Traditions in the Wild
The Traditions are principles for living together as a Fellowship. These scenarios are questions to bring to a group conscience, not rulings from a website.
Pick a situation
Our group wants a public social-media page.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 2, Tradition 4, Tradition 5, Tradition 6, Tradition 11, Tradition 12
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- Who is authorized by the group to maintain it?
- Will full names, faces, or identifying personal details appear at the public level?
- Could posts or links imply endorsement of outside organizations or causes?
- How will comments, direct messages, and requests for help be handled?
- What happens when the trusted servant rotates out?
What facts would change the answer?
Would the answer change if the page were only a private member communication tool rather than a public-facing page?
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
A treatment center offers to pay for an AA event.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 5, Tradition 6, Tradition 7, Tradition 10
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- Is the group cooperating with the facility or becoming financially dependent on it?
- Who would control the event if the outside organization pays?
- Can the AA entity pay its own way?
- Would the arrangement imply endorsement or affiliation?
- What message would a newcomer or professional take from the arrangement?
What facts would change the answer?
The details of who sponsors, controls, and pays for what can change the analysis.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
The group has extra money and wants to donate it to an outside charity.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 5, Tradition 6, Tradition 7
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- What is the group's primary purpose?
- Was the money contributed for AA group purposes?
- What AA services does the group currently support or need?
- Would giving group funds to an outside cause create affiliation or divert the group from its purpose?
- Has the group discussed its prudent reserve and service contributions?
What facts would change the answer?
A member may personally support any cause they choose; the question here is what the AA group does in its own name.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
A local business wants its name or logo on an AA flyer.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 6, Tradition 11
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- What would a reader think the relationship is?
- Does the placement look like sponsorship, endorsement, or partnership?
- Can the same practical need be met without using the AA name to promote an outside enterprise?
- Is the flyer aimed at members or the general public?
What facts would change the answer?
A simple paid venue listing is different from branding that suggests sponsorship; the exact presentation matters.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
A member wants to identify publicly as an AA member while speaking to press, on a podcast, or in a public video.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 11, Tradition 12
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- What level of media is involved?
- Would the member's full face or full name be connected publicly with AA membership?
- Is the person speaking only for themselves, or could the audience think they speak for AA?
- How might this affect other members' expectations of anonymity?
What facts would change the answer?
A private conversation is different from public media; the level of exposure matters.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
A member is repeatedly disrupting meetings and people are talking about excluding them.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 1, Tradition 3, Tradition 4, Tradition 5
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- Is this dislike or actual disruption/safety?
- What behavior is occurring, specifically?
- What has the group already tried?
- Can meeting safety and primary purpose be protected without pretending the person is no longer an alcoholic or AA member?
- What does current AA safety guidance suggest?
What facts would change the answer?
Threats, violence, stalking, harassment, or criminal behavior require a safety response and should not be reduced to a Tradition Three argument.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- A.A. Guidelines on Safety and A.A. Groups (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Safety Card for A.A. Groups (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
Two service members are fighting over who has authority.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 2, Tradition 9
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- What responsibility did the group actually assign to each trusted servant?
- Is someone acting beyond the authority given by the group?
- Is the disagreement about work, personality, or policy?
- What does the most recent group conscience say?
- Would a service sponsor or neutral experienced member help clarify the role?
What facts would change the answer?
Written job descriptions or prior group decisions may resolve what otherwise feels personal.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
Someone wants to change the meeting format.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 2, Tradition 4, Tradition 5
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- Who owns the format decision?
- What problem is the proposed change trying to solve?
- How might newcomers or accessibility be affected?
- Does the change affect only this group or other AA entities too?
- Is a trial period with a revisit date useful?
What facts would change the answer?
A group's autonomy is broad, but local facts and effects on other groups or AA as a whole still matter.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
Members want the group to issue a statement on a political or social controversy.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 5, Tradition 10
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- Is the issue part of AA's primary purpose?
- Would the statement draw the AA name into outside controversy?
- Can individual members hold and express personal views without the group taking a position?
- What would a newcomer infer about belonging if the group adopts a public position?
What facts would change the answer?
The concern is what the AA group says or does in the AA name, not whether individual members have opinions.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
The group wants to pay an AA member an honorarium for speaking at a meeting.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 7, Tradition 8
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- What exactly is being paid for: professional work, travel expense, or AA Twelfth Step sharing?
- Could paying for AA sharing blur the line between voluntary Twelfth Step work and professional service?
- What has local AA experience been?
- Are reasonable travel expenses a separate question from payment for carrying the message?
What facts would change the answer?
Different AA entities may have local practices about expenses; distinguish expense reimbursement from paying for AA recovery sharing.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
An AA group and another recovery fellowship want to co-host a public event under both names.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 5, Tradition 6, Tradition 10
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- Would the event imply organizational affiliation?
- Can cooperation happen without combining names or governance?
- Who controls the message and finances?
- Would AA appear to endorse another fellowship or approach?
What facts would change the answer?
Sharing a venue or cooperating informally is not necessarily the same as co-sponsoring an event in the AA name.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
The church that rents the room asks the AA group to include church material at the meeting.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 4, Tradition 6, Tradition 10
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- Would including the material imply affiliation or endorsement?
- Can the group maintain a good relationship with the landlord while keeping the meeting independent?
- What does the rental agreement actually require?
- Could a polite explanation of AA independence solve the issue?
What facts would change the answer?
Renting space does not by itself affiliate the group with the landlord; added conditions may change the situation.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
Members want to post photos from an AA event publicly.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 11, Tradition 12
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- Are identifiable AA members shown?
- Did people understand the photos would be public?
- Does the post connect faces and names with AA membership?
- Could photos be framed to protect anonymity?
What facts would change the answer?
A private archive and a public social-media post have very different anonymity implications.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
A professional asks an AA committee to present information to their organization.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 5, Tradition 6, Tradition 10, Tradition 11
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- Is the purpose to explain what AA is and does, or to promote AA as a treatment?
- Can the committee cooperate without affiliating?
- Are speakers protecting anonymity at the public level as appropriate?
- Is the presentation consistent with local CPC or PI experience?
What facts would change the answer?
AA has specific CPC and PI service experience for cooperation with professionals and the public.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- A.A. Guidelines on Cooperation With the Professional Community (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- A.A. Guidelines on Public Information (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
The group inventory turns into complaints about individual members.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 1, Tradition 2, Tradition 12
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- Can the group return to principles and group practices instead of prosecuting personalities?
- Are concerns about actual behavior being stated specifically and fairly?
- Is there a separate safety issue that needs direct action?
- What group practice could change without humiliating an individual?
What facts would change the answer?
Safety concerns should be handled directly; ordinary personality complaints should not hijack the inventory.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
A group wants to list itself on a commercial recovery website that also sells treatment referrals.
Traditions that may be relevant: Tradition 5, Tradition 6, Tradition 11
Questions to bring to your group conscience
- Would the listing make AA look affiliated with or endorsed by the commercial service?
- Is there an official/local AA meeting listing option instead?
- What data would the commercial site collect from people looking for a meeting?
- Would advertising or treatment marketing surround the AA listing?
What facts would change the answer?
A plain factual listing and a commercial lead-generation relationship are not the same thing; inspect the actual arrangement.
Bring the facts, the relevant Traditions, and the unanswered questions to the people who actually have responsibility for the decision.
Read the Traditions
- The Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
There is no verdict button. These are questions, not rulings from a website; local group conscience and the facts of your situation decide.
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