Tradition meetings

[Innerchild]

I enjoy going to discussion, Step, As Bill Sees It, Daily Reflection meetings but I cant get into Tradition meetings. I feel like I cant relate to them and my mind drifts off for the hour. Anyone else have the same reaction to them?

[sugarbear1]

Just something to keep aside for the future. More to learn later....

I attended the 7 am meeting 6 days a week. On Wednesday, they alternate between a step and tradition meeting. Needless to say, the number of attendees at the Wednesday meeting drops.

I don't get it, though. It's the same group of people, but they don't want to learn those Traditions or to discuss them. The Traditions hold the group together.

If I practice the Traditions in my life, my life is better all around.

If you can't sit through them yet, don't. I forget how much sober time you have, but if you can't do these, yet, don't.

I get to Tradition meetings now, when I can, but with work, I can't usually make the 7 am meeting. I find other Tradition meetings to attend today.

One day, one step, at a time.

[NoelleR]

When I started out in recovery, in AA, the difference between the Steps and the Traditions was in the definitions of both, as stated in the book 'Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions'............:

"AA's Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in nature, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole.

"AA's Twelve Traditions apply to the life of the Fellowship itself. They outline the means by which AA maintains its unity and relates itself to the world about it, the way it lives and grows."

I don't work, or live by, the Traditions, nor does the group work, or live by the Steps. I work, and live by, the Steps and the group works, and lives by, the Traditions. Really, quite simple.

(o:
NoelleR

[PaperDolls]

I totally relate.

The longer I'm in the program and the more tradition meetings I "endure" the more it's starting to sink in.

I sort of had the same reaction to the steps. I finally got over that too.

[Tommyh]

tradition meetings used to really bore me and then one day some problems came up.I found myself thinking back on those traditions and getting my 12x12 out and my AA Comes of Age book out and studying them.Now they don`t bore me

[Taking5]

Read the part of the 12x12 that talks about rule 62. That is the traditions all wrapped up in one nice neat little story. I do not recall the page #, but before the traditions were developed, a particularly gung-ho AAer with a lot of energy and drive started a group that tried to be all things to all people - AA, job training center, social club, gym, bank - and I mean this literally. He drafted up 61 rules to make everything run smooth as silk.

When the whole house of cards came tumbling down because there was no singleness of purpose, the sufficiently humbled, formerly gung-ho AAer sent Bill Wilson in NYC his new rule, rule 62: Don't take yourself too seriously.

[UpperbucksAAguy]

I like the idea of traditions meetings but rarely enjoy attending them. I rarely hear personal experience, but lots of opinions there. But if you get a speaker with some real practical experience with the traditions or a group with some real experience they can be great meetings