An attempt by New York bureaucrats, in 2021, to revise the long standing AA Preamble, written in 1947, replacing the words “men and women” with the word “people” in the first sentence, has been struck down, DISPROVED.
Discussion of the change first drew attention a couple of years ago, when the NEW word was suggested to the General Service Board intended to further a multiple gender political agenda. Unfortunately, the trustees of The Alcoholic Foundation, our General Service Committee, who are supposed to be custodians of our A.A. traditions, have been derelict in their duty by allowing politics to enter AA literature.
Silence is consent. If we don’t stand up and speak out, next they’ll try to remove ‘God’ from our literature.
AA co-founder, Bill Wilson, who foresaw these problems ahead of time, created the AA Traditions to maintain unity and the long term survival of AA.
AA Tradition 2 states “For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.” There is no AA authority, other than God, as expressed in our group conscious, that can change words in our AA literature.
Further in tradition 2 states, “All such representatives are to be guided in the spirit of service, for true leaders in A.A. are but trusted and experienced servants of the whole. They derive no real authority from their titles; they do not govern. ” The New York office does not have AA literature changing authority.
AA Tradition 4 states “Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.” With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group is responsible to no other authority than its own conscience. But when it’s plans concern the welfare of neighboring groups also, those groups ought to be consulted. Therefore any changes made in wording of AA literature by New York bureaucrats have no effect on AA as a whole, or upon individual groups.
AA Preamble History
The Preamble was not part of the original Alcoholics Anonymous literature created by AA founder, Bill Wilson in 1934. It was actually created in June 1947 by the AA Grapevine, a magazine publication founded by six AA members with Bill Wilson’s permission. Back then, this magazine was starting to circulate among non-alcoholics. The Preamble was created to serve as public information to describe what AA was and what it wasn’t. The magazine, and thus, the AA Preamble, quickly proliferated into the various chapters of the organization and was even adopted as AA conference-approved literature. Since this short text has become a cornerstone of Alcoholics Anonymous and is printed in every issue of the AA Grapevine Magazine and used to open AA meetings.
However, the Preamble that most of us know today is not the original text. There have been a few wording changes intended to clarify certain points.
The AA Preamble was first published in the June 1947 issue. They used portions of the Foreword to the first edition of the Big Book.
The Grapevine had just begun to circulate among non-alcoholics, and the Preamble was intended primarily to describe for them what AA is and is not. It is still often used for public information purposes.
As time passed, it began appearing in all Conference-approved publications, and many groups now use it to open meetings.
AA Preamble Changes
The original version was slightly different from what we know today. For example:
1) It stated that the only requirement for membership is an HONEST desire to stop drinking, and 2) it contained only the very brief statement “AA has no dues or fees.”
At the 1958 General Service Conference, a delegate pointed out that the word “honest” does not appear in the Third Tradition, and suggested that it should be deleted from the Preamble. Many delegates felt that as AA had matured, it had become almost impossible to determine what constitutes an honest desire to stop drinking, and also that some who might be interested in the program could be confused by the phrase.
The mid-summer 1958 meeting of the General Service Board ratified the deletion, and since then the Preamble has read simply “a desire to stop drinking.” The phrase “AA has no dues or fees” also was clarified to read as it presently does: “There are no dues or fees for AA membership, we are self-supporting through our own contributions.” The current version of the Preamble appears on the first page of every issue of the Grapevine.
A few months later another preamble version was created in Texas, which was followed by another version in Wilmington, Delaware.
AA Preamble Bottom Line
Politics has no place in AA. We will continue using God’s ‘male or female’ genders in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. If you believe you are not a man or women, perhaps choose the gender that you relate to most.
The AA Preamble bottom line:
Each AA group, and each member of the group, makes the final decision on what AA Preamble version to recite, not the New York office.
Yes but it’s just an underhanded manipulation to sway the masses into believing an impossibility, more than two genders. Do not be deceived.
I have also heard that “people” is inclusive of adolescents, who are not quite “men and women”
Very well said Rex. You raised some great points. I agree completely. When I read the preamble I only say ‘men and women’ not ‘people’. There are only two genders and we should not allow bureaucrats to inject their marxist communist confusion into AA.
I am very concerned about the change in the AA preamble from men and women to people. I find this change a direct violation of the traditions, which state that AA does not endorse any cause, nor does it engage in controversy. This change does both of those things.
My first question would be, why the change? It must be for people who are not identifying as either a man or a woman, or not solely as a man or a woman.
I am not writing this against those people, transgender, or non-binary people.
I am writing this because I fear that this step is identical to the step that brought down the Washingtonians, which was a movement very successful in helping alcoholics until it endorsed abolition. Abolition was a noble cause, but it was an outside issue, and it brought the organization down. The demise of the Washingtonians is what gave birth to AA tradition 10, which states “Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.”
As I said I am not writing this against transgender, or non-binary people, however there is a large segment of the population that either opposes acknowledging, recognizing or accepting them. It is a controversial issue, pertaining to an extremely small segment of the population, and by changing the preamble to show special acceptance of that, is in fact endorsing it and taking a side in an outside issue and a controversy. Even if not recognizing, acknowledging or accepting those people is wrong, it is an outside issue. Slavery was wrong, yet opposing it brought down the Washingtonians, which was the specific genesis of tradition 10.
No matter what you think of the people who oppose rights for transgender, or non-binary people, they are welcome in AA as long as they have the desire to stop drinking. AA is full of people with different points of view: Democrats, Republicans, Communists, cheats, liars and thieves. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions; in AA we are just alcoholics.
What we as individuals agree with or disagree with outside of A.A. stays outside of A.A. We don’t endorse or side with any outside issues no matter how noble they may seem to us or be. This change takes a side, endorses through recognition, which is codified into A.A. by changing the preamble.
So true. We’ve been struggling trying to get the zoom cameras out of meetings. It has been normalized and the new people don’t know any different.
Soon they will be targeting the pronouns in the Big Book. This isn’t about transgender or sexuality. This is about power and the Marxist movement. It attacked the Boy Scouts did we really think AA was immune. When over half of new service members are part of the WOKE agenda, how are we to expect them to abandon their Religion at the door. It is an Ideology to them and they take over the politics of ever organization they attend because they are taught to do that. We are in danger of losing AA as it was to a non secular movement where God is prohibited.
I don’t care who you sleep with or what’s between your legs. Just don’t try and tell me that science doesn’t exist anymore and God is the patriarch power struggle.
“Does not wish to engage in any controversy.” That’s it. Regardless of your stance, it’s controversial, period. I’ve heard arguments that it’s not political and it’s not a cause. I disagree. Even if it were, its a controversial area, and it has no place in AA. We don’t need these arguments in AA business meetings. It’s obviously a reaction to the trans agenda, and supposedly “non binary” potential members will feel uncomfortable. It’s all nonsense. Wait until they hear talk of God in meetings. I have deeply held beliefs and opinions against it, but I shouldn’t have to argue with other members. They should know better than to bring this up, especially long time members. Shame on them. They know anyone who is really serious about sobriety will not even blink at men and women. Imagine if we catered to every newcomer. Great article.
You hit the nail on the head Eddie. They will never be able to force us to recite their new woke versions of preamble, steps or anything else. Leave it at the door!
32 years sober and still fuming over this one. We have no opinion on outside issues? But now outside issues have opinions on us
Sorry but the next meeting I chair, it’s men and women.
Don’t like it? Call your sponsor, he or she can help you….
Perhaps you can clarify ….
but it has been changed, read the new lit coming from aa world services and the grapevine. read the aa website
Perfect if it isnt broken dont fix it As Dr Bob said Keep it simple lets not louse this thing up
WOW!!! Beautifully stated and explained!! Politics has no place in AA! This program is simple and has been a huge success for many suffering Alcoholics! Thank you for a terrific article, Mark!!❤️
Amen! Exactly, you give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. The preamble was not broke, so it certainly didn’t need “fixing”! “HE created them male and female” Gen 5:2 (and that’s the bottom line there)