Tradition 2 · February 29

The Sole Authority

Daily Traditions · February 29

How a group breaks it

The month ends with the oldest way a group gives Tradition Two away: it gets comfortable and lets one person decide. Nobody plans it. One member always knows what to do, so the others stop coming to business meetings. The literature order, the rent, the format, the anniversary cakes: one person handles it all, and the group is grateful. Years go by, and the group has a conscience on paper and an owner in fact. A.A. as a whole once faced the same question: could the members really be trusted to run their own affairs? At the first General Service Conference in 1951, delegates chosen by the groups took on hard questions the headquarters people had been unsure about. Bill W. wrote (A.A. Comes of Age): "Though their advice was sometimes contrary to our own views, we saw they were frequently right." And then: "Our group conscience could safely act as the sole authority and sure guide for Alcoholics Anonymous." Sole means only. That line is the whole month, and the Long Form said it first (Big Book, p. 563): "one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience." It only works when the members show up and decide. Test it tonight: go to your group's next business meeting, and if there isn't one, ask for it.

Sit with

A.A. found its group conscience could safely be the sole authority, but only because the members showed up. Will I be at my group's next business meeting?

Grounded in: Long form, Tradition 2 (Big Book, p. 563); A.A. Comes of Age (Service: the Third Legacy — the first General Service Conference, 1951).

Tradition 2

"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."

Read the Long Form (pp. 563–566). The short form on pp. 561–562 is the one everybody quotes — but the Long Form is where the Traditions actually say what they mean. Tradition 3's "no other affiliation" clause, for instance, exists only in the Long Form. That single clause is why no treatment centre can own an A.A. group. Most of what circulates online skips it.

And a distinction worth keeping straight: the Traditions are governance, not theology. They bind A.A. groups and the Fellowship — not individuals, and not outside businesses. They were adopted in 1950 to keep A.A. from being owned or co-opted. They are not a rulebook for your personal life.

What the Traditions actually say → The Long Form, p. 563 → Search the Big Book → Every day this month →

Ask Recovery Einstein about Tradition 2 → Get the app →

← February 28Through the Group Tradition 2All of February →All of February

Daily Traditions is an independent educational resource from Recovery Starts — not official A.A. literature, not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, and not medical advice. The Twelve Traditions are the property of A.A. Page references are to Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book), 4th Edition: short form 561–562, long form 563–566. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).