Traditions Checklist – Tradition Three: The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking.

1. In my mind, do I prejudge some new AA members as losers?

2. Is there some kind of alcoholic whom I privately do not want in my AA group?

3. Do I set myself up as a judge of whether a newcomer is sincere or phony?

4. Do I let language, religion (or lack of it), race, education, age, or other such things interfere with my carrying the message?

5. Am I overimpressed by a celebrity? By a doctor, a clergyman, an ex-convict? Or can I just treat this new member simply and naturally as one more sick human, like the rest of us?

6. When someone turns up at AA needing information or help (even if he can’t ask for it aloud), does it really matter to me what he does for a living? Where he lives? What his domestic arrangements are? Whether he had been to AA before? What his other problems are?

Can we join together and spread the news? We have Traditions in AA! They’re invaluable to our now and future existence! Yay!

[These questions were originally published in the AA Grapevine in conjunction with a series on the Twelve Traditions that began in November 1969 and ran through September 1971. While they were originally intended primarily for individual use, many AA groups have since used them as a basis for wider discussion.]

Post from: Blisstree

Traditions Checklist – Tradition Three

What A.A. Does Not Do

Tradition Ten: Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

1. Recruit members or furnish initial motivation for alcoholics to recover.
2. Keep membership records or case histories.
3. Follow up or try to control its members.
4. Make medical or psychological diagnoses or prognoses.
5. Provide hospitalization, drugs, or medical or psychiatric treatment.
6. Provide housing, food, clothing, jobs, money or other such services.
7. Provide domestic or vocational counseling.
8. Engage in or sponsor research.
9. Affiliate with social agencies (though many members and service offices do cooperate with them).
10. Offer religious services.
11. Engage in any controversy about alcohol or other matters.
12. Accept money for its services or contributions from non-A.A. sources.
13. Provide letters of reference to parole boards, attorneys, court officials, schools, businesses, social agencies, or any other organization or institution.

Post from: Blisstree

What A.A. Does Not Do

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
Post Office Box 607
Hollywood Station
Hollywood, California

December Fifth 1941

Irma Livoni
939 S. Gramercy Place
Los Angeles, California

Dear Mrs. Livoni:

At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, held Dec. 4th, 1941, it was decided that your attendance at group meetings was no longer desired until certain explanations and plans for the future were made to the satisfaction of this committee. This action has been taken for reasons which should be most apparent to yourself. It was decided that, should you so desire, you may appear before members of this committee and state your attitude. This opportunity will be afforded you between now and December 15th, 1941. You may communicate with us at the above address by that date.

In case you do not wish to appear, we shall consider the matter closed and that your membership is terminated.

Alcoholics Anonymous, Los Angeles Group
Mortimer, Frank, Edmund, Fay D., Pete, Al

There’s soooo much wrong with this I don’t know where to start… thank God this type of insanity didn’t last long in AA!

Post from: Blisstree

Imagine Alcoholics Anonymous Without The Twelve Traditions?

“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

Post from: Blisstree

The Third Tradition

From pg. 142 in the 12 and 12. A newcomer shows up with an additional problem and in turn, poses a problem for the membership of the group.

“But,” he asked, “will you let me join your group? Since I am the victim of another addiction even worse stigmatized than alcoholism, you may not want me among you?”

“There was the dilemma. What should the group do? The oldest member summoned two others, and in confidence laid the explosive facts in their laps. Said he, ‘Well, what about it? If we turn this man away, he’ll soon die. If we allow him in, only God knows what trouble he’ll brew. What shall the answer be – yes or no?’

At first the elders could only look at the objections. ‘We deal,’ they said, ‘with alcoholics only. Shouldn’t we sacrifice this one for the sake of the many?’ So went the discussion while the newcomer’s fate hung in the balance. Then one of the three spoke in a very different voice. ‘What we are really afraid of,’ he said, ‘is our reputation. We are much more afraid of what people might say than the trouble this strange alcoholic might bring. As we’ve been talking, five short words have been running through my mind. Something keeps repeating to me, ‘What would the Master do?‘ Not another word was said. What more indeed could be said?

Overjoyed, the newcomer plunged into Twelfth Step work. Tirelessly he laid A.A.’s message before scores of people. Since this was a very early group, those scores have since multiplied themselves into thousands.”

“Shouldn’t we sacrifice this one for the sake of the many?” Will someone please tell me where this is referenced in the Big Big Book?

Thanks,

Mark

Post from: Blisstree

What Would The Master Do?