All who wish to recover!

Our third tradition and what it means to you, to the person next to you and the other guy in the corner.  I want to point out the differences and lack of similarities between our short and long forms of this tradition. Prior to doing so though I must say that I consider it a privilege to be a member of our fellowship, I also believe that this is a matter of life and death and that we are in the grips of a profound spiritual battle, and while what is contained here may come across as crass or unjust, I will make no apologies for this, for it is for the greater good that I call this to attention.

The Short Form:
 3.) The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.

The short form of our 3rd Tradition, is rather broad, leaving the front door, the back door and all of the windows to the meeting hall standing wide open. While the term membership is not clearly defined we are left to assume that you are welcome in closed AA meetings as soon as you have a desire (common belief is for "that" moment) to stop drinking. AA is a permanent solution, our effectiveness stems from our ability to provide a way out for good and for all. Imagine the hopelessness of our program of recovery, if our solution was guaranteed to be short-term?


The Long Form:

3.) Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. Group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. 

Here is where we get them, perhaps you have heard one of the following comments made flippantly at a Closed meeting of AA:

• All you have to say is you don't want to drink today
• Our door is always open
• You don't have the right to tell someone they aren't allowed here

Most of you have probably heard something along these lines at some point or another, followed immediately by a reference to our 3rd tradition (short form) which has alot of holes. However, I wish to pull the long form apart into 3 separate sections so we can better discuss it.
The first part:
Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover.
 Down to the first sentence we are claiming that membership in AA ought or should include all people who suffer from Alcoholism, now that also says that while all should be included, not all will be. It also states who is eligible and who is not. Unlike the short form, it asks that we do some more qualification, more than just a desire to not drink today, we ask that prospective members be "real" alcoholics. Being a real alcoholic is the first requirement for membership, the second is that you must wish to recover. You must wish to be rid of the obsession for good.

The rest of the tradition focuses mostly on non-exclusivity, the premise that we cannot exclude anyone from our fellowship who meet our only 2 "real" requirements.

We need remember this when someone in a meeting wishes to allow anyone in for informational purposes, our traditions are there to keep AA pure at a group level, they are there to maintain our message and protect our members, without Unity there is nothing. Be bold, defend our traditions, and never forget that while it may seem we are planting a seed, there is a "real" alcoholic quietly dying in the corner of the room wishing he/she could share their pain.