The Twelve Traditions


1.  Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon SSA unity.

2.  For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority -a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.

3.  The only requirement for SSA membership is a desire to stop self sabotage.

4.  Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or SSA as a whole.

5.  Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the self-sabotager who still suffers.

6.  A SSA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the SSA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

7.  Every SSA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

8.  Self Sabotagers Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

9.  SSA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

10.  Self Sabotagers Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the SSA name ought never be drawn into public controversy

11.  Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films.

12.  Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities


[ Taken from the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" ]