Tradition 10 · October 12

A War Machine That Would Never Fight

Daily Traditions · October 12

Before the Tradition

A.A. was once offered legal protection for its name across an entire country, and turned it down. After a film studio came close to using the A.A. name badly, the chairman of the board went looking for a permanent fix. Bill W. (A.A. Comes of Age): "After this moving-picture incident, our chairman, Bernard Smith, came up with what looked like a wonderful idea. As a lawyer, he thought Alcoholics Anonymous could easily obtain a Congressional Charter, an act of Congress which would protect the A.A. name everywhere. This would put us in the same class as the Red Cross and several other notable organizations." By every ordinary measure it was a good idea. "But the conscience of Alcoholics Anonymous, its General Service Conference, had other ideas." Their reasoning is the sharpest thing in this month. "Under enough provocation, we would be bound to start public lawsuits and thus enter the field of public controversy. It would be like building a war machine on the theory that it would always stay home and never fight." A Mississippi lawyer named Bob T. drew the resolution that killed it, and its second point is the one to keep: "A Congressional incorporation would create by law a power to govern which would be contrary to, and violative of, our Traditions."

Sit with

A.A. was offered permanent protection for its name and refused, because holding the power to sue means holding the power to fight in public. What protection have I taken on that quietly obliged me to use it?

Grounded in: A.A. Comes of Age (the Congressional Charter; the Conference resolution).

Tradition 10

"Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy."

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 10 → Get the app →

← October 11The Other Side of the Same Fight Tradition 10All of October October 13 →Known

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).