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Daily Traditions · one month, one Tradition

January

Tradition 1 · 31 readings

Tradition 1

"Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity."
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.
January 1 Emotional Dynamite the threat January 2 Counting Noses before the tradition January 3 A Small Part the threat today January 4 Rocking the Raft how a group breaks it January 5 Unity With Whom? how it gets captured January 6 Who Next? the threat January 7 Every Contestant before the tradition January 8 Close Afterward the threat today January 9 Violently Took Sides how a group breaks it January 10 Glory and Money how it gets captured January 11 Ominous Foretaste the threat January 12 Wrecked in the Same Vessel before the tradition January 13 The Powerful Cement the threat today January 14 To Keep One Man how a group breaks it January 15 Not on Pioneers how it gets captured January 16 Worse Than the Worst the threat January 17 Its Own Rights before the tradition January 18 No Respecter of Persons the threat today January 19 Couldn't Be Steered how a group breaks it January 20 At His Destination how it gets captured January 21 Like People in a Sinking Ship the threat January 22 Those Damned Traditions before the tradition January 23 Nobody Can Compel the threat today January 24 Not Yet Reached how a group breaks it January 25 Loan Out Our Goodwill how it gets captured January 26 Material Things the threat January 27 Led, Not Pushed before the tradition January 28 So We Had to Evolve the threat today January 29 One Alcoholic Talks With Another how a group breaks it January 30 Benders how it gets captured January 31 Out of Great Weakness the threat
← SeptemberTradition 9 Daily TraditionsAll months November →Tradition 11
JanuaryTradition 1 · liveFebruaryTradition 2 · liveMarchTradition 3 · liveAprilTradition 4 · liveMayTradition 5 · liveJuneTradition 6 · liveJulyTradition 7 · liveAugustTradition 8 · liveSeptemberTradition 9 · liveOctoberTradition 10 · liveNovemberTradition 11 · liveDecemberTradition 12 · live
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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).