How AA Relates to Events, Fund Raising & God

Clearing up the confusion…

We have had many phone calls at the Cleveland District Office as to whether certain events are AA or not. We have gotten a number of calls that certain meetings are promoting God as they understood Him rather than as we understood Him, endorsing outside issues when they announce non-AA events, no matter how spiritual or entertaining they may be like retreats, treatment center fund raisers, 12 step comedians, etc…

We must all keep in mind our Declaration of Unity: This we owe to AA’s future: To place our common welfare first; To keep our fellowship united. For on AA unity depend our lives and the lives of those to come.

An AA event is one run by A.As, is about AA, and for A.As. In order for it to be about AA, it must have an AA meeting attached to it. If your picnic, dance, etc… has an AA meeting attached to it, it can legitimately be called an AA event. If it does not, it is a sober picnic or sober dance, etc…

We need to be careful and protect our Sixth, Seventh and Tenth Traditions. We need to remember what our Third and Eleventh Steps say.

Tradition Six: An AA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the AA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

Tradition Seven: Every AA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

Tradition Ten: Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence, the AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

Once an AA meeting starts, you are in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous where our primary purpose is to stay sober and help another alcoholic achieve sobriety. We do not use AA meetings as a platform for:

Fund Raising

We do not sell T-shirts at AA meetings to raise money. We do no sell tickets for fund raising events for outside enterprises, such as treatment centers and clubs.

Spiritual Retreats

Can be a great tool of renewal for people. We are free to pursue our spirituality in any way we understand it; Alcoholics Anonymous does not sponsor any spiritual retreats.

Promoting Religious or Political Beliefs

Step 3 and Step 11 talk about a God of our understanding. Tradition 6 tells us we do not endorse any outside enterprises and Tradition 10 reminds us we do not have any opinions on outside issues or get drawn into public controversy while acting as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

We do not promote our religious or political beliefs at meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous. We are program of attraction, not of promotion. We stick to what we have in common, recovering from alcoholism.