12 Traditions Checklist

1. Tradition One: Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends on the unity of the group.

Unity within the group is paramount, as it ensures that individuals seeking recovery can find support and guidance without distractions or conflicts.

2. Tradition Two: For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority—a loving Higher Power as expressed in our group conscience.

Recognizing a higher power helps maintain humility and prevents any individual or external entity from asserting undue control.

3. Tradition Three: The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop [problem behavior].

Inclusivity is crucial; anyone with the desire to change and find recovery should be welcomed without discrimination.

4. Tradition Four: Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or [the organization] as a whole.

Autonomy allows individual groups to make decisions that best suit their members while considering the larger organization's well-being.

5. Tradition Five: Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to [those in need].

Staying focused on this singular purpose ensures that the group remains aligned with its core mission of helping others in need.

6. Tradition Six: An [organization] ought never endorse, finance, or lend the [group] name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

Avoiding financial entanglements and external endorsements keeps the group's focus on recovery, not on business interests.

7. Tradition Seven: Every [group] ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

Self-sufficiency ensures that the group's decisions remain independent and free from external influence.

8. Tradition Eight: [The organization] should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

The emphasis on non-professionalism underscores the importance of service driven by compassion rather than financial gain.

9. Tradition Nine: [The organization] as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

Avoiding rigid organizational structures allows for flexibility and adaptability in providing support.

10. Tradition Ten: [The organization] has no opinion on outside issues; hence the [group] name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

Staying neutral on external matters maintains the group's focus on its primary mission and avoids unnecessary distractions.

11. Tradition Eleven: 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.

Attraction-based outreach emphasizes the power of personal transformation as an example to others while preserving individuals' anonymity.

12. Tradition Twelve: Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

Anonymity reinforces the idea that the group's principles and values should always take precedence over individual identities.