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September 2020

By 1944 AA had undergone incredible growth. The publication of the Jack Alexander article in 1941 had swelled the membership numbers from 2,000 to 8,000 within a year.

By 1944 AA had undergone incredible growth. The publication of the Jack Alexander article in 1941 had swelled the membership numbers from 2,000 to 8,000 within a year. With such rapid expansion came various difficulties, challenges and differences of opinions on how AA should conduct itself as an organisation and how it should relate itself to the world.

Groups and individuals were sending in thousands of letters sharing their experiences as well as asking for advice and guidance on a range of matters. Clearly, action had to be taken to ensure the Fellowship would survive and grow. 

Beginning in August 1945 and ending in April 1946 a number of essays by Bill W were printed in the Grapevine. The essays described the particular challenges the Fellowship was experiencing followed by ‘a set of practical guiding principles’ for the Fellowship to consider.

It was from these essays that the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous were forged – a set of principles that protects our wonderful Fellowship from ‘menaces’ within and without AA. The menace without is society, which does not operate along our spiritual guidelines; the menace within is us.

“Our Traditions are a guide to better ways of working and living,” co-founder Bill W. said. “And they are to group survival what A.A.’s Twelve Steps are to each member’s sobriety and peace of mind…. Most individuals cannot recover unless there is a group. The group must survive or the individual will not.”

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Contents

2       Sub-Committee Notice Board

3       Editorial

4       Extract From AA Literature

5       Article From The Roundabout Archive

6       Our Traditions

7       The Seventh Tradition   

10     We All Lead - Traditionally

11     Back To Basics In Lockdown         

i-iv    AA Conference Approved Books

13     The Roundabout Interview

16     A Message For The Newcomer

17     An Article From Grapevine

19     Grateful To Be Here   

21     That Was The Week That Was

23     Subscribe To Roundabout

The Seventh Tradition

I am in lockdown in my own home and despite the current situation caused by Covid-19 I know it is still important that I carry on my Public Information (PI) service work as best I can.

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Our Traditions

I arrived at my first AA meeting suffering from the horrendous affliction of alcoholism. I was a spiritual and emotional wreck.

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