The Fifth Tradition
“Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.”
A recent news article spoke of one of a few precise reasons I believe “they” derived this Tradition. The group the article talked about - in Washington, D.C., if indeed it is true, is no longer an A.A. group and ought to be treated that way (imho). But that’s not what this post is about…
From our 12&12: “The very life of our fellowship requires the preservation of this principle.”
“Alcoholics Anonymous can be likened to a group of physicians who might find a cure for cancer… In the radiance of such a miraculous discovery, any doctor would set his other ambitions aside, at whatever personal cost… Just as firmly bound by obligation are the members of Alcoholics Anonymous.”
From “The Language of The Heart” page 82, Bill says:
“Because it has now become plain enough that only a recovered alcoholic can do much for a sick alcoholic, a tremendous responsibility has descended upon us all, an obligation so great that it amounts to a sacred trust.”
As Johnny O. told us - if you go to an A.A. meeting and it doesn’t feel like an A.A. meeting - make it an A.A. meeting!
[Yeah, I know - Bill said “recovered”, with a “d” and?]
Tags: alcoholics-anonymous, fifth-aa-tradition, Primary-Purpose, Twelve-AA-TraditionsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: The Twelve Traditions
4 opinions for The Fifth Tradition
Linda
May 19, 2007 at 7:58 am
I think the word *recover* is used 80+ times in the Big Book, while *recovering* is used MAYBE once when it talks about our families.
John B
May 22, 2007 at 8:54 am
That newsweek article centered around a group that seems to have several members with varying lengths of sobriety and is well attended, but it’s members aren’t studying the traditions. Just as the Twelve Steps guide us individually, away from the collapse of drinking, the Twelve Traditions guide our groups to keep them from the collapse of not being able to provide the newcomer the fellowship he seeks. Bill mentions that the Twelve Steps are group of spiritual principles, that if practiced as a way of life will render a person happy and usefully whole. (That part the majority of us know). He goes on to say that the Twelve Traditions are the application of those principles. That means you apply the steps by working the traditions. If you don’t know the Traditions, how do you know if you’re working the steps?
In times past, I’ve tried to “leverage” the folks at A.A. meetings to get the word out I was looking for a job, or car, or wife or date. I couldn’t have been more selfish. I did that stuff before I had read about some of the History of A.A. and some of the problems those early A.A.s ran into. Today, I consider my homegroup to be the very center of A.A. If my group is doing a lousy job, the new members will find some way of identifying themselves out of a meeting, so I try to be mindful about my actions.
“Does what I’m doing, right now, have any bearing on the singleness of purpose?” is the question I’ve learned to ask of myself, and of my group. If the answer is no, then it goes out the window. Sometimes it takes a little reading to figure out the answer.
Even though the Fourth Tradition grants us the right to be wrong, I believe we owe it A.A. to consider how the meeting we’re in affects A.A. as a whole. The new man or woman will learn something new at this meeting and carry it on.
John
Mark
May 22, 2007 at 7:28 pm
John - thanks so much! I received your other comment - I’ll email you about it.
I’d love to reply to your entire comment here but I think your last paragraph really says it all!
Release from the Opinions of other People
May 8, 2008 at 9:22 am
[…] said that in both cases, we still discuss our problems as they relate to alcohol. [That being the 5th Tradition.] Throughout the meeting the woman “poor me’d” and insinuated she did not feel […]
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