|
The Twelve Traditions of NA
We keep what we have only with vigilance, and just as freedom for
the individual comes from the Twelve Steps, so freedom for the group
springs from our traditions.
As long as the ties that bind us together are stronger
than those that would tear us apart, all will be well.
-
Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery
depends on NA unity.
-
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.
-
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop
using.
-
Each group should be autonomous except in matters
affecting other groups or NA as a whole.
-
Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry the
message to the addict who still suffers.
-
An NA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the NA
name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of
money, property, or prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
-
Every NA group ought to be fully self-supporting,
declining outside contributions.
-
Narcotics Anonymous should remain forever
nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
-
NA, as such, ought never be organized, but we may create
service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
-
Narcotics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues;
hence the NA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
-
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.
-
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our
traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
Understanding
these Traditions comes slowly over a period of time. We pick up
information as we talk to members and visit various groups. It usually
isn’t until we get involved with service that someone points out that
“personal recovery depends on N.A. unity,” and that unity depends on how
well we follow our Traditions. The Twelve Traditions of N.A. are not
negotiable. They are the guidelines that keep our Fellowship alive and
free.
By following these guidelines
in our dealings with others, and society at large, we avoid many
problems. That is not to say that our Traditions eliminate all
problems. We still have to face difficulties as they arise:
communication problems, differences of opinion, internal controversies,
and troubles with individuals and groups outside the Fellowship.
However, when we apply these principles, we avoid some of the pitfalls.
Many of our problems are like
those that our predecessors had to face. Their hard won experience gave
birth to the Traditions, and our own experience has shown that these
principles are just as valid today as they were when these Traditions
were formulated. Our Traditions protect us from the internal and
external forces that could destroy us. They are truly the ties that
bind us together. It is only through understanding and application that
they work.
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
reprinted for adaptation by permission of
AA World Services, Inc.
|