MY
THOUGHTS ON TRADITION EIGHT
Tradition
Eight
Twelfth
Step works should always be nonprofessional, but our service
centers may employ special workers.
There is a saying in the 12 step
groups In order to keep it you must give it away The 12th Step
says Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these
Steps we tried to carry this message to others and to practice
these principles in all our affairs
The 8th Tradition insures that anytime
a newcomer reaches out for help in AA he will receive it free of
charge. members freely share their own experience strength and
hope with the newcomer to help themselves in their own recovery
in the process of Giving it away in order to keep it
Step seven says we are self supporting
through our own contributions and tradition 8 states that
contributions can be used to employ special workers for
literature for group conscience process from group to district
from district to area from area delegate to GSO from GSO to AA
worldwide
Today in modern society carrying the
message is not only accomplished face to face or by telephone but
online today technology does not hinder carrying the message to
the alcoholic that still suffers
it helps it
The 8th Tradition is so very simple
but greed no matter how you try to see it is still greed I
know today that nothing good comes from a negative action except
a negative reaction and to be paid for our services by holding
work shops to make a profit to an individual is not in AA s best
intrest
But paying someone for their
services outside of twelfth-step work does not compromise AA's
message it just gets other jobs done so the recovering
alcoholic has the freedom to be there and reach out and help
another alcoholic have the literature to give have meeting list
printed etc.
those who work in service for us are
worthy of their hire this very important Tradition is the very
rock on which the freely given program of AA is built someone has
to answer the phone while the rest of us get on with our regained
lives
AA is not therapy when a
professional in the alcoholism field even one who is in the
fellowship does real therapy with a person who has not yet
attended AA or hasn't completely dropped the rock of denial this
is NOT paid 12th step work its paid professional work
It is all right for that AA
member who is also a therapist to encourage attendance at AA or
to discuss sobriety progress within the framework of the steps
with the alcoholic within therapeutic sessions
Some self righteous self appointed AA
tradition police had to be reminded by an old-timer of a few of
the choice words of Bill W in Warranty five contained in Concept
XII. There are not supposed to be any official or unofficial
tradition vigilantes in AA.
Of course what the full context of
this tradition is saying is that AA itself, as an organization
doesn't hire any paid counselors to go out and do OUR usual
twelfth step work AA says that we have to be friendly with our
friends in the treatment community, even those who don't
completely agree with our methods
