Fellowship-Wide Services (F.W.S.)

Do we have a Long Form of the Traditions to Study?

Share this page:

The comments below were given by various members of the Conference Steps, Traditions, and Concepts Committee and do not represent a group conscience of the entire committee. The opinions expressed here are solely that of the person giving them. Take what you like and leave the rest.

The Question

The Question:
I am a member of a meeting that would like to know if there is a “long-form” resource that we can use to give us guidance on discussing the S.L.A.A. traditions. We had thought that the AA 12 & 12 might be a good piece of literature to use, but there is a .pdf document on the S.L.A.A. national web site that indicates that it is not conference approved. We are at a loss as to what we can use. Help!
(NOTE; See the Document, What is Conference Approved Literature? which is found on the FWS website. We would also refer the reader to a previous response titled Local Practices which was previously published in the FWS Newsletter, which contains further discussion regarding this subject.)


Chapter 7 “Starting an S.L.A.A. Group” in the S.L.A.A .Basic Text discusses the Traditions. Also, page 563 in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous is the long form of the Twelve Traditions.

I’m sure that the majority of S.L.A.A. members are aware that we are in the process of creating a draft of the 12 Steps and Traditions of S.L.A.A. This project has been ongoing for several years and the Literature Committee is working to put this draft together from the sharing sheets which have been submitted.

However, groups may still conduct Traditions study meetings using the AA 12 & 12 or even the 12 & 12 of Al Anon. Although these are not Conference Approved materials, groups are able to use these resources by group conscience. Tradition 4 tells us that each group is autonomous, which means that they can choose to follow whatever format they choose to use and to employ the resources of other 12 Step recovery programs if we are lacking in material on the subject. You may certainly change references to AA to S.L.A.A. as the members are reading in order to gain more understanding of the reasons behind the 12 Traditions.

Was this content helpful?

What do you think?
The CSTCC is a group of volunteers, some of whom were ABM delegates, and others who volunteered out of interest. We do not represent a group conscience of S.L.A.A., but are committed to bringing thoughtful discussion and study of 12 Step Fellowship literature and experience to the questions that are brought to us. We offer this summary as the results of our discussions. We present the major points of concern in the hopes that wider discussion in the Fellowship will help us evolve our customs and practice of the S.L.A.A. program of recovery to better represent the loving guidance of a Higher Power. Always, we affirm the autonomy of each group and the need for each individual to follow her/his own conscience. No decision of this group, or any other, is ever forced upon another, even when we believe a practice is clearly in conflict with the Steps, Traditions, or Concepts.