Tradition 10 · October 18

Even a Worthy One

Daily Traditions · October 18

The threat today

A.A. stays out of every public fight, even the good ones, because recovery is life itself to the drunk and a fellowship in a fight can die. Bill W. said (A.A. Comes of Age) that A.A. had known from the beginning that "no matter what the provocation," it "must never publicly take sides" — "in any fight, even a worthy one." Provocation means something that tempts you to hit back. Even a worthy one: he wrote the hard case into the principle, not beside it. Then the reason: "we do not enter into public controversy, because we know that our fellowship will perish if we do." Perish means die. And the sentence that says whose life is at stake: "Recovery from alcoholism is life itself to us, and we wish to preserve in full strength our means of survival." The means of survival is the rooms, open to any drunk. A worthy fight still has two sides, and the man still drinking may be on the other one. Today the worthy fight arrives with a death toll and a deadline, and someone says this one is different. Test it tonight: when someone says the rooms should speak up on something, ask whether the drinker on the other side would still walk in.

Sit with

Bill wrote "even a worthy one" into the principle because the worthy fights are the ones that pull. Is there a cause I want my room to speak up for?

Grounded in: A.A. Comes of Age (Unity: the Second Legacy — Tradition Ten).

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 17The Disappointed Friend Tradition 10All of October October 19 →The Flyer

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).