Daily Reflection

JANUARY 31
OUR COMMON WELFARE COMES FIRST
The unity of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most cherished
quality our Society has . . . We stay whole, or A. A. dies
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 129
Our Traditions are key elements in the ego deflation
process necessary to achieve and maintain sobriety in
Alcoholics Anonymous. The First Tradition reminds me
not to take credit, or authority, for my recovery. Placing
our common welfare first reminds me not to become a
healer in this program; I am still one of the patients. Selfeffacing
elders built the ward. Without it, I doubt I would
be alive. Without the group, few alcoholics would recover.
The active role in renewed surrender of will enables me
to step aside from the need to dominate, the desire for
recognition, both of which played so great a part in my
active alcoholism. Deferring my personal desires for the
greater good of group growth contributes toward A.A.
unity that is central to all recovery. It helps me to
remember that the whole is greater than the sum of all its
parts.