These
questions were originally published in the AA Grapevine in
conjunction with a series on the 12 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.
Tradition
One: Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends
upon A.A. unity.
1. Am I in
my group a healing, mending, integrating person, or am I divisive?
What about gossip and taking other members inventories?
2. Am I a
peacemaker? Or do I, with pious preludes such as "just
for the sake of discussion," plunge into arguments.
3. Am I
gentle with those who rub me the wrong way, or am I abrasive.
4. Do I
make competitive remarks, such a comparing one group with another or
contrasting A.A. in one place with AA in another?
5. Do I
put down some A.A. activities as if I were superior for not
participating in this or that aspect of A.A.?
6. Am I
informed about A.A. as a whole? Do I support, in every way I can A.A.
as a whole or just the parts I understand and approve of?
7. Am I as
considerate of A.A. members as I want them to be of me?
8 Do I
spout platitudes about love while indulging in and secretly
justifying behavior that bristles with hostility?
9. Do I go
to enough A.A. meetings or read enough A.A. literature to
really keep in touch?
10. Do I
share with A.A. all of me, the bad and the good, accepting as well as
giving the help of fellowship.
Reprinted
from November 1969 Grapevine©
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
1. Do I
criticize or do I trust and support my group officers, A.A.
committees, and office workers? newcomers? old-timers?
2. Am I
absolutely trustworthy, even in secret, with A.A. twelfth step
jobs or other A.A. responsibility?
3. Do I
look for credit in my A.A. jobs? praise for my A.A. ideas?
4. Do I
have to save face in group discussion, or can I yield in good spirit
to the group consensus and work cheerfully along with it?
5.
Although I have been sober a few years, am I still willing to serve
my turn at A.A. chores?
6. In
group discussions, do I sound off about matters on which I have no
experience and little knowledge?
Reprinted
from December 1969 Grapevine ©
Tradition
Three: The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop
drinking.
1. In
my mind, do I prejudge some new A.A. members as losers?
2. Is
there some kind of alcoholic whom I privately do not want in my A.A.
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 the lack of it), race, education, age, or
other such things interfere with my carrying the message?
5. Am I
over impressed 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 A.A., 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 has been to A.A. before? What his other problems are?
Reprinted
from January 1970 Grapevine ©
Tradition
Four: Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting
other groups or A.A. as a whole.
1. Do I
insist that there are only a few right ways of doing things in A.A.?
2. Does
my group always consider the welfare of the rest of A.A.? Of
nearby groups? Of loners in Alaska? Of internationalists miles from
port? Of a group in Rome or El Salvador?
3. Do I
put down other members behavior when it is different from mine,
or do I learn from it?
4. Do I
always bear in mind that, to those outsiders who know I am in A.A.
may I to some extent represent our entire beloved fellowship?
5. Am I
willing to help a newcomer go to any lengths - his lengths, not
mine- to stay sober?
6. Do I
share my knowledge of A.A. tools with other members who may not have
heard of them?
Reprinted
from April 1970 Grapevine ©
Tradition
Five: Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message
to the alcoholic who still suffers.
1. Do I
ever cop out by saying, " I'm not a group, so this or that
Tradition doesn't apply to me"?
2. Am I
willing to explain firmly to a newcomer the limitations of A.A. help,
even if he gets mad at me for not giving him a loan?
3. Have I
today imposed on any A.A. member for a special favor or consideration
simply because I am a fellow alcoholic?
4. Am I
willing to twelfth-step the next newcomer without regard to who or
what is in it for me?
5. Do I
help my group in every way I can to fulfill our primary purpose?
6. Do I
remember that A.A. old-timers, too, can be alcoholics who still
suffer? Do I try to help them and to learn from them?
Reprinted
from June 1970 Grapevine ©
Tradition
Six: An AA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name
to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of
money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
1. Should
my fellow group members and I raise money to endow several A.A. beds
in our local hospital?
2. Is it
good for a group to lease a small building?
3 Are all
the officers and members of our local club for A.A.'s familiar with
"Guidelines on Clubs" (which is available free from G.S.O)?
4. Should
the secretary of our group serve on the mayor's advisory committee on
alcoholism?
5. Some
alcoholics will stay around A.A. only if we have a TV and card room.
If this is what is requires to carry the message to them, shouldn't
we have these facilities?
Reprinted
from August 1970 Grapevine ©
Tradition
Seven: Every AA group ought to be fully self- supporting, declining
outside contributions.
1.
Honestly now, do I do all I can to help A.A. (my group, my central
office, my G.S.O) remain self-supporting? Could I put a little more
into the basket on behalf of the new guy who can't afford it yet? How
generous was I when tanked in a barroom?
2. Should
the Grapevine sell advertising space to book publishers and drug
companies, so it could make a big profit and become a bigger
magazine, in full color, at a cheaper price per copy?
3. If
G.S.O runs short on funds some year, wouldn't be okay to let the
government subsidize AA groups in hospitals and prisons?
4. Is it
more important to get a big AA collection from a few people, or a
smaller collection in which more members participate?
5. Is a
groups treasurer's report unimportant A.A. business? How does the
treasurer feel about it?
6. How
important in my recovery is the feeling of self respect, rather than
the feeling of being always under obligation for charity received.
Reprinted
from June 1970 Grapevine ©
Tradition
Eight - Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non- professional,
but our service centers may employ special workers.
1. Is my
own behavior accurately described by the Traditions? If not, what
needs changing?
2. When
I chafe about any particular Tradition, do I realize how it affects
others.
3. Do I
sometimes try to get some reward - even if not money - for my
personal A.A. efforts.
4. Do I
try to sound in A.A. like an expert on alcoholism? On recovery?
On medicine? On sociology? On A.A. itself? On psychology? On
spiritual matters? Or, heaven help me, even on humility?
5. Do I
make an effort to understand what A.A. employees do? What workers in
other alcoholism agencies do? Can I distinguish clearly among them?
6. In my
own A.A. life, have I any experiences which illustrate the wisdom of
this Tradition?
7. Have
I paid enough attention to the book TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE
TRADITIONS? To the pamphlet "A.A. Tradition - How it
Developed"?
Reprinted
from December 1970 Grapevine ©
Tradition
Nine: A. A. as such, ought never be organized; but we may create
service boards or committees directly responsible to those they
serve.
1. Do I
still try to boss things in A.A.?
2. Do I
resist formal aspects of A.A. because I fear them as authoritative?
.3. Am
I mature enough to understand and use all elements of the A.A.
program - even if no one makes me do so - with a sense of personal
responsibility?
4. Do I
exercise patience and humility in any A.A. job I take?
5. Am I
aware of all those to whom I am responsible in any A.A. job?
6. Why
doesn't every A.A. group need a constitution and bylaws?
7. Have I
learned to step out of an A.A. job gracefully - and profit thereby -
when the time comes?
8. What
has rotation to do with anonymity? With humility?
Reprinted
from February 1971 Grapevine ©
Tradition
Ten: Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the
A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
1. Do I
ever give the impression that there really is an "A.A. opinion"
on Antabuse? Tranquilizers? Doctors? Psychiatrists? Churches?
Hospitals? Jails? Alcohol? The Federal or state government?
Legalizing marijuana? Vitamins? Al-Anon? Alateen?
2. Can I
honestly share my own personal experience concerning any of those
without giving the impression I am stating the " A.A opinion "?
3. What in
A.A. history gave rise to our Tenth Tradition?
4. Have I
had a similar experience in my own A.A. life?
5. What
would A.A. be without this Tradition? Where would I be?
6. Do I
breach this or any of its supporting Traditions in subtle, perhaps
unconscious, ways?
7. How can
I manifest the spirit of this Tradition in my personal life outside
A.A.? Inside A.A.?
Reprinted
from the May 1971 Grapevine©
Tradition
Eleven: Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather
then promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the
level of press, radio, and films.
1. Do I
sometimes promote A.A. so fanatically that I make it seem
unattractive?
2. Am I
always careful to keep the confidences reposed in me as an A.A.
member?
3. Am I
careful about throwing A.A. names around - even within the
Fellowship?
4. Am I
ashamed of being a recovered, or recovering, alcoholic?
5. What
would A.A. be like if we were not guided by the ideas in Tradition
eleven? Where would I be?
6. Is
my A.A. sobriety attractive enough that a sick drunk would want such
a quality for himself?
Reprinted
from the July 1971 Grapevine ©
Tradition
Twelve: Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions,
ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
1. Why
is it a good idea for me to place the common welfare of all A.A.
members before individual welfare? What would happen to me if
A.A. as a whole disappeared?
2. When I
do not trust A.A.'s current servants, who do I wish had the authority
to straighten them out?
3. In
my opinions of and remarks about other A.A.'s, am I implying
membership requirements other than a desire to stay sober?
4. Do I
ever try to get a certain A.A. group to conform to my standards, not
its own?
5. Have I
a personal responsibility in helping an A.A. group fulfill its
primary purpose? What is my part?
6. Does my
personal behavior reflect the Sixth Tradition - or belie it?
7. Do I do
all I can do to support A.A. financially? When is the last time I
anonymously gave away a Grapevine subscription?
8. Do I
complain about certain A.A.'s' behavior - especially if they are
paid to work for A A? Who made me so smart?
9. Do I
fulfill all A.A. responsibilities in such a way as to please
privately even my own conscience? Really?
10. Do my
utterances always reflect the Tenth Tradition, or do I give A.A.
critics real ammunition?
11. Should
I keep my A.A. membership a secret, or reveal it in private
conversation when that may help another alcoholic (and therefore me)?
Is my brand of A A so attractive that other drunks want it?
12. What
is the real importance of me among 500,000 AA's?
Reprinted
from the September 1971 Grapevine ©
Source: aa tradition
(our
emphases)
Comment:
We found this useful check list out there in internet land. As
always, and in the spirit only of being helpful, we thought we'd
emphasise the more relevant points for our cult readers!
Cheerio
The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
