Big Book Page 565
Appendix I – The A.A. Tradition
"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."— Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, page 565. A short quotation, for identification and study. Read the whole page in your own copy →
What's on page 565
Page 565 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 - LONG FORM (pages 563–566 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 565 in?
Page 565 is in Appendix I – The A.A. Tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition.
What is on page 565 of the Big Book?
Page 565 sits in Appendix I – The A.A. Tradition. It falls inside Twelve Traditions - LONG FORM — pages 563–566 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.
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, and the one worth reading — is on pages 563–566. The Twelve Concepts follow on pages 574–575. Nearly every summary online quotes only the short form, which is why so much of what circulates is incomplete. Note also that 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 — and it is the clause that prevents a treatment centre from owning an A.A. group.
Do the Twelve Traditions apply to individual members?
No. The Twelve Traditions are governance, not theology. They bind A.A. groups and the Fellowship as a whole — not individual members, and not independent businesses or outside 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 I read page 565 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).