District 5 Al-Anon/Alateen

Sharings on the Al-Anon 12 Traditions:

The Twelve Traditions of Al-Anon are a set of guidelines for the Al-Anon program. The Traditions help us to maintain unity. They help to hold our program together so we can provide a consistent message of hope, uninfluenced by outside interests, for Al-Anon members and newcomers. Many Al-Anon members find that the Traditions also assist them in their personal lives.

There is much to be learned from other Al-Anon members about working the Twelve Traditions and applying it to their lives.

We’d like to hear from YOU about your experiences with the Twelve Traditions! We will combine all the sharings to create a resource that will be helpful for others. Please contact us at afgdistrict5@gmail.com to share about your experience with the Twelve Traditions! You can send as many sharings as you like, and you can write as little or as much as you like. We will be grateful for whatever you share!

Sharings on the Al-Anon 12 Traditions
Tradition 1	Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends upon unity.
	¨ Thankfully once we get to the fellowship of Al-Anon we are no longer alone. We used to have to face the disease of alcoholism all by ourselves but not any longer. We are a group and we are united. We all share common problems but together we are stronger and we help one another heal from the disease. We come from all different walks of life but we come together with one common goal. To help one another when we are unified, we are able to do that. Barb S. ~ posted (01/16/2011)
Tradition 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.
	¨ One way that Al-Anon groups stay healthy is by having group consciences on a consistant basis. A group conscience is a meeting held apart from the regular Al-Anon meeting which is conducted like a business meeting. Anyone can attend and give their input on how the particular meeting is run. Sometimes we decide what type of opening or closing we would like to use. We may be having a problem within the meeting that is bothering a member so we discuss the problem as well as some possible solutions. If necessary, we take a vote on any changes. One thing that is so important is that everyone is invited to attend the group conscience and everyone is allowed to voice their concerns or ideas. We all have a voice in Al-Anon and it doesn't matter if we are a newcomer or an oldtimer as everyone has valuable insight. It is so important that when we walk through the doors of Al-Anon that everyone feels welcome and if the meeting uses the traditions to govern it, then it will be a warm and welcoming place to keep coming back for support. Thanks for listening. Barb S.~ posted (01/30/2011)
Tradition 3	The relatives of alcoholics, when gathered together for mutual aid, may call themselves an Al-Anon Family Group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend.
	¨ I have always felt that Tradition 3 explains, for the first time, the reason for Al-Anon.Tradition 5 also does that. But Tradition 3 just states that we are not affiliated with any other group and that we are here to help others affected by this disease. Al-Anon helps by being there quietly and not shouting it. Our meetings are held with respect and understanding for each other. We have all been there when the alcoholic is in the courts or jail or what ever trouble they get into. Just feeling we can speak freely at a meeting about these problems can be very helpful. Knowing there are no other affiliations involved in our groups keeps Al-Anon pure. Cheryl B.~posted (03/02/2011) ¨ I like the second part of this tradition which states that the only requirement is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend. It doesn't matter what walk of life I come from or if I am male or female. I am welcome in Al-Anon if I have a friend or relative with a problem with alcoholism. I sometimes say that I am over qualified for Al-Anon because I know so many alcoholics but all kidding aside I am welcome in the fellowship none the less. There is no where else that I can go to talk about the problems that I have with a relative or friend that has alcohol problems. No one outside of the fellowship if they don't have alcholism in their life understand what I go through. I am so thankful to have such a loving, caring and safe place to go. The fellowship of Al-Anon is such a wonderful group and they love me no matter who I am or where I come from. Thanks for listening. Barb S.~posted (3-03-2011)
Tradition 4	Each group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting another group or Al-Anon or AA as a whole.
	¨ What I like most about Tradition Four is the way each group gets to decide for themselves how they want the meeting to run. Most groups use the standard opening found in the book “How Al-Anon Works” with the standard closing at the end. Some groups decide not to read the closing at all just to hold hands and say a prayer. The prayer at the end of the meeting can be the Serenity Prayer or the Lord’s Prayer. It all depends on what the group decides. Many groups have what is called a group conscience. This is where they get together before or after the meeting to talk about issues facing the group or to make a decision to change the meetings format. In a group conscience everyone has the opportunity to share how they feel. As long as we use the basic principles of Al-Anon and keep the best interests of the group in mind we will have a successful Al-Anon group. Thanks for listening. Barb S.~ posted (4-11-2011)
Tradition 5	Each Al-Anon Family Group has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps of AA ourselves, by encouraging and understanding our alcoholic relatives, and by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics.
	¨ Tradition 5 is one of my favorites. What it tells me is that our sole purpose is to help families affected by the disease of alcoholism. This is very near and dear to my heart. I grew up in an alcoholic home, my father is the alcoholic and he drank every single day of my childhood. He was what they call a functional alcoholic even thou he drank daily he still went to work and never got into trouble with the law. 22 years ago I walked into the rooms of Al-Anon and my life has never been the same, I knew right away that I had found help in a safe place. I knew that these people even thou they didn't know me already cared about me. I am so grateful to my mother for walking into the rooms of Al-Anon herself and then knowing how powerful the fellowship was convinced me to also walk through these doors. Today when a newcomer shows up at a meeting I am so happy to see them because if they are willing to keep coming back they can find relief from the suffering that goes along with loving someone who has the disease of alcoholism and/or drug addiction. Thank you for listening. Barb S.~posted (5-1-2011)
Tradition 6	Our Family Groups ought never endorse, finance or lend our name to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary spiritual aim. Although a separate entity, we should always co-operate with Alcoholics Anonymous.
	¨ Our primary spiritual aim is to help families of alcholics and we do this by keeping the fellowship of Al-Anon simple. We do not align ourselves with outside enterprises and we do not support other causes. By doing this we can focus all our attention on the situation at hand which is helping families who have been affected by the disease of alcoholism. It is wonderful to know that there is somewhere that I can go to be with people who share a common interest. Growing up with the problem of alcoholism, we did not talk about it but when I go to an Al-Anon meeting I know that what I say will be understood and that I can find help no matter how difficult my situation may be. Thanks for listening. Barb S.~ (6-1-2011)
Tradition 7	Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
	¨ Al-Anon is self-supporting which means we are responsible for our own expenses. We do not have dues or fees but we do contribute what we can when we attend a meeting. The money is used to pay rent at buildings that we use for our meetings as well as to purchase literature. We give new comer packets to every new person that attends a meeting as well as purchase books to be used during the meeting. Another way that we stay self-supporting is by volunteering to do service work. It can be as simple as getting to a meeting early to set up or it can be chairing a meeting. We also can volunteer to clean up after a meeting. There is a book called "When I Got Busy, I Got Better" which tells us that when we get busy focusing on our recovery and ourselves we grow. Service work is one way to focus on my recovery and to help me take the focus off of everyone else. Thanks for listening. Barb S.~posted (7-1-2011)
Tradition 8	Al-Anon Twelfth Step work should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
	¨ When we attend an Al-Anon meeting we share our experience, strength and hope. When we first walk through the doors, we only have our experience which usually is filled with a lot of pain. As we continue to attend Al-Anon, we gain some strength and then after coming awhile we get hope. Al-Anon has grown to be a large organization that needs to employ workers to take care of the business side of the organization. These are special workers that are also very important to the fellowship and I am so thankful for all the hard work that they do. Thanks for listening. Barb S.~ (8-4-2011)
Tradition 9	Our groups, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
	¨ Al-Anon meetings are an informal gathering of members that get together for the common purpose of helping one another recover from the effects of the disease of alcoholism. Occassionally a group will hold an anniversary party or an event such as a convention and in order to plan and have the event run smoothly committees can be formed. Also, the World Service Office functions more as a business but they have decision making power over the individual Al-Anon groups. Each group has the decision making power to run their meetings as the group sees fit. Thanks for listening. Barb. S.~(9-6-2011)
Tradition 10	The Al-Anon Family Groups have no opinion on outside issues; hence our name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
	¨ I really like this tradition it tells me that our primary purpose is to help families of alcoholics. If we stay focused on our purpose there will be no reason to be drawn into any controversy. Many times when we love someone that has a drinking or a drug problem we get drawn into a lot of chaos. When we come into the fellowship of Al-Anon we start to learn a new way of life which brings us peace. One of my goals in life is to live happy, joyous and free. I can do this by working the 12 steps of Al-Anon and going to meetings on a regular basis.Thanks for listening. Barb S.~(10-7-2011)
Tradition 11	Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, and TV. We need guard with special care the anonymity of all AA members.
	¨ This is a very important tradtion because it is important that we get the word out to the public that we exisit but we need to be careful that we use anonymity while doing it. No one person can be a spokesperson for the fellowship. We are made up of a diverse group of people that come from so many differnet backgrounds that no one person can adequatly represent the entire fellowship. Sometimes when we come into the fellowship and we experience a moment of relief from our suffering we want to tell the whole world about it and maybe even drag a loved one to a meeting. It is important that we go by the policy of attraction rather than promotion. When we change our behavior for the better people will see that and maybe they will want what we have. It is also very important that we keep the anonymity of AA members. There can be a stigma that goes along with the disease and we wouldn't want our loved ones to get fired from a job or loose their health insurance because we were gossiping about them. The most important thing we can do for our loved ones who are still suffering is be supportive through listening and also be a good example of someone who is truley working their Al-Anon program. Thanks for listening, Barb S.~(11-3-2011)
Tradition 12	Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above personalities.
	¨ This Tradition is very important! Without it we would not feel safe to tell what is really going on in our lives. Some of us may have never spoken about what we have been through to another person because we feared that it would not be confidential. At an Al-Anon meeting we introduce ourselves by first names only and anything that is said at a meeting stays at the meeting. The second part of this Tradition tells us to place principles above personalities. What this means is that we might not like everyone at an Al-Anon meeting but we can respect each other and learn from the collective wisdom of the group. Thanks for listening, Barb S.~(12-1-2011)
All 12 Traditions!	General sharings on the Twelve Traditions of Al-Anon
	¨ Sharings on ALL 12 Traditions will be added here!

Please close this window to return to the District 5 web site,

or click here to be directed to the District 5 web site if you reached this page through a search engine.