Hello and welcome to Sobercast, where we provide A.A. Speaker Meetings and workshops in podcast format.

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basket. We hope you enjoyed the podcast. Have a great day. My name is Norma A, and I'm an alcoholic.

We're here today to learn about the 12 traditions, the history behind their evolution, and how to

apply them in our daily lives as AA members.

What I'm about to share with you is a combination of AA's experience.

It's information I gathered by talking to, listening to, reading from various AA members who were or are archivist, delegates, trustees, and others involved in AA's

three legacies, recovery, unity, and service. So let's begin. What are the traditions? If you look at the circle and triangle, then the triangle has those three sides, one side recovery, our steps, first presented in 1939 with the publishing of the book Alcoholics Anonymous.

The 12 steps reflect the spiritual principles by which the co-finders and early members

recovered from alcoholism.

Another side of the triangle is unity.

Our 12 traditions present the principles which support the unity of AA fellowship at the group level

and was presented by Bill W. in the late 1940s.

The next side of the triangle service are 12 concepts presented in 1962 and an incorporation of

AA's world service structure. These are found in the service manual.

So there's an article written, I think, called the 12 Traditions by which we live in 1951, by a member.

It goes like this.

This is the third year we've devoted the November issue of the grapevine to Traditions Week, wherein each group is asked to schedule around

Thanksgiving time, a special meeting to study and discuss our 12 traditions. From all reports,

this idea, while a noble one, has not been an unqualified success in actual practice.

Maybe it's because we AAs have been a little self-conscious about having anything as high-sounding as traditions.

It's a word usually associated with ivied walls in great antiquity.

...