| 1 | Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. 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 A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking. |
| 4 | Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole. |
| 5 | Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers. |
| 6 | An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose. |
| 7 | Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. |
| 8 | Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers. |
| 9 | A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. |
| 10 | Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. 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. |