Recovery 101’s Twelve Traditions
Traditional Twelve Step fellowships not only have Twelve Steps, they also have Twelve Traditions. Guidelines such as these are the means of promoting harmony and growth in recovery groups. Experience suggests that our unity depends upon our adherence to these Traditions in Recovery 101.
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends upon unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one 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 membership is a desire to be in recovery.
4. Our group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting our affiliated congregation.
5. Our group has but one purpose: to help Christians in recovery. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps ourselves, by encouraging and understanding those not yet in recovery, and by welcoming and giving comfort to newcomers to recovery.
6. As a group, we ought never endorse, finance, or lend our name to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, or prestige divert us from our primary spiritual aim. Although a separate entity, we should always cooperate with other Twelve Step fellowships such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
7. Our group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. Twelfth Step work should remain forever non-professional.
9. Our group, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. We have no opinion on outside issues; hence our 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 public media. We need guard with special care the anonymity of all Twelve Step group members.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above personalities.