Bill Wilson talking about the Traditions - Tradition Six

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous ...and rather fond of the Traditions too!)

Tradition Six, Grapevine, October, 1952, Bill W

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Editorial: On the 6th Tradition, Grapevine, May, 1948, Bill W

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Conference Questions (2012) forum discussion (contd)

Committee No. 3

Question 2:

“Would the Fellowship review and re-affirm what constitutes an AA Group, within the Fellowship in Great Britain with specific reference to Traditions 4 - 6?

Background

The Traditions

Preamble

Concepts

Consider the contribution to the carrying of the message, financial and practical implications when deliberating each question.”

Extract:

“Tradition Six

“An A.A. group, as such, should never go into business.” (Tradition Six, Long form)

“While an A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied. An A.A. group can bind itself to no one.”(Tradition Six, Long form)

If a group’s purpose is also to be a retail outlet for related facilities and outside enterprise, for example: non A.A. published recovery related literature, recovery merchandise, non A.A. organised workshops and conventions, spiritual retreats, etc; then the group gives these outside businesses “endorsement, actual or implied.” This retailing of outside enterprise in an A.A. group is not using AA name “only in connection with straight AA activities.” Whether the business is being done on a separate table or under the table, it cannot call itself an A.A. group. This is a dual purpose.

Considering the financial and practical implications to this question: the sale of non A.A. material by a retail outlet masquerading as an A.A. group, competes directly with official A.A. literature and audio recordings, diverting money away from the A.A. primary purpose into the hands of outside enterprises that are exploiting the fellowship.

There is also the implication for A.A. unity, the dissipation of the A.A. message and damage to AA public relations:

“Our literature is a principle means by which A.A. recovery, unity, and service are facilitated” (Concept XI). “Suppose, for instance, that during the last twenty five years, AA had never published any standard literature – no books, no pamphlets. We need little imagination to see that by now our message would be hopelessly garbled. Our relations with medicine and religion would have become a shambles. To alcoholics generally we would today be a joke and the public would have thought us a riddle. Without its literature, AA would certainly have bogged down in a welter of controversy and disunity” (Bill W. “A Message from Bill”, AA Grapevine May 1964; The Language of the Heart page 348)

There’s also the human cost of this outside exploitation:

“I am concerned that we are not reaching people who cannot read well or cannot read at all. I am new to the program and making my way through the Steps. I struggle to understand the "Twelve and Twelve," even with a college degree and help from my sponsor and other AAs. Meanwhile, my room-mate, also newly sober and with a grade school education, can't make any sense of her Step workbook and is about to give up. How many people do we lose this way? How many, when asked to read from the Big Book at a meeting, stumble through a few sentences, acutely embarrassed, and never come back? A literature-based program effectively shuts out people who desperately need help but do not have good reading skills…........... We need new ways to reach the still- suffering alcoholic --- ways that do not depend on the written word” (June W. Gaithersburg, Md. “Dear Grapevine, Shut Out” A.A. Grapevine November 2010) http://www.aagrapevine.org/

A.A. does not produce step workbooks, but they have now arrived in the UK, I have recently been given one. It doesn’t surprise me that the newcomer in the USA can't make any sense of hers if it is a copy of the same one that I have been given. I too wonder how many newcomers we’re going to lose in the UK. I think it is fair to say that traditionally the AA message is more a word of mouth programme, one alcoholic talking to another in “the language of the heart”, not literature based. We don’t need the new literature ways, but stick to the A.A.Tradition. What constitutes an A.A. group would not make a requirement for a newcomer to read a work book or the Big Book for that matter, because there is no requirement for AA membership other than a desire to stop drinking; all inclusive to the literate or illiterate. According to Tradition Six, an A.A. group would never give endorsement, actual or implied, to any related facility or outside enterprise such as a step work book.”

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Conference Questions (2012) forum discussion (contd)

Committee No. 3

Question 2:

“Would the Fellowship review and re-affirm what constitutes an AA Group, within the Fellowship in Great Britain with specific reference to Traditions 4 - 6?

Background

The Traditions

Preamble

Concepts

Consider the contribution to the carrying of the message, financial and practical implications when deliberating each question.”

Extract:

“The preamble, traditions and concepts describe the principles which constitute an AA group. The closer a group of alcoholics adhere to these principles, the more they constitute an AA group. There is a boundary in AA Tradition relating to the use of the name Alcoholics Anonymous, which when crossed, a group of alcoholics cannot call themselves an AA group.

“Our membership Tradition does contain, however, one vitally important qualification. That qualification relates to the use of our name Alcoholics Anonymous. We believe that any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an AA group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. Here our purpose is clear and unequivocal. For obvious reasons we wish the AA name to be used only in connection with straight AA activities.” (Bill W. ‘Tradition Three’, AA Grapevine 1948, The Language of the Heart page 79-80)

“We cannot lend the AA name, even indirectly, to other activities, however worthy. If we do so we shall become hopelessly compromised and divided. We think that AA should offer its experience to the whole world for whatever use can be made of it. But not its name. Nothing can be more certain. (Bill W. ‘Tradition Three’, AA Grapevine 1948, The Language of the Heart page 80)

“Tradition six also enjoins the group never to go into business nor ever lend the AA name or money credit to any ‘outside’ enterprise, no matter how good.” (Bill W. ‘Tradition Six’ AA Grapevine 1948, The Language of the Heart page 83)

“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)

“Some years ago, numbers of AAs formed themselves into ‘retreat groups’ having a religious purpose. At first they wanted to call themselves AA groups of various descriptions. But they soon realized this could not be done because their groups had a dual purpose: both AA and religion”. (Bill W. ‘Problems other than Alcohol,’ AA Grapevine February 1958; The Language of the Heart page 222).

The preamble states: “AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution;” Therefore, if a group of alcoholics were to use principles contained in non A.A. published literature, attempting to re-enact carrying the alcoholic/Oxford Group Christian message of 1935-1939; (a time before Alcoholics Anonymous was formed as a non religious organization) then they could not call themselves an AA group. The Oxford Group was a religious Christian organization and an entirely separate organization to A.A.

It also follows that if a group of alcoholics were to use principles contained in non A.A. published literature, following non AA 12 step programmes, based on the Big Book; or which revive Oxford Group aggressive evangelism, the use of the Lord’s prayer in a group setting, offering spiritual guidance for it’s members, spiritual retreats, etc; or certain Tradition deviant religious or educational practices deployed by some early AA groups in the 1940s; then they could not call themselves an AA group. Their purpose, as a group, would be religious or lending the AA name to a related facility or outside enterprise. These group purposes would be outside the boundary in A.A. Traditions and General Warranties of Conference, therefore they could not call themselves an AA group.

“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)

The AA Group pamphlet, page 24, reminds AA members that “Regularly scheduled meetings, of course, are the chief activity of any AA group. The group continues to exist outside meeting hours, ready to offer help when needed.” Group activity therefore, includes that of any alcoholics gathered together as a group under the AA name, whether it be in a meeting, in member’s homes, in sponsorship, or anywhere.”

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Court mandated AA attendance - Concept 12 Warranty 5/Tradition 6

“Hi,

Thanks for the mail. In the case of meetings which have outside affiliations (ie. no longer an AA group) we refer you to the following:

Concept 12, warranty five: “And at times the Conference will need to take certain protective actions especially in the area of Tradition violations.…….. Individuals, sometimes outside organisations may try to use the A.A. name for their own private purposes……..Whenever and however we can, we shall need to inform the general public also; especially upon misuses of the name Alcoholics Anonymous. This combination of counter forces can be very discouraging to violators or would be violators. Under these conditions they soon find their deviations to be unprofitable or unwise…” (see http://aacultwatch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/minority-report-continued4.html for the relevant page extracts from the Concepts)

Extending the above principle to local AA service structures (which extension Bill Wilson makes reference to in the Concepts themselves), where they have identified groups that have deviated significantly from the guidelines (specifically Tradition 3 but with reference also to Tradition 4) they may take action to ensure that outside agencies are made aware of these. In the instance you have cited this group presumably has been delisted under Tradition 3. It is therefore to be deemed itself an "outside organisation". If it continues to represent itself as an AA group (either explicitly or implicitly) to other agencies then these should be notified accordingly by the local AA service structure ("intergroup" in Great Britain). It should be made clear to the relevant courts that this group is no longer affiliated with AA, and therefore may not be regarded as an AA group. This should be sufficient for the courts themselves to recognise that any documents emanating from this group may similarly be considered illegitimate. Of course this problem would not arise at all if AA itself had not breached its own traditions by participating in the court mandated system. But then we don't seem to learn from our past mistakes - co-operation is fine but not endorsement! The "court card" system goes way beyond the former and certainly constitutes (literally) an endorsement of judicial policy - whether or not courts wish to refer offenders to AA is their business - but it certainly isn't ours!

Cheers

The Fellas”

Comment: A reply to an enquiry from a member in the US. Court mandated attendance in the US is equivalent to the “chit system” in the UK. Our participation in both are quite clearly contrary to AA tradition – with the consequent (and inevitable) problems. People are being referred to AA who are determined (by the courts) to have an alcohol problem which in some way contributed to the commission of their crime. It does not follow from this that they are necessarily alcoholic drinkers any more than most of the “binge” drinkers who clutter up town centres (and subsequently hospital A and E) are necessarily so either. Nevertheless AA is being used as a 'dumping ground' regardless. Our continued participation in this judicial remedy constitutes an endorsement of the policy, and is contrary to Tradition 6:

“Six—An A.A. 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”

(Long form – extract): “While an A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied. An A.A. group can bind itself to no one. “

Cheerio

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)

Tradition Six

Short form:

"Six—An A.A. 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."

Long form:

"6.—Problems of money, property, and authority may easily divert us from our primary spiritual aim. We think, therefore, that any considerable property of genuine use to A.A. should be separately incorporated and managed, thus dividing the material from the spiritual. An A.A. group, as such, should never go into business. Secondary aids to A.A., such as clubs or hospitals which require much property or administration, ought to be incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary, they can be freely discarded by the groups. Hence such facilities ought not to use the A.A. name. Their management should be the sole responsibility of those people who financially support them. For clubs, A.A. managers are usually preferred. But hospitals, as well as other places of recuperation, ought to be well outside A.A.—and medically supervised. While an A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied. An A.A. group can bind itself to no one."

(our emphases)

The reasons for this tradition are pretty well self-evident – AA and money don't mix – therefore AA is not in the business of 'selling' treatment, religion, books, ideas, life styles, advice, or any other product or service you can think of. It's got one purpose and it sticks to that – and that's given away free, gratis, no strings attached, no back handers, no side deals, no quid pro quo, zilch, nada, nichts …. (time to take a breath).... no contracts to be signed, no documents to be exchanged, no references required, no warranties offered, no insurance to be taken out (unless you count helping another alkie from time to time). In other words, and just in case this isn't quite clear enough – YOU PAY NOTHING – either in money or kind. AA is not a business, does not engage in commerce, does NOT make profits and just about lurches along on the contributions from its members – and how much they put in the pot is their “business” and nobody else's. There are no “suggested” amounts to be “contributed”, no tithes, no subscriptions, no percentages to be calculated. If you're a really sharp operator you can be a member of AA for your entire life and not pay a dime!!! (Come on! – there must be someone out there who's done it??). So if someone tries to put the pinch on you, tells you you GOTTA pay for attending an AA meeting, or tries to extract a dollar or two off you for the pleasure of listening to their “experience, strength and hope” then wherever you are you can be sure it ain't an AA meeting. If they're trying to flog you something, be it a book or a CD on how to win at the game of life, or be terribly, terribly spiritual in just ten days then keep your hands on your wallet (or purse), turn round sharpish, and walk the other way......preferably in the direction of a genuine AA meeting

Cheerio

The Fellas