'Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.'
- The fellowship has no opinion on politics, religion, alcohol treatment, alcohol laws, psychotherapy, medicine, etc.
- Groups, likewise.
- Individuals in group settings should refrain from expressing opinions on such matters, lest this be viewed as an expression of an opinion on behalf of AA.
- Individuals in interpersonal settings may discuss such matters and express opinions as long as there is no explicit assertion or implication that this represents the view of AA as a whole.
- The benefits of this are:
- The avoidance of unnecessary controversy within AA, which damages unity.
- The avoidance of public controversy.
- This is because expressing an opinion on an outside domain invites response from that domain.
- If we want to be left alone to pursue our own agenda: sobriety, we should leave other domains, organisations, and institutions alone, too.
- The welcoming aura of AA to people who individually hold any opinions or have any experiences.
- In my relationships, I am reminded by Tradition X to keep my big fat mouth shut and mind my own darned business.
- This helps create an atmosphere of mutual respect.
- This also embodies the notions of Traditions I and IV:
- Common welfare comes first.
- We can each believe, think, and do as we wish as long as it does not unduly affect each other or common welfare.
- If someone wants my opinion on something, they will have to ask me, or create a setting in which the expression of such opinions is explicitly or implicitly called for.
Inventory:
Looking at the above ideas:
Where am I currently falling down?
What can I do differently?