Perhaps I should clarify that statement. What the tradition says is that our membership ought to include alcoholics. Only alcoholics have alcoholism.
I knew that statement would raise eyebrows, but I'm not trying to stir up controversy.
As for "what are we afraid of?" What we are afraid of is that one alcoholic might not hear the AA message in an AA meeting. In the pamphlet "Problems Other Than Alcoholism," Bill tells us how the early members wanted to give membership to their non-alcoholic spouses and some of our great early friends and benefactors. It was decided that it couldn't be done because the non-alcoholics couldn't give straight AA talks nor engage in real Twelfth-Step work. If an alcoholic can't identify with other alcoholics in an AA meeting, where else could he go?
Jim