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The Twelve Traditions of Twelve-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous define the appropriate relationships between an AA group and its members, other groups, AA as a whole, and society at large.

Contents 1 The Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous 2 Origins 3 The Traditions in Other 12-Step Programs 4 Criticism 5 References 6 External link

1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority--a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose--to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
6. An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

The Traditions began as a series of articles that Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, wrote for the AA periodical, The Grapevine. Over a period of about 5 years Wilson "sold" (in the cognitive sense) these principles to the membership of AA, culminating in their formal adoption at AA's First International Convention in 1950. In 1952 Wilson's book on the subject, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, first saw print. The latter half of this book consists of a series of folksy tales detailing how the traditions were "hammered out on the anvil of experience." According to Wilson, they were born solely as lessons learned from mistakes made.

The Traditions are widely credited within AA as having provided the fellowship a practical, yet idealistic organizational framework that has served it well.

Other 12 Step Programs (for example, Narcotics Anonymous for recovery from addiction to drugs of any kind, or Al-Anon and Nar-Anon for family and friends of alcoholics and addicts, respectively) generally adapt and adopt the 12 Traditions within their fellowships as well. The first of these separate but related fellowships, Al-Anon, was founded by Lois Wilson and a friend several years after A.A. was founded. The wives of the two Alcoholics Anonymous co-founders worked with and supported their husbands for many years in encouraging and growing Alcoholics Anonymous. The original A.A. program in Akron included alcoholics, wives, and family members in the meetings. Dr. Bob's wife Anne R. Smith was particularly helpful with many of the pioneer wives. And as early as 1936, she founded a Woman's Group to address those special problems. She also helpeed Lois Wilson for several years as Lois struggled with adjusting to Bill and his sober A.A. Lois convened a "kitchen group" which enabled wives to share. Also, the Big Book chapter addressed to "wives" was expected to meet the needs of the women. Bill asked Anne to write it. Lois was mad. And Anne declined, to the point where Bill himself wrote the chapter. This "first hand" experience with the development and application of the Traditions surely contributed directly to the belief that adopting the Traditions would play the same important role in stability and unity of these new fellowships as they were believed to provide in Alcoholics Anonymous. Further information on the women's activities can be found in the Hazelden book on the Lois Wilson Story: When Love is Not Enough; and in Dick B., Anne Smith's Journal 1933-1939, and Real Twelve Step Fellowship History, 2006. While the Traditions themselves are generally modified only slightly from the version first adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous, it is not uncommon for other 12-Step Programs to author and publish their own versions of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions originally written by Bill W. for Alcoholics Anonymous. Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon, for example, have published books carrying this same title, based around the same traditions, but applying the particular experience and nature of the respective fellowships. These books are sometimes referred to as in the various fellowships as the "Twelve and Twelve".

Courts have previously forced offenders in alcohol-related crime to attend meetings and keep a record of their attendance. However, this doctrine of Alcoholics Anonymous makes reference to "God" - as well as in others - and the Supreme Court has found that this is a violation of the Establishment Clause.^[1]

• Alcoholics Anonymous