The Importance of Tradition

With the publication of the Big Book in April, 1939, followed by Jack Alexander’s article in the Saturday Evening Post in March, 1941, which gave Alcoholics Anonymous a most enthusiastic endorsement, A.A. became a national institution. A new era had descended on the world. Hopeless alcoholics had, for the second time in the history of mankind, been given an opportunity to escape death or permanent insanity from the fatal malady -- alcoholism.

Very early on, Bill W. became aware of the need of some guidelines for conduct within the Fellowship. He had been made aware of the Washington Temperance Movement (Washingtonians) which had existed for a brief period a century earlier. A small band of men, each of whom had a serious drinking problem, pledged to stop drinking. They did so by fellowship and telling their stories at meetings held for such a purpose. Their success was phenomenal. Within 3 - 4 years, they had grown to more than 100,000 members. With their success came the notion that, if they could help alcoholics stay sober, they ought to be able to help anyone with any type of problem. They also had an idea that if they could get the endorsement of the leading citizens of their communities, they would further accelerate their growth. Their departure from their singleness of purpose led to their downfall. In as short a time as they had gained success, they had vanished. So much so that when Bill W. began analyzing the problems and difficulties of the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, he had never heard of the Washingtonians. Their history was brought to Bill’s attention and became the basis for the work he had ahead of him. Two things became very obvious to Bill as he studied the history of the Washingtonians:

1) They had no defined program of action to achieve sobriety.
2) They had no code of conduct for the Fellowship.

With the publication of the Big Book, the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous had the well-defined Program of Action -- The life-giving Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The need for the code of conduct was becoming more and more obvious with each passing day.

Through the correspondence Bill received, telephone conversations and traveling around the country visiting as many groups as was possible, Bill was able to make some very profound observations. He was able to observe how successful groups functioned. He was also able to clearly see what other groups were doing that led to their demise. He started to codify his observations and began his campaign to develop “an Alcoholics Anonymous Tradition of Relations --- Twelve Points to Assure Our Future.” Bill used every method available to him to sell the Fellowship on the need of what he came to know would be vital to our growth and success. One of the principal means was through the “Grapevine.” Beginning in 1945, Bill began writing articles explaining the need for these guidelines. Many of these articles are reprinted in a Grapevine publication, “THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART.”

For the next five years, Bill devoted most of his time to trying to convince the Fellowship of the need for the “Twelve Traditions Of Alcoholics Anonymous.” The idea of a national conference to discuss and adopt these principles of group conduct by an informed Group Conscience bore fruit in Cleveland, Ohio, in July, 1950. Each Tradition was presented to the Fellowship by an A.A. member. Each was voted on and adopted unanimously. They were born from the failure of many groups and the needless deaths of many chronic alcoholics. Or as Bill put it, “These lifesaving Traditions were hammered out on the anvils of experience.” Most unfortunately, the lack of adherence to these precious principles is the reason for the demise of so many groups and the needless deaths of many hopeless, helpless alcoholics today.