DAILY REFLECTIONS for April 29th

GROUP AUTONOMY

Some may think that we have carried the principle of group autonomy to extremes. For example, in its original "long form," Tradition Three declares: "Any two or three gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that as a group they have no other affiliation." … But this ultra-liberty is not so risky as it looks.
A.A. Comes of Age, Pages 104-105

As an active alcoholic, I abused every liberty that life afforded. How could A.A. expect me to respect the "ultra-liberty" bestowed by Tradition Four? Learning respect has become a lifetime job. ¶ A.A. has made me fully accept the necessity of discipline and that, if I do not assert it from within, then I will pay for it. This applies to groups too. Tradition Four points me in a spiritual direction, in spite of my alcoholic inclinations.

Daily Reflections reprinted with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.