“29. How does AA avoid
outside influences resulting in its message being watered down?
How does AA avoid being
misrepresented at a high public level?
Background
Conference Health Report
2013 reported on National Treatment Agency goals of 12‐step
“facilitation” but how does this align to our AA Tradition of
non‐affiliation and fact that AA shouldn’t be influenced by
outside agencies?
There are many agencies
working in the field of alcohol treatment. Some use “mutations”
of the 12 Step programme but are not bound by our Traditions. There
is a need to be very clear on how AA is distinct from these other
services.
Tradition 6 in the long
form ‘While an AA group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation
ought never to go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or
implied. An AA group can bind itself to no one.’
Concept 12 Warranty 5
“…we shall need to maintain a continuous education of public
communications channels of all kinds concerning the nature and
purpose of our Traditions.”
Terms
of Reference No. 7 Covered in Traditions and recently approved
Service Handbook”
Comment:
Simple! AA members need to take ACTION themselves. All these matters
can be discussed, debated, analysed etc ad nauseam by the AA
conference, and guidelines issued by the ream, but unless AA members
ACTUALLY ACT the whole thing is reduced to an entirely pointless
exercise. AA experience has already been comprehensively recorded in
our extensive repository of conference approved literature. It isn't actually necessary for us to repeat
the mistakes of the past if we remain aware of this heritage. When
it comes to dealing with public agencies we simply make them aware of
our modus operandi, and then ACT accordingly. What they then do is
their business. How we operate is ours. A classic example of this
is the “chit”
(court mandated attendance) system. If the government of the day
decide they want to adopt a policy (via the courts) of compelling
individuals they believe to be suffering from some kind of drink
problem to attend AA meetings that's up to them. If they ask us for
our views on the subject we point to the relevant tradition ie. we
DON'T have any. What WE DON'T do is then proceed to operate as an
executive arm for THEIR policy. That isn't OUR business. If people
turn up at meetings and ask to be provided with written evidence of
their attendance we simply refer them to the relevant tradition. We
DON'T provide this. If the probation service etc require their
clients to provide such evidence then it is up to the probation
service etc to set up (and implement THEMSELVES) the proper
administrative procedures. It is NOT the business of AA to act on
their behalf. This would imply affiliation and draw us potentially
into an “outside” controversial issue. It is neither in our
interest nor in the interests of prospective members to act
otherwise. This is but one example. There are plenty of others
besides. It is OUR responsibility therefore (and no one else's) to
act in accordance with AA principles. If we do so the rest falls into
place. Remember: if you want to know where the buck stops …. look
in the mirror!
See
here
for a full list of other questions that didn't quite get through the
'filter'
Cheers
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
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