Good morning all -
It's almost impossible today to observe anything about the world around us without seeing advocacy. Advocacy is defined as actively supporting or touting a given idea, principle, person or thing. Now being an advocate for whatever is not necessarily a bad thing. We all have things we often embrace with great enthusiasm and energy. Cool. If you believe in something, you should support it. One caveat. Always use the proper venue.
This brings us to the sixth tradition:
"An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."
This seems pretty straighforward, doesn't it? Well, over the years sticking our collective noses into things they don't belong in has caused a lot of heartburn in various parts of the fellowship. Treatment centers, hospitals and sober living houses are some of the major related "outside" enterprises the fellowship has involved itself in - repeatedly causing the same issues to occur.
What does this mean to the group? Not much. But what it means to it's members? It means we can have an open meeting at a treatment center (H&I work) - as long as remember that we do not endorse the treament center. You want to solicit donations to a non-AA enterprise? Do it on your own time. You are a drug/alcohol therapist - not a good idea to advertise at a meeting. You want to look for a place to have for permanent meetings? This can be done, but you have to completely divorce that enterprise from AA. Hence Triangle and Alano clubs.
Anything that takes away from our primary focus usually ends up being a bad thing. It would be like a motorcycle repair shop adding a line of tropical fish. Sometimes the line is really subtle. It would be perfectly fine for a group of people to participate in a local fund raiser for alcoholism awareness for MADD or whatever. But that group shouldn't call itself the "Friday Night Friendhip Group of AA".
Because every time AA'ers get involved in outside enterprises or save the world schemes (not matter how good the intention) inder the comfortable blanket of AA, ego gets involved. And my ego is one thing that puts me in direct conflict with the things I need to do to maintain my humility - and eventually my sobriety. Definitly not a good thing for this drunk...
Nuff Said,
Dennis
