Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsUnderstanding AA Tradition 1How AA Tradition 1 Promotes UnityHow Tradition 1 Fits With the Other TraditionsApplying Tradition 1Frequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Understanding AA Tradition 1
How AA Tradition 1 Promotes Unity
How Tradition 1 Fits With the Other Traditions
Applying Tradition 1
Frequently Asked Questions
At a GlanceAA Tradition 1 is focused on creating unity in 12-step groups. It serves as an important foundation for the functioning of AA and other 12-step support groups. Forming a united, cohesive group allows people to forge connections that support their recovery.
At a Glance
AA Tradition 1 is focused on creating unity in 12-step groups. It serves as an important foundation for the functioning of AA and other 12-step support groups. Forming a united, cohesive group allows people to forge connections that support their recovery.
AA Tradition 1 is the first of these guiding principles. It serves to create a sense of unity and fellowship within the group.
The Twelve Tradition philosophy started in 1939 with the publication of the “Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.” The concept was refined in the ensuing years as AA continued to grow, and greater emphasis was placed on maintaining uniformity among chapters. In 1953, co-founder Bill Wilson formalized the principles in the book “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.”
“Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. AA must continue to live or most of us will surely die. Hence our common welfare comes first. But individual welfare follows close afterward.”
When people first try to recover from addiction, they often attempt to do so alone. While some people are successful, this approach means that people are less supported and more likely to feel isolated in their recovery.
By building a connection with the group, people are better able to reach their individual goals while still benefiting from the cohesiveness of a unified group. Such unity benefits both individuals and the group as a whole.
An Overview of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.)
The aim of Tradition 1 is to ensure cohesion while honoring all voices in an open dialogue. Both AA and Al-Anon are structured to provide aplatform for everyone, even those with minority views. As a group prepares to make a decision, all sides must be given an opportunity to speak without judgment or derision.
With that being said, all members of the group must be willing to accept the majority opinion and work together to put any decision into action. This helps prevent the divisiveness that can undermine not only the group but each member of the group.
A free exchange of ideas is considered healthy so long as all members are committed to protecting the tenets of Tradition One.
Each of the 12 traditions plays an important role in 12-step groups like AA. Such traditions ensure that the group as a whole can function effectively, which is vital for individual recovery.
Tradition 1 promotes unity within the group, which is an essential part of keeping AA and other groups focused on their primary goal, which helping each person feel supported as they work toward recovery. Without tradition 1, groups might become embroiled in drama and controversy that would take away from the group’s goals.
Research has found that this connectedness plays a crucial supportive role in 12-step recovery groups like Narcotics Anonymous.
Applying AA Tradition 1 to Your Life
Newcomers to a 12-step group will often place their entire focus on the Twelve Steps and pay less mind to the Twelve Traditions. In some ways, it’s entirely understandable. As an individual, you want to reach your goal of sobriety. But unless you embrace the Twelve Traditions, your journey can become rudderless as you place “self” over others.
The underlying concept of Tradition 1 is that being of service to other people can help promote sobriety. One way to incorporate this concept into your own life is to work on doing things for others, even as you accept help toward your recovery.
Some ways to foster this sense of unity from AA tradition 1 include participating in your 12-step group, sharing your experiences, and encouraging others in their progress.
You can also implement these practices within your own family unit. Instead of placing your own needs at the forefront, make sure each family member is seen and heard. Work on reaching consensus within the family unit. Each person may not get exactly what they want, but working together ensures that each person’s needs are respected.
What This Means For YouLiving up to these principles takes work and dedication, but so does becoming a part of AA. Like every part of a 12-step program, the journey begins with the first step. Learning more about the Twelve Traditions can give you a better understanding of how the process works and how the well-being of the group as a whole can play a role in your individual recovery.
What This Means For You
Living up to these principles takes work and dedication, but so does becoming a part of AA. Like every part of a 12-step program, the journey begins with the first step. Learning more about the Twelve Traditions can give you a better understanding of how the process works and how the well-being of the group as a whole can play a role in your individual recovery.
Tradition 2 of a 12-Step Program
Where the 12 steps are focused on individuals, the 12 traditions are focused on the group as a whole. The 12 steps describe each of the actions that a person will need to take as an individual in order to recover from their addiction. By contrast, the traditions help keep the support group functioning and healthy.
Learn More:The Big Book of AA
3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alcoholics Anonymous.Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.Dekkers A, Vos S, Vanderplasschen W.“Personal recovery depends on NA unity”: an exploratory study on recovery-supportive elements in Narcotics Anonymous Flanders.Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2020;15(1):53. doi:10.1186/s13011-020-00296-0Wnuk M.The beneficial role of involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous for existential and subjective well-being of alcohol-dependent individuals? The model verification.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(9):5173. doi:10.3390/ijerph19095173
3 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Alcoholics Anonymous.Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.Dekkers A, Vos S, Vanderplasschen W.“Personal recovery depends on NA unity”: an exploratory study on recovery-supportive elements in Narcotics Anonymous Flanders.Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2020;15(1):53. doi:10.1186/s13011-020-00296-0Wnuk M.The beneficial role of involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous for existential and subjective well-being of alcohol-dependent individuals? The model verification.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(9):5173. doi:10.3390/ijerph19095173
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Alcoholics Anonymous.Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.Dekkers A, Vos S, Vanderplasschen W.“Personal recovery depends on NA unity”: an exploratory study on recovery-supportive elements in Narcotics Anonymous Flanders.Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2020;15(1):53. doi:10.1186/s13011-020-00296-0Wnuk M.The beneficial role of involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous for existential and subjective well-being of alcohol-dependent individuals? The model verification.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(9):5173. doi:10.3390/ijerph19095173
Alcoholics Anonymous.Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.
Dekkers A, Vos S, Vanderplasschen W.“Personal recovery depends on NA unity”: an exploratory study on recovery-supportive elements in Narcotics Anonymous Flanders.Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2020;15(1):53. doi:10.1186/s13011-020-00296-0
Wnuk M.The beneficial role of involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous for existential and subjective well-being of alcohol-dependent individuals? The model verification.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(9):5173. doi:10.3390/ijerph19095173
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