Tradition 10 · October 21

Sober as a Judge

Daily Traditions · October 21

The threat

A member who ran for office on being in A.A. dragged the whole fellowship into his campaign. Bill W. (A.A. pamphlet P-17, p. 55): "We were next startled to learn that we had been drawn into partisan politics, this time for the benefit of a single individual. Running for public office, a member splashed his political advertising with the fact that he was an A.A. and, by inference, sober as a judge!" Partisan means taking one party's side. By inference means without saying it outright. The advertisement did not speak only for him. "A.A. being popular in his state, he thought it would help him win on election day." He was spending A.A.'s good name on one side of an election, and every voter on the other side learned that A.A. had a candidate. The long form puts politics first among the fights the groups stay out of (Big Book, p. 565). The man still drinking who votes the other way now has one more reason to think the rooms aren't for him. Today it is the campaign bio or the ad that offers recovery in A.A. as the reason to trust someone. Test it tonight: if a candidate near you runs on his A.A. membership, ask what the drinker on the other side of that election hears.

Sit with

One member ran on being in A.A., and A.A. found itself in partisan politics for one man's benefit. Would I use my sobriety to win something?

Grounded in: P-17, p. 55 (Bill W.); long form, Tradition 10 (Big Book, p. 565).

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 20Outvoted by the Budget Tradition 10All of October October 22 →Joyfully Quoted

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).