Anonymity in Twelve Step Groups

It's a Matter of Humility

Dateline: 01/21/98

The 12 step support groups not only offer their members the safety of anonymity, but they also highly recommend it, to keep principles above personalities.

Tradition Eleven of both Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon Family Groups states the following:

Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level or press, radio, TV and films...

This is why, when you see a famous person who is in recovery being interviewed, they do not mention the actual name of the support group fellowship of which they are a member. Conversely, if you see an interview with someone who identifies themselves as a member of a 12 step group, they usually give their first name only.

Unfortunately, many 12-step group members believe that this is the only time they are supposed to maintain their personal anonymity -- when they are speaking in public.

But Tradition Twelve states: Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above personalities.

The spiritual principle behind the tradition of anonymity is that of humility.

Principles above personalities

No one person speaks for the fellowship as a whole. All are equals and no individual should stand out as representative of the program. If a member vaunts his membership in the fellowship and develops a personal following, it can give a distorted picture of the overall program -- and can have detremental effect if that member should slip.

In order to keep the focus on principles rather than personalities, personal anonymity should be maintained at all levels of participation in the fellowship -- in meetings, in 12th step work, and even in sponsorship.

Naturally, this does not mean that members never speak to someone they know personally about the fellowship. Reaching out to others who are hurting and need help is the way it works. But it is the program -- the principles that work in the lives of members -- not the personalities themselves that need to be emphasized.

If you have read Mitchell K's early A.A. history on this website, you know that many of the principles of the Alcoholics Anonymous fellowship were adapted from Biblical teachings.

The concept of keeping principles above personalities, through individual anonymity, is similar to the Christian principle of putting the flesh to death so that the Spirit may live.