Tradition 9 · September 17

A Legal Bludgeon

Daily Traditions · September 17

Before the Tradition

A.A. was offered the power to govern, by law, and turned it down. After a film studio misused the A.A. name, the board's own chairman — a lawyer — proposed a Congressional Charter, an act of Congress protecting the name the way the Red Cross is protected. Bill W. was honest about what headquarters saw in it (A.A. Comes of Age): "a legal bludgeon of this size and weight could easily be used" on anyone who still defied the law. "It looked like a grand idea and we at the Headquarters were all for it." The delegates — the members the groups had sent — said no. Their reasoning is the plainest sentence in this month: "It would mean the legal organization of a fellowship whose Traditions insisted on its being unorganized." Their written finding went further: "A Congressional incorporation would create by law a power to govern which would be contrary to, and violative of, our Traditions." A power to govern. That is what A.A. refused, even to protect its own name from people misusing it. So hold that against anyone today who wants to hold the name, license the meetings, or certify who may carry the message "to protect A.A." A.A. already decided what protection costs. It chose the open door and no bludgeon.

Sit with

A.A. refused a law protecting its own name because the protection came with a power to govern. What protection have I wanted that would have cost more than the thing it protected?

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

Tradition 9

"A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."

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 9 → Get the app →

← September 16The Screening Committee Tradition 9All of September September 18 →Still Around

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).