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Daily Traditions · one month, one Tradition

December

Tradition 12 · 31 readings

Tradition 12

"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."
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.
December 1 The Thirteenth Way Out the threat December 2 The Child of Our Early Fears before the tradition December 3 The Big Ego the threat today December 4 The Thursday Meeting Had a Star how a group breaks it December 5 Renamed as Shame how it gets captured December 6 The Stark Fact the threat December 7 The Back of His Head before the tradition December 8 Faceless Automatons the threat today December 9 Nine Years in the Same Chair how a group breaks it December 10 Inflated how it gets captured December 11 The Guests of Honor the threat December 12 The Plaque on His Desk before the tradition December 13 Stepping Out of an Office You Love the threat today December 14 His Fifth how a group breaks it December 15 A Face for the Panel how it gets captured December 16 Buried Just Like Other Folks the threat December 17 The Same Old Black Dress before the tradition December 18 The Curated Self the threat today December 19 The Frank Memorial Meeting how a group breaks it December 20 The Story, Priced how it gets captured December 21 Recognition Came Only in Death the threat December 22 The Day We Join A.A. before the tradition December 23 Glad He's Alive and Can Serve the threat today December 24 Two Motions how a group breaks it December 25 The Price Tag how it gets captured December 26 Page One the threat December 27 Six Degrees, Declined before the tradition December 28 A Heady Drink the threat today December 29 Two Hundred Forty-Seven Years how a group breaks it December 30 Him Who Presides how it gets captured December 31 A Fine Hour in That Month of July the threat
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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).