1. Primary principle(s): service, love, sobriety, sacrifice, helpfulness, responsibility
2. Other principles: self-discovery, self-sacrifice, humility, spirituality,  generosity, good nature, willingness, open mindedness, integrity

Readings:

• Big Book - pp. 89-103
• Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions - pp.
• 
  
• “Editorial:” - October, 1946 AA Grapevine

People often confuse that the work of the program of AA is contained in the 12 Steps of recovery.  In my opinion, the  12 steps of our program of recovery are what prepare us for a life of usefulness doing the work of AA: carrying this message to alcoholics and practicing these principles in all our affairs.

1. Primary principle(s): humility, anonymity, sacrifice
2. Other principles: acceptance, consideration, courage, faith, forgiveness, generosity, good nature, grace, helpfulness, honesty, hope, integrity, kindness, love, open-mindedness, patience, compassion, reflection, self-sacrifice, selflessness, surrender, tolerance, trust, understanding, prayer

Readings:

• AA Comes of Age - pp. 131-137
• 12 Steps & 12 Traditions - pp.184-187
• Lanquage of the Heart - pp. 209-218
• The Twelve Traditions Illustrated - AAWS Pamphlet
• “AA in the 21st century”, April 1995 AA Grapevine

As the “spiritual foundation of all our Traditions”, just how important is anonymity?

I get that it has the most to do with our first Tradition (Unity) and here we are wrapping up with it in number 12.

My own struggles around this deal are certainly paramount in what I think I need to be about.  If I’m ever doing something to get the credit for having done it, well, we know about that alcoholic ego.  In fact, it feels as if I am going to die when I make that sacrifice.

And, amazingly, that’s when I’ve truly come to life.

Grapevine traditions checklist:

1. Why is it good idea for me to place the common welfare of all AA members before individual welfare? What would happen to me if AA as a whole disappeared?
   • Principles: unselfishness, strength in numbers, sacrifice, surrender, mutual trust, unity
2. When I do not trust AA’s current servants, who do I wish had the authority to straighten them out?
   • Principles: trust, group conscience
3. In my opinions of and remarks about other AAs, am I implying membership requirements other than a desire to stay sober?
   • Principles: primary purpose, sacrifice, surrender, open mindedness, egalitarianism
4. Do I ever try to get a certain AA group to conform to my standards, not its own?
   • Principles: humility, surrender, inclusion, informed group conscience
5. Have I a personal responsibility in helping an AA group fulfill its primary purpose? What is my part?
   • Principles: primary purpose, acceptance
6. Does my personal behavior reflect the Sixth Tradition—or belie it?
   • Principles: honesty, integrity, humility
7. Do I do all I can do to support AA financially? When is the last time I anonymously gave away a Grapevine subscription?
   • Principles: generosity, self-support, responsibility, ownership, participation, sacrifice, giving back
8. Do I complain about certain AAs’ behavior—especially if they are paid to work for AA? Who made me so smart?
   • Principles: tolerance, open mindedness, humility, sacrifice, generosity, restraint, responsibility, discernment
9. Do I fulfill all AA responsibilities in such a way as to please privately even my own conscience? Really?
   • Principles: honesty, integrity, responsibility, sacrifice, accountability
10. Do my utterances always reflect the Tenth Tradition, or do I give AA critics real ammunition?
    • Principles: common welfare, humility, responsibility, ownership
11. Should I keep my AA membership a secret, or reveal it in private conversation when that may help another alcoholic (and therefore me)? Is my brand of AA so attractive that other drunks want it?
    • Principles: humility, intuitive response, sacrifice, willingness, open mindedness
12. What is the real importance of me among more than a million AAs?
    • Principles: anonymity, humility, full membership, acceptance, responsibility

1. Primary principle(s): trust, generosity
2. Other principles: faith,

Readings:

• Twelve Concepts for World Service - pp. 62-75
• “The Incredible Tapestry” - February 1993 AA Grapevine

(The Warranties are addressed individually in separate articles)

The 12 Concepts Checklist (a service piece from the General Service Office), asks these questions about Concept 12:

• How do we guard against becoming a “seat of perilous wealth or power?”
  • Principles:
• How do we practice prudent use of our Seventh Tradition contributions and literature revenue?
  • Principles:
• Do we insure the spiritual liberties of all A.A. members by not placing any member in the position of absolute authority over others?
  • Principles:
• Do we try to reach important decisions by thorough discussion, vote and, where possible, substantial unanimity?
  • Principles:
• As guardians of A.A.’s traditions, are we ever justified in being personally punitive?
  • Principles:
• Are we careful to avoid public controversy?
  • Principles:
• Do we always try to treat each other with mutual respect and love?
  • Principles:

1. Primary principle(s): prayer, surrender, acceptance, willingness, discipline
2. Other principles: service, tolerance, peace, generosity, good nature, patience, faith

Readings:

• Big Book- pp. 85-88
• Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions - pp. 96-105
• The Language of the Heart - pp 239-242
• “The Need for Prayer Is Great”, April 1950AA Grapevine
• “Step Eleven: the Answer to My Prayers”, November 2005 AA Grapevine
• “We Are Not a Bunch of Religious Fanatics!”, November 1995 AA Grapevine

About 10 years ago, I’d been beaten into such a state of reasonableness by life’s circumstances that, with some 15 years of sobriety, I followed my sponsor’s advice and redoubled my efforts at the 11^th step.

I read exactly the paragraph starting “When we retire at night…” (BB p. 86) in the evening and reflected on each of the questions and sentences carefully.

In the morning, before starting my day I read the 4-5 paragraphs starting with “On awakening…” and followed the suggestions outlined there.

It was a magical time.  Nothing I’ve done in our program of recovery before or since has provided such and immediate relief my the daily problems and given me such a profound sense of connectedness with my spiritual path.  I was on fire anew in AA.  It lasted nearly a year.

Then, I woke up one morning, and it didn’t work.  I did the same thing I’d been doing and I just felt flat and defeated.

I thought for months that it was just a matter of trying harder, of saying something slightly different.  Of taking more time.  As I remember, I tried everything that was suggested to me and, struggle though I might, the magic just seemed to be gone.

And then I realized that there was a lesson in this.  God had graciously given me a time in his presence but this moment was not that moment.  What I needed to do was to be open and willing to seek God in his way - not presume that he would always bless me how I wanted, when I wanted, based on my own habits and rituals.

Since then, the feelings of inspiration and closeness have come and gone.  My habits and practices have varied from time to time and that seems to be appropriate - it’s been my experience.

Today, my practice is to pray the 3^rd and 7^th step prayers every morning before I get up.  I try to apply my best thoughts toward thinking through the day ahead.  Is it my will or God’s will?  I find the prayer of St. Francis that’s excerpted in the 11^th step chapter in the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions useful in focusing my meditation and keeping my perspective in a better place as well.

At night, I still go through the review.  At least once a week, I read the paragraph verbatim.  Every night I try to close my mind and open for sleep by asking “…God’s forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken…”

Then, I sleep.

1. Primary principle(s): trust, right of decision, rotation, responsibility matching authority, generosity
2. Other principles: acceptance, willingness, activity, consideration, constructiveness, faith, good nature, helpfulness, honesty, humility, financial prudence,  patience, perseverance, responsibility, simplicity, straightforwardness, tactfulness, understanding, unity, democracy,

Readings:

• Twelve Concepts for World Service pp. 48-61
• Twelve Concepts Illustrated
• “How It Was. . . Grapevine’s 35th Anniversary - A visit with Bill’s “little sister” - June 1979 AA Grapevine
• “The Incredible Tapestry” - February 1993 AA Grapevine

The 12 Concepts Checklist (a service piece from the General Service Office), asks these questions about Concept 11:

• Do we understand how the roles of nontrustee directors and nontrustee appointed committee members help serve and strengthen the committee system?
  • Principles:
• How do we encourage our special paid workers to exercise their traditional “Right of Participation?”
  • Principles:
• Do we practice rotation in all our service positions?
  • Principles:

1. Primary principle(s): anonymity, attraction, humility, surrender, self-sacrifice, responsibility
2. Other principles: acceptance, consideration, constructiveness, generosity, high-mindedness, recovery, self-control, self-sacrifice, selflessness, spirituality, surrender, unity, modesty

Readings:

• Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions pp. 180-3
• AA Comes of Age pp. 128-31
• Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers pp. 264-265
• As Bill Sees It pp. 43, 160, 241, 255, 316
• The Language of the Heart pp. 205-218
• “Dr. Bob on Tradition Eleven”, February, 1969 AA Grapevine
• “AA in the 21st century”, April, 1995 AA Grapevine

At most recent conventions and forums I’ve been to recently, either in the PI statement read before the beginning of each public session or in the program, this tradition has been updated to include “television and new media technologies such as the internet” as part of where we protect our anonymity.  I think this perspective (that we just tack on a few extra words years after it’s relevant) might be indicative of a fundamental problem in our fellowship.  It seems to me, as a fellowship, we are never responding to our opportunities and threats in a timely manner.

In my opinion, people often confuse this tradition on “public relations” with our 12th tradition which is about Anonymity.  One of the things I believe we must do better in this generation of AA is distinguish between promotion, participation and invisibility.

Many would have us be invisible in the complicated and fast-changing world of the internet.  Others would have us sell out not only our anonymity but our privacy and decency in the name of helping people in the new age.

It seems likely that there is support for long and healthy discussion and debate about all these matters.

Grapevine traditions checklist:

1. Do I sometimes promote AA so fanatically that I make it seem unattractive?
   • Principles: Humility, honesty, responsibility
2. Am I always careful to keep the confidences reposed in me as an AA member?
   • Principles: integrity. anonymity, trust, respect, responsibility, intimacy. accountability, generosity, discretion
3. Am I careful about throwing AA names around—even within the Fellowship?
   • Principles: anonymity, humility, egalitarianism, respect
4. Am I ashamed of being a recovered, or recovering, alcoholic?
   • Principles: balance, humility, discernment, self-respect, acceptance
5. What would AA be like if we were not guided by the ideas in Tradition Eleven? Where would I be?
   • Principles: principles instead of money or personality, poor in spirit, humility, grace
6. Is my AA sobriety attractive enough that a sick drunk would want such a quality for himself?
   • Principles: humility, attraction, self-inventory, sober deportment

1. Primary principle(s): confession, constructiveness, integrity, willingness, open-mindedness, persistence, perseverance
2. Other principles: courage, helpfulness, honesty, humility, self-sacrifice, tolerance, surrender, discipline, self-disclosure, restraint, expediency, immediacy

Readings:

• Big Book pp. 84-85
• Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions pp. 88-95
• “10th Step” - November, 1979 AA Grapevine
• “Garden Hose Sobriety” - October, 2006 AA Grapevine
• “Step Ten:up Close And Personal:Spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical inventories” - October, 2007 AA Grapevine

I love that Step 10 has some of the most explicit instructions in the Big Book. It suggest that we continue to watch for “…selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear…” and “…when these crop up…” (it doesn’t say “if” these crop up - they know those things will crop up for all of us), it gives us clear, direct instruction using completely unambiguous time frames (like “immediately”, and “at once”).

I once had a sponsor who had a very strict, proscribed method for doing the 10th step.  He nagged and cajoled me toward doing this step in his way until I’d reached the ultimate surrender - I decided I had to find a new sponsor.

I was “shopping” for who my next sponsor was to be for a number of weeks when, out of the blue, I had this incredible thought: “Why don’t you try doing a 10th step in the way your sponsor suggests for a while?”  It was such an incredible revelation to me, I couldn’t understand why when I presented it to others they laughed.  Probably like you are now…

Anyway, it started one of the most incredible experiences  I’ve had in recovery.  On a daily basis I did exactly what our Big Book suggests, exactly as my sponsor proscribed.  It was amazing.

Years later, when that sponsor fired me, I felt an amazing freedom and have never since been without a sponsor who I am accountable to.  I am more accountable to a sponsor today than I was in my first years of sobriety.

And, on a good day, the several 10th steps I do keep me clear with God, also.

1. Primary principle(s): responsibility matching authority, humility, integrity
2. Other principles: acceptance, consideration, courage, faith, forgiveness, good nature, generosity, helpfulness, integrity, kindness, open-mindedness, patience, optimism, perseverance, service, spirituality, tolerance, trust, understanding, unity, willingness, commitment, honesty

Readings:

• Twelve Concepts for World Service - “pp 43-47″
• The Twelve Concepts Illustrated
• “The Incredible Tapestry” - February 1993 AA Grapevine

For decades, I’ve heard the mantra at the various levels of service, whether from the coffee maker or the Convention Program Chair, from the Grapevine Chair or the Treasurer: “Where is my job description?”, or “It’s not my job!”

The genius of this Concept is not only what it does and doesn’t say, but how it says it.

First, responsibility comes before authority.  We accept the responsibility, then we are granted the commensurate authority.

Then, the tools for defining the scope of that authority is articulated.  We get authority based on: tradition, resolution, job description or charters and bylaws.  Since we’ve accepted the responsibility, the authority will be matched to it but we may or may not have a given job description.  Instead, we often only have tradition.  This bodes well for keeping AA alive and adaptable.

The 12 Concepts Checklist (a service piece from the General Service Office), asks these questions about Concept 10:

• Do we understand “authority” and “responsibility” as they relate to group conscience decisions by G.S.R.s, D.C.M.s and our area delegates?
  • Principles:
• Why is delegation of “authority” so important to the overall effectiveness of A.A.? Do we use this concept to define the scope of “authority?”
  • Principles:

1. Primary principle(s): autonomous, indifference, non-affiliation, understanding,humility, freedom, respect, responsibility, singleness of purpose, unity
2. Other principles: acceptance, compassion, consideration, generosity, tolerance, tactfulness, trust, spirituality, self-control, group conscience, democracy, open-mindedness, honesty, discretion, anonymity, faith

Readings:

• Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions pp. 176-9
• AA Comes of Age pp. 123-8
• “Is Public Controversy Ever Justified?”, January, 1977 AA Grapevine
• “Let’s Give Each Other the Respect We Deserve”, May, 1996 AA Grapevine
• “Medication? It’s a Matter of Tradition”, October, 2002 AA Grapevine

Grapevine traditions checklist:

1. Do I ever give the impression that there really is an “AA opinion” on Antabuse? Tranquilizers? Doctors? Psychiatrists? Churches? Hospitals? Jails? Alcohol? The federal or state government? Legalizing marijuana? Vitamins? Al-Anon? Alateen?
   • Principles:
2. Can I honestly share my own personal experience concerning any of those without giving the impression I am stating the “AA opinion”?
   • Principles:
3. What in AA history gave rise to our Tenth Tradition?
   • Principles:
4. Have I had a similar experience in my own AA life?
   • Principles:
5. What would AA be without this Tradition? Where would I be?
   • Principles:
6. Do I breach this or any of its supporting Traditions in subtle, perhaps unconscious, ways?
   • Principles:
7. How can I manifest the spirit of this Tradition in my personal life outside AA? Inside AA?
   • Principles:

1. Primary principle(s): humility, forgiveness, restitution, confession, patience, honesty, truthfulness, willingness
2. Other principles: courage, faith, generosity, good nature, grace, peace, love

Readings:

• Big Book pp. 76-84
• Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions pp. 83-87
• “The Luckiest Mom” - February 2006AA Grapevine
• “Left-handed” - April 2007AA Grapevine
• “Obsession Progression” - June 2007AA Grapevine
• “We Are Not a Bunch of Religious Fanatics!”, November 1995 AA Grapevine

I personally think that the 9th step in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous is our most “spiritual” step.

Sounds sort of funny since the whole program is spiritual and step nine is, by most, either the most dreaded or the one sort of ignored in our recovery process.

For me, it was the step that afforded me the freedom to walk down the street without fear or dread.  It gave me the freedom to look someone, anyone, in the eye and be at peace and ease.

It offered me the skills and the willingness to become a man among men - a station in life that I’d never even aspired to since I was absolutely sure I could never measure up to that lofty goal.