Currently viewing the category: "Steps & Traditions"

Where Did The 12 Steps Come From?

On August 7, 2009 By

AA’s are always asking: “Where did the Twelve Steps come from?” In the last analysis, perhaps nobody knows. Yet some of the events which led to their formulation are as clear to me as though they took place yesterday.

So far as people were concerned, the main channels of inspiration for our Steps were three [...]

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Tradition Eight.

On August 1, 2009 By

Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

We define professionalism as the occupation of counseling alcoholics for fees or hire. But we may employ alcoholics where they are going to perform those services for which we might otherwise have to engage non-alcoholics. Such special services may be well [...]

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Tradition Twelve.

On August 1, 2009 By

Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

“The spiritual substance of anonymity is sacrifice. Because AA’s Twelve Traditions repeatedly ask us to give up personal desires for the common good, we realize that the sacrificial spirit – well symbolized by anonymity – is the foundation [...]

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Tradition Eight.

On August 1, 2009 By

Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

“Alcoholics Anonymous will never have a professional class. We have gained some understanding of the ancient words “Freely ye have received, freely give.” We have discovered that at the point of professionalism, money and spirituality do not mix. Almost no recovery [...]

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The traditions checklist.

On July 28, 2009 By

These questions were originally published in the AA Grapevine in conjunction with a series on the Twelve 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 [...]

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