Know your 'rights'!

Extracts from the aacultwatch forum (old):

“It can be seen from Traditions Three and Four that an individual alcoholic’s unconditional right to be an A.A. member is all inclusive, never exclusive, but there is no such right afforded to any two or three alcoholics gathered together as a group.  There is “one important qualification” which is all exclusive except for as a group they have no other purpose or affiliation. – Therefore any two or three alcoholics gathered together as a group may not necessarily qualify themselves to be called an A.A. group, as stated in warranty six:  “Finally, 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 purpose or affiliation”. (Concept 12, warranty 6). This is further confirmed in warranty five: “If individual A.A.s wish to gather together for retreats, Communion breakfasts, or indeed any undertaking at all, we still say “Fine. Only we hope you won’t designate your efforts as an A.A. group or enterprise” (Concept 12, warranty five). 

As Bill W. explains: “I think we might sum it up like this: “AA members who are so inclined should be encouraged to band together in groups to …”….”But they ought to refrain from calling themselves AA groups”……....... “But obviously, such a dual purpose group should not insist that it be called an AA group nor should it use the AA name in its title.” (Bill W. AA Grapevine February 1958 - Language of the Heart pages 222-225).  - It can be understood that any two or three alcoholics gathered together as a group has no right to insist any other A.A. member, group, intergroup or any part of A.A. calls them an A.A. Group.

It can be understood that a group’s autonomy, or in other words, its liberty to violate all A.A.’s Traditions, its “right to be wrong” extends strictly to its own affairs. There is a well defined line in the Tradition Four at which an A.A. group’s autonomy ends and where the principles of Traditions One and Two take precedence; assuming “trusted servants” and “elder statesmen” are willing to apply the able leadership of Tradition Two, Concept IX; and the “specific application” of Tradition Four:

“Tradition Four is a specific application of general principles already outlined in Traditions One and Two. Tradition One states: “Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole”…….. “Hence our common welfare comes first”………….”there is but one ultimate authority…” (Bill W, Tradition Four, Grapevine March 1948. Language of the Heart page 80).

It can be understood that a trusted servant’s “right of decision” (Concept III) not to call any group alcoholics gathered together with another purpose or affiliation an AA group is a responsible informative and assertive statement of Traditions One, Two and warranties 5 and 6. It follows that if a “such a dual purpose group should not insist that it be called an AA group”, as stated by Bill W, “nor should it use the AA name in its title.” (Bill W. AA Grapevine February 1958. Language of the Heart pages 222-225), then there is no compulsion in Tradition One for to any part of A.A. to register it as one. – It can be seen that if, at any time a compulsion were to be imposed on a trusted servant’s  “right of decision” not to register a group, then this would violate the principle in Tradition One: “No AA can compel another to do anything.” and Concept III, thus making the ability to apply Traditions and warranties of Conference invalid. The “right of decision” is defined in Concept III: “Therefore some traditional and practical principle has to be devised which at all levels will continuously balance the right relation between ultimate authority and delegated responsibility.” How, then are we to accomplish this?” ….”The right A.A. solution has been found, however, in the latter part of Tradition Two, which provides for “trusted servants.” This really means that we ought to trust our responsible leaders to decide, within the understood framework of their duties, how they will interpret and apply their own authority and responsibility to each particular problem or situation as it arises.” (Concept III)”

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

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