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On this day in 1946 the AA Twelve Traditions were published

Twelve Traditions

The Twelve Traditions were formulated by early
members of AA in response to the need to clarify
certain principles and attitudes, for the sake of the
integrity and long-term survival of the movement.
Broadly speaking, these cover issues of
administration, finance, aims and relations with
other groups and society at large. They have
fulfilled their purpose because since that time, the
basic tenets and beliefs of AA have remained
unchanged. We tend to take things for granted but
in truth, it’s a record that not many institutions
achieve. Am I grateful to the founders of AA?

An organisation that advises its members that
compromise is fatal for recovery must match its
actions to its words. So much of history tells of wellintentioned
people who gradually failed to measure
up to their original principles. It is part of my
responsibility as a grateful beneficiary of this
fellowship, to do my utmost to uphold the Twelve
Traditions so that future generations will enjoy the
fruits of this wonderful organisation. Today I give
thanks to the founding fathers of all the Twelve Step
fellowships.

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Rememberr Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

HALT

In April, we looked at courage, honesty, integrity,
giving, helping others and the joy of recovery. These
positive attributes do not just appear, we must work
for them, and we must ask for help. Our main
motivation at first is fear – addiction will kill us
unless we take positive action. Soon other
motivations appear: we don’t want to disappoint our
friends who offered help, we don’t want to lose the
new happiness we are starting to feel, and we do want
to be true to our Higher Power. Later on, the siren
call of our addiction will become so tiny that we don’t
notice it at all but for now, there is still work to be
done. There are no holidays from recovery. Do I
understand that recovery is for life – that, however
good I am feeling, I must remain vigilant?

HALT (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) are the four
things to avoid in early recovery. We could find
ourselves in any (or all) of those states at any
time. We should have a plan to deal with this – a
person to call or a meeting to attend. Our great
good fortune is that we have worldwide
support. We must ask for help, so we see how to
help others, when the time comes. Today I
remind myself to ask for help.

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Remember Mindfulness – send positive thoughts

Filling the void

Addiction and creativity have always been closely
linked. Hardship, pain and frustration are often the
catalysts for great creativity and many great writers
and painters struggled with addiction. But recovery
and the freedom from suffering it brings, can also
produce great work. The AA Big Book, written by
recovering alcoholics for alcoholics, is a prime
example of this. AA co-founder People in recovery
sometimes find an unexpected talent that brings
them great enjoyment. This can ‘fill the void’ and
occupy them beneficially, when they take addiction
out of their lives. Am I ready to explore my potential
for new interests and activities?

Reach out – soothe another’s pain.
Feel the friendship, feel the gain.
See your life begin to blossom.
Little sprigs of hopes forgotten
Growing into big strong trees.
Force the wine witch to her knees. Anon.
Sometimes poems like this, by a newly recovering
alcoholic, help build strength and determination to
stay sober, and a new interest too. Today I ask God
for the motivation to explore new ideas.

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually

Learning life’s lessons

Anyone in recovery who reads Alice in Wonderland
might see it as an allegory about addiction. A young
girl disappears down a rabbit hole into a fantasy
world where she discovers mind and body-altering
substances. It’s also a story about self-discovery:
Who in the world am I? she asks. She
learns too about growing up and making the right
choices. By the end of the book, Alice is behaving
like an adult: It’s no use going back to yesterday,
she says, because I was a different person then.
The book helps us understand the challenges
of growing up, though there is no evidence
that the author had addiction in mind. Am I
open to learning lessons in life from all sources?
We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.
How do you know I’m mad? said Alice.
You must be, said the Cat, or you wouldn’t
have come here. But let me tell you something.
The best people usually are.
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.

Such wise words of acceptance. I’ve heard
similar things at AA meetings. Today I ask God for
the wisdom to know I have an illness that is
mental, physical and spiritual.