Tradition 9 · September 25

The Name, Incorporated

Daily Traditions · September 25

How it gets captured

Whoever owns the name can license it, withhold it, and set conditions on it — which is why nobody in A.A. is allowed to own it. A.A. learned this in court, from its own members. The Service Manual records "a pretty hard-bitten lawsuit wherein two factions of AA's were competing for the possession of the A.A. name for Intergroup use, the name having been incorporated by one of them." Members. Both sides. In court over a name the Tradition says belongs to no one — and the fight was only possible because one side had filed paperwork to hold it, probably to protect it. That is capture in its purest form: not an outsider, an insider converting a shared thing into a held thing. The day after the filing, every alcoholic in that city needed permission for something that had been theirs by right the day before. Now look at recovery businesses with a registered name and "12 Step" or "Anonymous" in it. A registered name has an owner; an owner has a lawyer; a lawyer can decide who may use the words. A.A. does not license meetings. Nobody holds a right to the rooms, and nothing you need tonight is behind anyone's trademark.

Sit with

Two groups of members went to court over a name nobody owns, because one side filed paperwork to protect it. What did I take ownership of to protect — and did protecting it stay the point?

Grounded in: A.A. Service Manual, Concept XII (Warranty Five).

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 →

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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).