosstalk” topic… we have an email written from a oldtime member of AA;
Date: Thurs, Aug 21 2008 4:22 pm
From: olemole
I’ve been around and sober for close to 37 years and so called crosstalk in one meeting is standard format in another all depends on the size and make up of the meeting. Cross talk is as old as AA.
On Aug 18, 8:52 am, Sottovoice wrote:
“I have to profess that I am not one who understands the detailed history of “cross talk” or what it really …read more

From “Indelible Humility” printed in the Grapevine Dec. 1990 and reproduced at Silkworth.net. (pdf.)
Thanks again Alex…
“No look at anonymity as practiced by AA can be truly complete without including the question: is it possible for an AA member to be too anonymous? Too anonymous for the good of the individual and the Fellowship? The answer is ‘yes.’ And there are more than a few examples of this: members who feel they must not tell their families or their friends or coworkers or doctors or ministers or lawyers that they are members of AA.
There have even been instances when …read more

Is this about membership in Alcoholics Anonymous;
“Our membership ought to include all who suffer alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought AA membership ever depend on money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an AA group.“
“This clearly implies that an alcoholic is a member if he says so; that we can’t deny him membership; that we can’t demand from him a cent; that we can’t force our beliefs or practices on him; that he may flout everything we stand for and still be a member. In fact, …read more

When we tell them they are the most important person in the room? Do we think these people don’t recognize our humanity? What do they see?
Consider one simple thought – they don’t see time, time sober. They begin to hear that but did you understand it in the beginning? Most of these folks sitting in their first few meetings (at least in our area) don’t even understand that we practice abstaining from drinking alcohol much less recognize what we’re about. What they see is a room full of unknown faces with unknown quantity/quality. That’s all.
So we tell them they’re the …read more

From Alcoholics Anonymous;
Facts about anonymity in A.A.
It is not the media’s responsibility to maintain our Traditions; it is our own individual responsibility.

A.A. members generally think it unwise to break the anonymity of a member even after his or her death, but in each situation, the final decision must rest with the family.
A.A. members may disclose their identity and speak as recovered alcoholics, giving radio, TV and Internet interviews, without violating the Traditions — so long as their A.A. membership is not revealed.
A.A. members may speak as A.A. members only if their names or faces are not revealed. They speak not …read more

From Alcoholics Anonymous;
Some questions and answers about anonymity
Personal anonymity
Q. After I tell my loved ones about my A.A. membership, should I ask them not to disclose this information to anyone else?
A. This is entirely a personal matter, but it is usually best for all concerned to let the A.A. member decide who shall be told and when.
Q. If relatives, friends, and business associates comment on my improved appearance and functioning after I become sober, should I tell them I’m in A.A.?
A. Members of the immediate family and close friends are usually pleased to learn about an alcoholic’s membership in A.A. …read more

Often questioned…
From Alcoholics Anonymous;
Understanding Anonymity
“Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.”
What is the purpose of anonymity in Alcoholics Anonymous? Why is it often referred to as the greatest single protection the Fellowship has to assure its continued existence and growth?
If we look at the history of A.A., from its beginning in 1935 until now, it is clear that anonymity serves two different yet equally vital functions:

At the personal level, anonymity provides protection for all members from identification as alcoholics, a safeguard often of special importance to newcomers.
At the level of …read more

From the AA web site and AA Guidelines;
A.A.’s Debt of Gratitude to Al-Anon
The following resolution of gratitude to the Fellowship of the Al-Anon Family Groups was unanimously approved by the 1969 General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The delegates of this, the 19th General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous, meeting in official session in New York City, this 25th day of April, 1969, do hereby declare:
WHEREAS, it is the desire of this Conference to confirm the relationship between Alcoholics Anonymous and the Al-Anon Family Groups, and
WHEREAS, it is the further desire of this Conference to acknowledge A.A.’s debt of gratitude …read more