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January 1994

I went to a meeting last week that taught me the importance of the First Tradition. Some time ago this group had decided to discuss one Step every month. They were on the Tenth Step that month, and I was looking forward to hearing everyone’s experience, strength, and hope.

The chairperson started the meeting in the usual way, but then introduced his own topic. I asked him about the group’s decision to discuss a Step every month. He said he knew about that, but he wanted to talk about something else. The rest of the people in the meeting didn’t seem to care, and it wasn’t my home group, so I didn't feel in a position to argue. The chairperson went on to talk about a relative who had checked into a treatment center. As I sat there pouting, I began to think about Bill W.'s analogy in Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. He said that the AA group is like a lifeboat. If everyone in the lifeboat is to survive, then everyone needs to stick together. I carried the analogy further. If a group follows the past experiences of our Fellowship (the Steps and the Traditions), it will be following in the wake of other boats. It will have a smoother ride.

The chairperson of that meeting was steering the boat. When he introduced his own topic, it was as if he took out a chainsaw and cut off his portion of the boat. He set the boat adrift. The next person talked about her concern for the way her daughter-in-law was raising the grandchildren. She took out another chainsaw and cut off her portion of the boat. The boat continued to break up as people brought up topics that had little to do with the common welfare of the group. As a group, they not only lost their ability to stay afloat, but they also lost their effectiveness in pulling in others who were still suffering.

After the meeting, I talked with a lady who had been sober and coming to meetings for nine months, but was about to check herself into an outpatient treatment program. Apparently she wasn’t getting what she needed to stay sober in Alcoholics Anonymous.

My home group has a group conscience statement that's read at the beginning of every meeting. Part of it reads, “The format for our meeting tonight will be the discussion of a Step or Tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous. In keeping with AA’s First Tradition, we respectfully ask that you confine your remarks to only the Step or Tradition being discussed. Other problems may be discussed after the meeting if you wish.”

When I first started attending my home group, that statement really bothered me—because I wanted to talk about whatever moved me. Today I see that statement as saying, “Please check your chainsaw at the door.”

Brian H.

Eau Claire, Wisconsin