Big Book Page 562
Appendix I – The A.A. Tradition
"The Twelve Traditions One—Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity. Two—For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience."— Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, page 562. A short quotation, for identification and study. Read the whole page in your own copy →
What's on page 562
Page 562 sits in Appendix I – The A.A. Tradition. Read the surrounding pages in your own copy to get the run of the argument.
What's notable here: this page falls inside the Twelve Traditions - short form (pages 561–562 in the 4th Edition).
Reading the page itself, the language here turns on the Traditions, anonymity. That's taken from the page's own words — not from anybody's summary of them.
Read it for yourself
We don't reproduce the Big Book here. The book belongs to Alcoholics Anonymous — and honestly, the book is better than any summary of it. Buy a copy from A.A., read it free at aa.org, or pick one up at a meeting. Then come back and search it when you're chasing a line you only half-remember.
Quick answers
What part of the Big Book is page 562 in?
Page 562 is in Appendix I – The A.A. Tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition.
What is on page 562 of the Big Book?
Page 562 sits in Appendix I – The A.A. Tradition. It falls inside Twelve Traditions - short form — pages 561–562 in the 4th Edition. Reading the page itself, its language turns on the Traditions, anonymity. Recovery Starts does not reproduce the Big Book — the book belongs to A.A. — so to read the page in full, get your own copy.
What is the difference between the short form and the long form of the Traditions?
The short form (pages 561–562 of the 4th Edition) is the condensed version read aloud in meetings. The long form (pages 563–566) is the fuller statement and says considerably more. For example, Tradition 3's clause that a group is A.A. only if, “as a group, they 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 it is missing from almost every summary online.
Can I read page 562 of the Big Book online for free?
Not here — Recovery Starts does not reproduce Alcoholics Anonymous, because the book belongs to A.A. and the book is better than any summary of it. You can read the Big Book free at aa.org, buy a copy from the official A.A. store, or pick one up at almost any meeting. Recovery Starts can tell you which page a passage is on and search the book for you; for the words themselves, go to the book.
This is an independent Big Book reference page from Recovery Starts — not official AA literature, not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, and not medical advice. Page references are to Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book), 4th Edition. Short quotations appear for identification and study; the full text of the book is not reproduced here — get your own copy. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).