Alcoholics Anonymous · 4th Edition

The 12 Traditions,
What They Actually Say

Adopted in 1950 for one reason: to stop A.A. from being owned. Most of what circulates online is the short form with the important part missing.

Short formpp. 561–562
Long form — read this onepp. 563–566
Twelve Conceptspp. 574–575

Three things get said about the Twelve Traditions constantly, and all three are wrong.

They are not theology. The Traditions are governance — structural rules about how the Fellowship runs itself so it survives long enough to help people. They have nothing to do with God or a higher power. When Tradition 2 speaks of "a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience," that is 1940s phrasing for a structural idea: the group decides, and no single person is in charge.

They do not bind you. The Traditions govern A.A. groups and the Fellowship. They are not a rulebook for a member's private life, and they place no constraint on organisations that aren't A.A.

And the clause that matters most isn't in the version you were shown. Tradition 3's requirement that a group have "no other affiliation" exists only in the Long Form (pp. 563–566). It is the clause that says no treatment centre can own an A.A. group — and it is precisely the clause that vanished from the internet.

The Twelve Traditions — both forms, in full

Short form and Long Form, word for word, exactly as they appear in Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition. Most sites publish only the short form. A.A.'s own introduction on page 561 says the long form "is more explicit and of possible historic value" — so it is printed here too, which is what the book itself does.

Tradition 1

Short form · p. 562
Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.
Long form · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. A.A. must continue to live or most of us will surely die. Hence our common welfare comes first. But individual welfare follows close afterward.

In plain terms A.A. survives only if it holds together. That is why unity comes first.

Tradition 2

Short form · p. 562
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.
Long form · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.

In plain terms Structural, not theological: the group decides, and no one person is in charge.

Tradition 3

Short form · p. 562
The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.
Long form · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. 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 affiliation.

In plain terms The long form is the one that matters here — a group with any other affiliation is not an A.A. group.

Tradition 4

Short form · p. 562
Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
Long form · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should be responsible to no other authority than its own conscience. But when its plans concern the welfare of neighboring groups also, those groups ought to be consulted. And no group, regional committee, or individual should ever take any action that might greatly affect A.A. as a whole without conferring with the trustees of the General Service Board. On such issues our common welfare is paramount.

In plain terms Each group runs its own affairs, except where it would affect other groups or A.A. as a whole.

Tradition 5

Short form · p. 562
Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
Long form · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
Each Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one primary purpose—that of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

In plain terms One purpose. Not several.

Tradition 6

Short form · p. 562
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 · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
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.

In plain terms Cooperation must never become affiliation. An A.A. group can bind itself to no one.

Tradition 7

Short form · p. 562
Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Long form · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
The A.A. groups themselves ought to be fully supported by the voluntary contributions of their own members. We think that each group should soon achieve this ideal; that any public solicitation of funds using the name of Alcoholics Anonymous is highly dangerous, whether by groups, clubs, hospitals, or other outside agencies; that acceptance of large gifts from any source, or of contributions carrying any obligation whatever, is unwise. Then too, we view with much concern those A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated A.A. purpose. Experience has often warned us that nothing can so surely destroy our spiritual heritage as futile disputes over property, money, and authority.

In plain terms Not poverty as a virtue — independence, bought on purpose. A group that owes nothing cannot be steered.

Tradition 8

Short form · p. 562
Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
Long form · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional. 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 nonalcoholics. Such special services may be well recompensed. But our usual A.A. "12 Step" work is never to be paid for.

In plain terms Twelfth-Step work is never paid for. Service offices may employ workers.

Tradition 9

Short form · p. 562
A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
Long form · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
Each A.A. group needs the least possible organization. Rotating leadership is the best. The small group may elect its secretary, the large group its rotating committee, and the groups of a large metropolitan area their central or intergroup committee, which often employs a full-time secretary. The trustees of the General Service Board are, in effect, our A.A. General Service Committee. They are the custodians of our A.A. Tradition and the receivers of voluntary A.A. contributions by which we maintain our A.A. General Service Office at New York. They are authorized by the groups to handle our over-all public relations and they guarantee the integrity of our principal newspaper, the A.A. Grapevine. All such representatives are to be guided in the spirit of service, for true leaders in A.A. are but trusted and experienced servants of the whole. They derive no real authority from their titles; they do not govern. Universal respect is the key to their usefulness.

In plain terms The least possible organisation. Leaders derive no authority from titles.

Tradition 10

Short form · p. 562
Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Long form · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial issues—particularly those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarian religion. The Alcoholics Anonymous groups oppose no one. Concerning such matters they can express no views whatever.

In plain terms A.A. takes no position on outside controversies, so its name is never dragged into them.

Tradition 11

Short form · p. 562
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films.
Long form · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
Our relations with the general public should be characterized by personal anonymity. We think A.A. ought to avoid sensational advertising. Our names and pictures as A.A. members ought not be broadcast, filmed, or publicly printed. Our public relations should be guided by the principle of attraction rather than promotion. There is never need to praise ourselves. We feel it better to let our friends recommend us.

In plain terms This governs how A.A. presents itself. It is not a rule for organisations that aren't A.A.

Tradition 12

Short form · p. 562
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
Long form · pp. 563–566 — the one the internet drops
And finally, we of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that the principle of anonymity has an immense spiritual significance. It reminds us that we are to place principles before personalities; that we are actually to practice a genuine humility. This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us; that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation of Him who presides over us all.

In plain terms Principles before personalities — a discipline of humility, not a gag order.

The questions people actually ask

Where are the Twelve Traditions in the Big Book?

The SHORT FORM of the Twelve Traditions is on pages 561–562 of Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition. The LONG FORM — the fuller, original wording — is on pages 563–566. The Twelve Concepts follow on pages 574–575. Almost every version circulating online quotes only the short form, which is why so much of what people are told about the Traditions is incomplete.

Are the Twelve Traditions about God or a higher power?

No. This is the single most distorted point about the Traditions. The Twelve Traditions are governance, organizational, and structural principles — they are about how the Fellowship runs itself so that it survives long enough to help people. They have nothing to do with God or a higher power. The Big Book covers personal recovery; the Traditions cover how A.A. governs itself. The 1930s-40s phrasing in Tradition 2 — "a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience" — is period language chosen to make a structural principle palatable, not a theological claim. "Group conscience" means the collective decision of the group, not divine guidance. "Loving God" in that sentence means that no single human being is in charge.

Do the Twelve Traditions apply to individual members?

No. The Traditions bind A.A. GROUPS and the Fellowship as a whole — their internal life and how A.A. relates to the world. They do not govern an individual member's private or outside life, and they do not bind independent, non-A.A. organisations. They were adopted in 1950 to keep A.A. from being owned, co-opted, or torn apart by disputes over money, property and authority. They are not a rulebook for a member's personal life.

Can a treatment centre or rehab run an A.A. group?

Not and have it still be an A.A. group. The LONG FORM of Tradition 3 (page 563 of the 4th Edition) says that 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 affiliation." That clause is decisive — and it exists ONLY in the long form, which is why it is missing from most of what circulates online. The moment a group carries a facility's affiliation, it is that facility's programme wearing A.A.'s name, not an A.A. group. Tradition 6 reinforces it: an A.A. group can bind itself to no one, and cooperation must never become affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied.

Do you need permission from anyone to start an A.A. meeting?

No. Under the long form of Tradition 3, 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 affiliation. No treatment centre's approval is required. No facility, organisation, or institution can own or authorise an A.A. group. Any alcoholic can start a meeting anywhere with two or three people, and it is a legitimate A.A. group.

Does “attraction rather than promotion” mean a recovery business cannot advertise?

No — and this is a common and consequential misreading. "Attraction rather than promotion" is Tradition 11, and Tradition 11 is a PUBLIC-RELATIONS principle for the A.A. Fellowship and its members acting as A.A. members. It governs how A.A. presents itself. It does not bind independent, non-A.A. organisations, and it is not a general prohibition on marketing. Stretching the Traditions to bind individuals in their outside lives, or to bind outside businesses, is one of the most pervasive distortions on the internet. The Traditions govern A.A.; they do not govern everyone who happens to be talking about recovery.

What is the difference between the short form and the long form of the Traditions?

The short form (pages 561–562) is the condensed version read aloud in meetings. The long form (pages 563–566) is the fuller original statement, and it says considerably more. The clearest example: Tradition 3's requirement that an A.A. group have "no other affiliation" appears only in the long form. That single clause is what prevents a treatment centre or any outside body from owning an A.A. group — and because nearly every online summary reproduces only the short form, that clause has quietly disappeared from the public understanding of A.A. If you only ever read one version, read the long one.

Why were the Twelve Traditions written?

They were adopted in 1950, out of hard experience, to keep A.A. from being owned, co-opted, or destroyed from the inside. Early A.A. came close to being bankrolled, branded, professionalised and fought over. The Traditions are the scar tissue from those near-misses — a constitution written to make sure no benefactor, no institution, and no faction could ever take the Fellowship over. The long form of Tradition 7 puts the danger plainly: nothing can so surely destroy A.A.'s spiritual heritage as futile disputes over property, money, and authority.

Can an A.A. group accept outside contributions or donations?

No. Tradition 7 states that every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. The long form (pages 563–566) goes further: groups should be supported by the voluntary contributions of their own members; any public solicitation of funds using the A.A. name is highly dangerous; and the acceptance of large gifts from any source, or of contributions carrying any obligation whatever, is unwise. It also warns against treasuries that accumulate funds beyond a prudent reserve for no stated A.A. purpose. The point is not poverty — it is independence. A group that owes nothing to anyone cannot be steered by anyone.

Are the Twelve Traditions rules?

Not in the sense of commandments handed down by an authority — A.A. has no such authority, and Tradition 9 says A.A. as such ought never be organised. The Traditions are the Fellowship's accumulated experience of what keeps it alive, written in the language of "we have found" rather than "you must." But they are not merely suggestions either: they are the structural conditions under which A.A. remains A.A. A group that ignores them does not get punished. It simply stops being an A.A. group.

What are the Twelve Concepts and where are they?

The Twelve Concepts for World Service are on pages 574–575 of Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, immediately after the Traditions. Where the Traditions govern the life of the groups and the Fellowship, the Concepts govern A.A.'s service structure — how the trustees, the General Service Conference and the service boards relate to one another and to the groups.

Is Recovery Starts an A.A. group, and do the Traditions bind it?

No, and no. Recovery Starts is an independent recovery-awareness project. It is not an A.A. group, it is not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, and it does not speak for A.A. The Twelve Traditions bind A.A. groups and the Fellowship — they place no constraint on an outside project's operations. We publish the Traditions in full, unaltered and attributed, because the accurate version is worth protecting and almost nobody else prints the long form. That is the whole reason this page exists.

Read a Tradition a day → The Long Form, p. 563 → Get the book →

The Twelve Traditions are the property of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., and are reproduced here in full — both forms, word for word — from Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition: short form pp. 561–562, long form pp. 563–566. They are published unaltered, and cited, because an accurate Tradition is worth more than a convenient one. Everything outside the quoted blocks — the plain-language notes, the questions and answers — is Recovery Starts' own commentary and is clearly marked as such. Recovery Starts is an independent recovery-awareness project: not official A.A. literature, not an A.A. group, not affiliated with A.A.W.S., and not medical advice. A.A. has not approved, endorsed, or reviewed this page. Get the book, or read it free at aa.org. If you're in crisis, call or text 988.