Spend enough time in Alcoholics Anonymous and you’ll hear some familiar expressions.
“No crosstalk!”
“That’s not how we do things in AA.”
“AA says you have to…”
But who decides what AA actually says?
Alcoholics Anonymous has been around since 1935. Over the years, groups and members have developed countless customs, practices, and suggestions. Some come directly from AA’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. Others developed because somebody tried something that worked, and other people adopted it.
And some have been repeated so often that they’ve acquired the status of sacred scripture.
The interesting thing is that AA doesn’t require all its groups to operate the same way.
Tradition Four gives individual groups considerable autonomy. Tradition Two reminds us that our leaders are trusted servants, not governors. And Tradition Five keeps us focused on our primary purpose: carrying the message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
Those principles allow for a remarkable variety of meeting formats, customs, and approaches.
So What’s Actually AA?
In this six-part series, we’ll explore some questions that arise in meetings:
- Is crosstalk really prohibited?
- Can members talk about drugs?
- Why do some meetings close with the Lord’s Prayer?
- Can an AA group make its own rules?
- Does AA have an official position on marijuana or medication?
- Who decides what’s official AA?
We’ll look at what AA’s literature actually says, how individual groups interpret the Traditions, and why different practices have developed.
And we’ll provide links to relevant publications from Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, so you can explore the material yourself.
We’re Not Here to Make More Rules
That’s probably the most important point.
The purpose of this series isn’t to tell AA groups how to conduct their meetings or to suggest that longstanding customs are somehow wrong.
Many customs have helped alcoholics recover for generations.
But there’s value in understanding the difference between an AA principle, a group decision, and one alcoholic’s suggestion to another.
A practice can be useful without being mandatory.
A tradition can be meaningful without being universal.
And two AA groups can do things differently while remaining united in their common purpose.
That’s one of the remarkable things about this Fellowship.
For further reading, AA’s The Twelve Traditions Illustrated offers an accessible explanation of the principles that help keep AA groups united.
If you’re new, try a few different meetings. Your room is out there.