When Good Intentions Need Guidance
My experience when I came into AA was that my initial hope, that I got at my first meeting, evolved into a total change in thought and attitude and freedom from the compulsion to drink, thanks to sponsorship and the 12-step program of action. My deep joy at this new way of living made me want to shout it from the rooftops. The world needed this spiritual program. I found myself asking questions like “Why isn’t it taught in schools?” and “Why isn’t the law changed to declare alcoholics sick people?” Surely AA should advocate for such reform? Why wasn’t AA doing anything about this?
This notion was held by early AA members.
“The moment we saw that we had an answer for alcoholism, it was reasonable (or so it seemed at the time) for us to feel that we might have the answer to a lot of other things.” (page 155 Twelve steps and twelve traditions).
An old timer took me to one side, he shared with me how he had felt the same when he was new to AA and then he went on to tell me about the Traditions. The twelve guiding principles born from the experience of the early members of AA to help keep our fellowship unified in its efforts to share its life saving message. They had made the mistakes so we don’t have to, it had become apparent that AA could not be all things to all men, nor should we try.
Tradition six warns us of what happened when in AA’s early days they had attempted to endorse, finance and lend the AA’s name to related facilities and outside enterprises.
In the early days a number of groups set up “clubs” for social gathering, there was talk of running and financing hospitals for alcoholics, they joined outside organisations and reform movements to help advocate change. In doing this, despite their good intentions, they risked AA being drawn into both political and religious disputes.
We can see how these intoxicating ambitions diverted them from their primary purpose. People looked at AA confused, “Did AA fix drunks or was it an educational project? Was AA spiritual or medical? Was it a reform movement?” (pg156 12 Steps and 12 Traditions).
By the mid 1940’s it had become apparent that the solid tradition of no affiliation was the only way to keep AA free of distractions and out of controversy.
Forged on the anvils of experience from the early pioneers of AA, Tradition 6 sets out that AA should remain independent, avoiding entanglement in money, property and prestige, if we hope to remain united in our efforts to carry the solution to the still suffering alcoholic.
Caroline A, Plymouth, Road To Recovery, March 2026