Tradition Twelve

[bluidkiti]

AA
Tradition Twelve

"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."


THE spiritual substance of anonymity is sacrifice. Because A.A.'s Twelve Traditions repeatedly ask us to give up personal desires for the common good, we realize that the sacrificial spirit--well symbolized by anonymity--is the foundation of them all. It is A.A.'s proved willingness to make these sacrifices that gives people their high confidence in our future.

But in the beginning, anonymity was not born of confidence; it was the child of our early fears. Our first nameless groups of alcoholics were secret societies. New prospects could find us only through a few trusted friends. The bare hint of publicity, even for our work, shocked us. Though ex-drinkers, we still thought we had to hide from public distrust and contempt.

When the Big Book appeared in 1939, we called it "Alcoholics Anonymous." Its foreword mad this revealing statement: "It is important that we remain anonymous because are too few, at present, to handle the overwhelming number of personal appeals which may result from this publication. Being mostly business or professional folk, we could not well carry on our occupations in such an event." Between these lines, it is easy to read our fear that large numbers of incoming people might break our anonymity wide open.

As the A.A. groups multiplied, so did anonymity problems. Enthusiastic over the spectacular recovery of a brother alcoholic, we'd sometimes discuss those intimate and harrowing aspects of his case meant for his sponsor's ear alone. The aggrieved victim would then rightly declare that his trust had been broken. When such stories got into circulation outside of A.A., the loss of confidence in our anonymity promise was sever. It frequently turned people from us. Clearly, every A.A. member's name--and story, too---had to be confidential, if he wished. This was our first lesson in the practical application of anonymity.

With characteristic intemperance, however, some of our newcomers cared not at all for secrecy. They wanted to shout A.A. from the housetops, and did. Alcoholics barely dry rushed about bright-eyed, buttonholing anyone who would listen tot heir stories. Others hurried to place themselves before microphones and cameras. Sometimes, they got distressingly drunk and let their groups down with a bang. They had changed from A.A. members into A.A. show-offs.

This phenomenon of contrast really set us thinking. Squarely before us was the question "How anonymous should an A.A. member be?" Our growth made it plain that we couldn't be a secret society, but it was equally plain that we couldn't be a vaudeville circuit, either. The charting of a safe path between these extremes took a long time.

As a rule, the average newcomer wanted his family to know immediately what he was trying to do. He also wanted to tell others who had tried to help him--his doctor, his minister, and close friends. As he gained confidence, he felt it right to explain his new way of life to his employer and business associates. When opportunities to be helpful came along, he found he could talk easily about A.A. to almost anyone. These quiet disclosures helped him to lose his fear of the alcoholic stigma, and spread the news of A.A.'s existence in his community. Many a new man and woman came to A.A. because of such conversations. Though not in the strict letter of anonymity, such communications were well within its spirit.

But it became apparent that the word-of-mouth method was too limited. Our work, as such, needed to be publicized. The A.A. groups would have to reach quickly as many despairing alcoholics as they could. Consequently, many groups began to hold meetings which were open to interested friends and the public, so that the average citizen could see for himself just what A.A. was all about. The response to these meetings was warmly sympathetic. Soon, groups began to receive requests for A.A. speakers to appear before civic organizations, church groups, and medical societies. Provided anonymity was maintained on these platforms, and reporters present were cautioned against the use of names or pictures, the result was fine.

Then came our first few excursions into major publicity, which were breathtaking. Cleveland's Plain Dealer articles about us ran that town's membership from a few into hundreds overnight. The news stories of Mr. Rockefeller's dinner for Alcoholics Anonymous helped double our total membership in a year's time. Jack Alexander's famous Saturday Evening Post piece made A.A. a national institution. Such tributes as these brought opportunities for still more recognition. Other newspapers and magazines wanted A.A. stories. Film companies wanted to photograph us. Radio, and finally television, besieged us with requests for appearances. What should we do?

As this tide offering top public approval swept in, we realized that it could do us incalculable good or great harm. Everything would depend upon how it was channeled. We simply couldn't afford to take the chance of letting self-appointed members present themselves as messiahs representing A.A. before the whole public. The promoter instinct in us might be our undoing. If even one publicly got drunk, or was lured into using A.A.'s name for his own purposes, the damage might be irreparable. At this altitude (press, radio, films, and television), anonymity--100 percent anonymity--was the only possible answer. Here, principles would have to come before personalities, without exception.

These experiences taught us that anonymity is real humility at work. It is an all-pervading spiritual quality which today keynotes A.A. life everywhere. Moved by the spirit of anonymity, we try to give up our natural desires for personal distinction as A.A. members both among fellow alcoholics and before the general public. As we lay aside these very human aspirations, we believe that each of us takes part in the weaving of a protective mantle which covers our whole Society and under which we may grown and work in unity.

We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity, is the greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous can ever have.

[bluidkiti]

NA

TRADITION TWELVE

"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

Here in Narcotics Anonymous we have one promise - "freedom from active addiction." Members who were a part of the writing of the NA Basic Text can affirm that some other promises were considered, and eventually discarded because we felt we did not need to make any other promises. The point was made that freedom from active addiction takes many forms and but all these forms are dependent on one thing: freedom from active addiction. In the process of recovery, what these words mean grow to mean freedom from all the avenues that addiction can take, even if we are totally abstinent from all chemical drugs. We come to acknowledge our powerlessness in other areas of our life: sex, money, prestige, fame, obsessions, gambling, anything we do to excess that creates problems for us by distracting us from reality.

How does it work? "Those who keep coming to our meetings regularly stay clean." Directly or indirectly implies anything else would be promoting NA. "If you want what we have to offer, and are willing to make the effort to get it, then you are ready to take certain steps." If our meetings are not surrendering to the Steps and Traditions, there is no atmosphere of recovery. This is not attractive. By allowing newcomers to see our recovery, we become attractive.

We do many things to promote unity within Narcotics Anonymous. Occasionally, by promoting unity we begin to promote our Fellowship. We need to be personally responsible for the way we allow society to see us if we choose to let society know us as NA members.

Customs and routines give us positive ways to handle things that come up from time to time. Our use of the word `tradition' goes slightly beyond the dictionary definition. We apply it to mean that the interconnected group of principles reinforcing and combining to give us a whole much greater the sum of individual parts. Our Traditions are really a spiritual network that helps us get along with each other while fulfilling our mission to stay clean and help others.

Spiritual guides for addicts seeking recovery must be well worded and have sustained a certain amount of pressure. We cannot afford to play word games or sound good `just for effect'. If our principles do not work for us, we are in serious trouble. Personalities are neither good nor bad in and of themselves. They become one or the other through usage. If our actions and reactions produce useful, interesting and positive effects, we are sure to be honest, open and willing to a degree.

Stepping out of the labels is the spirit of anonymity. What gets done or goes undone becomes important instead of accessing blame and passing out guilt. While bringing a problem to someone's attention is still an option, the burning desire to make someone feel badly subsides. Cutting this negative habit in half is part of the change, we experience through anonymity. If our differences take precedent over our similarity, we may find ourselves stuck in a cycle of useless conflict. This is bad in as much as it wastes time and energy and fails to satisfy our desire for personal improvement. And as long as we think the problem is with the other person(s), we're not apt to do the things we can do to help.

[MajestyJo]

"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."


1. Why is it a good idea for me to place the common welfare of all AA members before individual welfare? What would happen to me if AA as a whole disappeared?
2. When I do not trust AA's current servants, who do I wish had the authority to straighten them out?
3) In my opinions of and remarks about other AAs, am I implying membership requirements other than a desire to stay sober?
4) Do I ever try to get a certain AA group to coform to my standards, not its own?
5) Have I a personal responsibility in helping an Aa group fulfill its primary purpose? What is my part?
6) Does my personal behavior reflect the Sixth Tradition - or belie it?
7. Do I do all I can do to support AA financially? When is the lst time I anonymously gave away a Grapevine subscription? (or other literature)
8. Do I complain about certain AAs' behavior - especially if they are paid to work for AA? Who made me so smart?
9. Do I fulfill all AA responsibilities in such a way as to please privately even my own conscience? Really?
10. Do my utterances always reflect the Tenth Tradition, or do I give AA critics ream ammunition?
11. Should I keep my AA membership a secret, or reveal it in private conversaton when that may help another alocholic (and therefore me)? Is my brand of AA so attractive that other drunks want it?
12. What is the real importance of me among more than a million AAs?

- Tradition Checklist from the AA Grapevine (1969 - 1971)
Originally intended primarily for individual use, many AA groups have since used them for wider discussions.

We are advised to practice these principles.

www.cyberrecovery.net/Tradition12.html

draonline.org/trad0.html

www.adultchildren.org/lit/Traditions.s

nawol.org/2008_trad12.htm


My favorite line in all the questions is the following one:

Is my brand of AA so attractive that other drunks want it?

Kewl question. Do people look at you and see recovery?